Estimating and calculating the fertile period after menstruation is one way to increase the chances of having children. If you want to get pregnant soon, it is important to keep a record of your menstrual period every month so that you can estimate the right time to have sex.
In the menstrual cycle, there are certain days when women are at their most fertile to have regular intercourse and have a great chance of getting pregnant.
A normal menstrual cycle can be counted from the first day of your menstrual bleeding to the last day of your menstrual cycle, which is the day before your next period starts. The length of the menstrual cycle that is considered normal is between 21-35 days.
Understanding Women's Fertile Period
A woman's fertile period is 2-5 days before ovulation. Knowing when ovulation occurs is important, because that is when the egg is released from the ovary and must be fertilized within 12–24 hours. The meeting between the egg and sperm at the right time can have a great opportunity to produce an embryo.
Each woman's ovulation period can be different, depending on the length of her menstrual cycle each month. For example, in a menstrual cycle that averages 28 days, ovulation usually occurs on days 12 to 14 after the first day of your period.
The thing that becomes a challenge is the length of a woman's menstrual period can change from time to time, normally it lasts 2-7 days. This condition makes ovulation can be different a week earlier or later than the previous period.
This is how to calculate the fertile period after menstruation
Generally, a woman's fertile period is calculated based on records and analysis of the menstrual cycle for at least the last 8 months. Here's how to calculate a woman's fertile period:
- Know your shortest cycle. For example, your shortest menstrual cycle is 27 days. Subtract 27 by 18 and the result is 9. This number is the first day when you are at your most fertile.
- Know your longest cycle. For example, your longest menstrual cycle is 30 days. Subtract 30 by 11 and the result is 19. This number is the last day when you are most fertile.
Thus, if your average menstrual cycle is 27–30 days, then your most fertile period is on days 9 to 19.
Indicator of Fertility After Menstruation
To further strengthen the prediction of the most fertile days, you can also use other indicators, such as:
1. Increased basal body temperature
Basal body temperature is the body temperature when you wake up in the morning. If your body temperature when you wake up in the morning is slightly higher than the normal 35.5–36.6 degrees Celsius, this could mean you are ovulating. To monitor the rise in basal temperature, you can use a special thermometer basal body temperature.
2. Changes in mucus from the cervix
Hormones that control the menstrual cycle also affect the mucus that comes out of the cervix or cervical mucus. Just before and during ovulation, there is a change in the amount, color, and texture of mucus.
A few days before ovulation, the mucus will usually be sticky, cloudy, and whitish. Meanwhile, just before ovulation, the mucus will become slippery like egg white. This stage usually lasts 3-4 days, and it is at this point that you are most likely to get pregnant if you have sex.
3. Pain in the stomach or back
During ovulation, which is around the middle of the menstrual cycle, some women will experience mild to severe pain in the lower abdomen or back. This pain can be one of the signs to help detect the fertile period.
4. Feeling more passionate
Some women feel more excited, more energized, and more sociable right before ovulation. Not only that, a woman will also look sexier when she is in her fertile period.
By estimating and calculating your fertile period after your period, and understanding what happens during your menstrual cycle, it can help you better plan your pregnancy and evaluate your reproductive health.
If you have irregular periods every month, making it difficult to determine the fertile period based on its characteristics, you can use the help of a fertility test kit. This tool will detect hormone spikes when women are fertile.
You can buy over-the-counter fertility test kits at pharmacies to make it easier for you to find out when your fertile period and ovulation are.
If all efforts have been made, but you and your partner have not been blessed with children, especially if you have been married for a long time, you should consult a gynecologist so that the cause is known and get the right treatment.