Can You Get Pregnant From Intercourse After Ovulation?

There is a lot of confusion among women on whether or not you can get pregnant from intercourse after ovulation. And the correct answer is, yes you can. Actually, there is a chance that you can get pregnant any time during your cycle. Hence it is imperative that you understand your menstruation pattern and ovulation timings to understand how and when you may get pregnant.

Understanding Ovulation

Ovulation, simply put, is the release of the mature ovum from the follicle in to the fallopian tubes. Ovulation usually occurs around day 14 of a regular 28-day menstrual cycle. Once the ovum is thus released, it is available to a mature sperm for fertilization for 12 to 48 hours before it begins to disintegrate. This is the most fertile period of your cycle and during ovulation your chances of conception are highest.

The time of ovulation within the menstrual cycle is determined by the luteal phase, which is usually 12 to 16 days long in most women. You can calculate the time of ovulation within your cycle by subtracting the length of your luteal phase from the length of your cycle. For example, if your cycle is 28 days long and your luteal phase is 12 days long, the ovulation will occur on day 16 of your cycle. The exact time of ovulation may vary within your cycle even if you have religiously regular menstrual cycles. This is because ovulation can be delayed by a number of factors such as stress, illness, diet, or increased physical activity.

How can I get pregnant from intercourse after ovulation?

For women who are trying to get pregnant, it is often advised that they should have intercourse before ovulation. This helps in conception since the sperm from the man are deposited into the cervix and as soon as the ovum is released, it has the opportunity to be fertilized. But this in no means limits the woman’s ability to get pregnant after ovulation. In fact her chances of getting pregnant only depend on when she ovulates and how that is timed with intercourse. Considering the fact that the ovum starts to disintegrate 12 to 48 hours, there is a possibility that your partner’s sperm can fertilize the egg up to two days after you ovulate. Keep in mind that the chances of getting pregnant this way dramatically decreases the further away from ovulation you are.

So if you are trying to get pregnant, cheers, you can try to have intercourse anytime near ovulation to increase your chances of getting pregnant, periods or not! It will greatly help you if you chart your ovulation pattern and also monitor your cervical mucus. In addition maintaining a chart of your basal body temperature will also be very helpful in pin pointing that fertile window which can help you conceive faster. For more information on any of these topics, please feel free to navigate our site.

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This entry was posted under Getting Pregnant.