Fertility Awareness

So you want to have a baby!

I got friends who have married and are trying to conceive for months. They asked me how to make their chance higher. I do explain to them. A few days ago, I was chatting with a friend who is still single but we talked about conceiving and she is interested to know more about it also. So I am thinking to write it in my entry. Most of the information below, I gets to know it from my gynae. I never asked her for all this info but she is thinking I may want to try it for 2nd one when I went to visit her a few month ago for my annual checkup before I actually conceive with my 2nd one. Before that, I already have knowledge about fertility and how it works, from somewhere else before I expected with my first child. But after my gynae explain to me more detail with a brochure for reference. I start to know even more and will like to share with my friends or other who is reading. I love kid and I love my friend to have kid also. So happy trying k. Hee!

And yah, yesterday have a long chat with a friend, Catherine, who is expecting a baby boy now also. Congrats to her! I get to know her when I actually found her to help me to do my wedding cartoon animation. And she really done a very good job, we like the animation so much. I didn’t know that she has been reading my blog everyday since it started. She read what I blog about my 1st pregnancy journey, breastfeeding my girl, my girl growing journey etc She asked me why now I never write much about my 2nd pregnancy and requested me to write more about the unborn one. And I am real happy to know that my blog do provide a lot of useful information to her. Ok I promise I will write more about my this pregnancy and provide more info that I know.

Ok here it is…

You need to know more about your fertility, which can help you understand about human sexuality and reproductive health.

You will need to identify the signs and symptoms of fertility during the menstrual cycle, so that you know which days you are fertile and which days you are not. This can increase your chances of being pregnant.

The Ovary and Egg (Ovulation)














Your ovaries at birth contain about 400,000 follicles, which are balls of cells with an immature egg in the center. Only about 300-500 of these will develop into mature eggs.

During each cycle, several follicles will prepare to ripen. One of these follicles will ripen and release an egg. After the egg leaves the ovary, it is pricked up by the fallopian tubes and travels down to the uterus.

There are only appro. 24 hrs after an egg’s release in which it is capable of fertilization.

Important Hormones to know about
Hormones play an important part in your fertility. Hormones are chemicals which are released into the blood (eg by the ovaries and pituitary gland) and which travel to another part of the body (eg the uterus or breast) where they produce a particular effect.

There are 4 impt hormones that control the menstrual cycle and ovulation. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are produced by the pituitary gland, and stimulate the ovaries. The ovaries in turn produce oestrogen and progesterone which stimulates the uterus, and which also have “feedback” effects on the production of LH and FSH.


























The Menstrual Cycle (When Do You Ovulate?)

The first day of menstruation is referred to as Day 1 of the cycle. The length of the cycle is usually around 28 days, but it varies from 21 or less to over 35 days in a long cycle.

Basically, whether your menstrual cycle is long or short, you would probably ovulate 14 days (give or taken 24 hrs either way) before the beginning of your next period. In other words, for a short cycle of 21 days, ovulation will occur around day 7 and for a long cycle of 35 days, ovulation does not occur until around day 21



















A very useful chart I found online.

Another method is Uterus, Cervix, Cervical Fluid (Mucus)
Although you may be not accustomed to checking your cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus, it undergoes changes during the menstrual cycle under the influence of oestrogen and progesterone. The best way to describe these change is SHOW which stand for Soft, High, Open and Wet. These words describe what happens when you are at your fertility perk – cervix Soften, retreat Higher up inside the body 9lengthening the vagina), Opens to allow sperm easy passage into the uterus and beyond, and becomes Wetter (due to the presence of the cervical mucus).


See the third row. I can only found this, though not very clear

The cell lining the cervical canal produce the mucus secretions continuously, but the quality and quantity vary considerably throughout the cycle depending on the influence of the two hormone oestrogen and progesterone.

During the menstrual and pre-ovulation phase of the cycle, the oestrogen levels are low, the mucus is thick and sticky. This mucus forms a plug, blocking the cervical canal and preventing the entry of the sperm.

Approximately 5 to 6 days before ovulation, the mucus starts to flow into the vagina, under the influence of increasing oestrogens. Your fertile time begins when you feel a sensation of discharge from the virgina. The mucus usually starts with a day or two of sticky mucus, which becomes increasingly creamy, wet, slippery and sometimes like egg white. As ovulation approaches, the mucus becomes more fluid and thinner. This mucus contains an elastic gel-like substance. Sometimes, you can even stretch between your fingers for a few inches. It sounds yucky right.


I found this in a webby. Not mine ok.

This fertile mucus helps protect sperm from acid secretions in the vagina, nourish and keep sperm alive for several days and aids sperm migration.

The last day of mucus with any fertile characteristics is called the mucus peak day. Ovulation occurs anywhere from two days before to two days after peak day. You are considered fertile from the time the mucus appears until the 4th evening after peak day.

Following ovulation, the mucus again becomes thick and sticky, and again form a plug at the cervix and prevent sperm entry.

SPERM
Sperm is propelled out of the urethra during ejaculation. Between 2 to 5ml of fluid containing around 100,000,000 sperm cells per ml may thus be released. Only about 100 sperm can survive the long journey to reach the egg and only one will finally penetrate the egg to achieve fertilization and pregnancy. Sperm can travel an inche in 8 mins and can reach an egg in less than 30mins. In general, they may survive in the female reproductive tract for up to 72 hrs in the presence of the fertile mucus. If you are not at the fertile time of your cycle, the sperm will die within a matter of hours.

How do you detect ovulation?
You now know that the egg must be fertilized by a sperm within 24 hrs after its release, and that sperm can survive for up 72 hrs in the fertile mucus. Therefore predicting when ovulation occurs and planning intercourse accordingly can increase your chances of getting pregnant significantly.

If you intend to use a Thermometer
This makes use of the fact that temperatures are low before ovulation and slightly higher afterward. Usually the body temperature arise about 0.2 degree following ovulation and maintains it at this higher level until the time of next menstruation. You will need a special kind of thermometer called a basal body thermometer (which measures in tenths of a degree) and plot a chart to interpret the results over a period of time. You need to realize that the shift in temperature means that ovulation have already taken place

If you intend to use a Ovulation Predictor Kit

Some info for you ->
When you are about to ovulate, your body produces a large amount of luteinicing hormone (LH), which triggers the release of a ripened egg from your ovary.

This “LH” surge tell you that ovulation is likely to occur in the next 24-48 hrs. Ovulation Predictor Kit is a test to detect the LH surge in your urine, thereby helping you to do pinpoint this surge and help you predict when you will ovulate. For more info abt Ovulation Predictor Kit, you may want to consult your gynae or fertility specialist for more info.

That is all I know from my gynae. Hope it does help.
For those who have been trying to conceive for more than half a year. I would advise you to seek doctor for help.


Phew! finally finish writing this. It's such a lengthy post, start writing yesterday night and continued the last part in the morning. Finally got the time to post it out now.

OH............. while writing this. I suddenly feel my baby moving. I can feel the tapping though not very strong. Now still tapping my tummy.



So happy, feel like crying now.

~ I'm 17 week pregnant today ~

Labels: 2nd Trimester, Conceive, Fetal movement, Pregnancy