CONCEPTION
Your body is amazing, and when you understand the window of fertility a woman has, one can be forgiven for marvelling how anyone ever actually falls pregnant!
Your menstrual cycle is governed by hormones that work in concert to release usually just one egg of the many millions of primordial cells that formed within you while YOU were still in your mother’s uterus.
Puberty begins the maturation process for a selection of eggs (satisfyingly called oocytes, try saying ‘oh-oh-sites’ or ‘ooh-ooh-sites’) in each and every menstrual cycle.
This cluster of eggs grows together, under hormonal influence, with a single one developing further than all the others, which is ultimately the one egg that is released when you ovulate.
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Your body is prepared for the release of the egg – it’s when your cervical mucus becomes wet and slippery, you might feel more amorous, confident, sexy, sensual, and ‘out there’.
Once you have ovulated, and the egg (ovum) leaves the nurturing support of the ovary, it enters the Fallopian (or uterine) tube, where it can remain living for up to 24 hours.
Did you know?
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Progesterone warms the body and ovulation causes the resting (basal) body temperature to go up by ~0.5°C?
This is one of the ways women can use their body’s signals to determine if they have ovulated, and thus are fertile.
See our magnificent diagram of the menstrual cycle above.
When can I get pregnant?
Sperm can live for 3 to 5 days in the female reproductive tract.
If you have sex in the five days leading up to ovulating, on the day of ovulation and/or for up to 24 hours after ovulation, there is a possibility of the released ovum being fertilised, and thus, you becoming pregnant.
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We call that your fertile window.
During that window, there is an opportunity for further development of that egg cell into a tiny human form, which can occur only after sperm come along, and one pierces the outside of the egg (corona radiata = literally radiant or shining crown).
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It can then deliver it’s (paternal) genetic material to join that of the egg (maternal), and voilà: you have a zygote – the name for the first stage of a fertilized egg!
The zygote becomes an embryo and the embryo becomes a fetus, which then, after birth, becomes a newborn baby.
Women can actually use that fertile window to conceive (make a baby) or to avoid pregnancy. This is popular among women who don’t feel comfortable using hormonal birth control.
It’s called the Fertility Awareness Method:
For more info, see:
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I’ve had sex and think I might be pregnant…
If you’ve already had unprotected sex (or the condom broke) during your fertile time, but you don’t want to be pregnant, first – DON’T PANIC. You have more than five options. See unwanted pregnancy.
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It is not unusual for women and their partners to experience mixed emotions about what to do if they have an unplanned pregnancy.
This ranges from excitement, to weighing up options, or deciding to end pregnancy. Some women might decide to continue on with the pregnancy (or be forced to).
Children By Choice can help, with some great resources decision-making as a couple.
If you decide to continue with the pregnancy, see your GP for all the antenatal blood tests and ultrasounds. You'll need to register for antenatal care. Most public health services offer this; you may need to register online. Google to find out about your local health service(s).
This YPIC website is specifically for young pregnant women who are ready, willing or able to embrace becoming a parent. It's a service local to Caboolture Hospital, Qld.
Stay tuned for more pregnancy-related care...
REFERENCE LIST
American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. (2019). Fertility Awareness-Based Methods of Family Planning. Accessed from https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/fertility-awareness-based-methods-of-family-planning?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=otn on 12 May 2021.
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Children by Choice. (2019). Decision Making as a Couple. Accessed on 19 January 2022 from https://www.childrenbychoice.org.au/foryou/decisionmakingasacouple.
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Children by Choice. (2019). For You. Accessed from https://www.childrenbychoice.org.au/foryou on 19 January 2022.
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Children by Choice. (2019). Making a Decision. Accessed on19 January 2022 from https://www.childrenbychoice.org.au/foryou/decisionmaking.
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YPIC. (2022). Young. Pregnant. In Control. For young women attending Caboolture Hospital. Retrieved 19 January 2022 from https://www.ypic.org.au.