Is it possible to get pregnant if the cycle is 21 days? How to get pregnant quickly after menstruation

When trying to conceive a baby, the question often arises: how to get pregnant quickly after menstruation? To answer, you need to understand the physiological processes of the female body. The menstrual cycle is divided into three stages - follicular, ovulatory and luteal, each time proceeding in accordance with individual parameters. The main calendar method of calculating a favorable day is the main one in which the date of ovulation is determined.

Stages of the menstrual cycle

At the first stage of the menstrual cycle, a follicle is formed, from which the egg subsequently matures. After which, ovulation or the “fertile window” occurs from 1.5 to 3 days, when the probability of conception is highest. If the egg is fertilized, the body adjusts at the hormonal level in order to maintain the pregnancy. The absence of male sperm leads to the reverse process, a natural process occurs - uterine bleeding.

The likelihood of conceiving after the ovulation period becomes less and less every day. If a woman's regular menstrual cycle is 28 days, then the fertile window is formed between the 13th and 15th day. In the next few days the chances drop to 10% and then the rate is about 2-5%.

When is it better to get pregnant before or after your period?

When a man and woman choose the best time to conceive, it is necessary to focus on the ovulation period and use the calendar method of calculation. If menstruation is irregular and it is not possible to calculate the fertile window, then when planning a pregnancy, it is recommended that both partners undergo a full examination in order to exclude or identify possible diseases that affect the bearing of the fetus.

When answering the question of when is it better to get pregnant before or after your period, you should focus on regularity, so the correct answer will be 7-10 days after the start.

The best days to conceive a child after menstruation

When determining days, they focus on the number of days and the regularity of the cycle. Favorable days come exactly in the middle, at this moment the egg is ready for fertilization.

It cannot be guaranteed that pregnancy will not occur immediately after the end of menstruation; the probability of conception is small, but it exists, especially if menstruation is not constant and it is impossible to calculate the time of ovulation. In such a situation, you can use an ultrasound examination, which will most accurately determine the required day.

When calculating the date, the following factors are taken into account:

• short duration - less than 21 days, caused by conception in the next day to the end of menstruation;
• prolonged menstruation indicates the possibility of fertilization closer to the beginning;
• irregularity - indicates the impossibility of calculating the day of ovulation;
• additional bleeding may be confused with menstruation, which will allow you to miss a good day due to the impossibility of calculation;
• ovulation of 2 eggs, a rare phenomenon of hereditary nature.

During the lactation period, when pregnancy with the first child has successfully ended, the chance of conceiving again is quite small. I attribute the situation to the woman’s hormonal background. During breastfeeding, prolactin is intensively produced, which interferes with the production of estrogen, the hormone responsible for the cyclical capabilities of the female body. The likelihood of becoming pregnant with a second child increases significantly with a decrease in lactation, as soon as the baby is introduced to additional food and complementary foods other than breast milk.

In adolescence, menstruation has not yet established itself properly; the risk of conception in the absence of bleeding increases significantly. At this age stage, you should be careful not only about calculations, but also about contraceptive methods.

Calculate when you can get pregnant after menstruation - calculator

When choosing a calculation method, you should evaluate the regularity of menstruation; if there is no consistency, you will have to use additional methods to determine ovulation. Today, there are special tests that determine the appropriate days. You can keep a basal diary, where you need to record your rectal temperature, since it will differ during ovulation.

Stressful situations, bad habits, taking certain medications, unreasonable and uncontrolled diets with a sharp decrease in weight disrupt the hormonal balance, which leads to disruptions, the maturation of the egg will occur earlier or later than expected.

To calculate favorable days, you need to understand that the first day of the onset of bleeding leads the countdown. Next month the date shifts by 2-3 days and the first day is considered the final day in the cycle. Thus, in the absence of hormonal disruptions, it becomes not difficult to calculate when you can get pregnant after menstruation. A calculator for calculating the most suitable day will help determine the successful date of conception of the baby.

Quite often women ask the question? Is it possible to get pregnant on one day or another? In order to be sure of the result, you need to visit a gynecologist. The doctor can conduct a number of studies and determine whether conception has occurred. This article will discuss the 20th day of the cycle. You will find out if pregnancy is possible at this time. Also get acquainted with some opinions of doctors and reviews of patients.

Please note that the material presented is not a guarantee that in your case everything will be exactly like this. Every woman’s body is individual and full of its own characteristics.

A few words about the theory: the process of fertilization

To understand whether conception is possible on the 20th day of the cycle, you need to learn about the principle of this process. For pregnancy to occur, two cells are needed - male and female. Sperm are released during ejaculation at any time. A woman’s body is structured somewhat differently. A representative of the fairer sex cannot conceive a baby on every day of her cycle. There are so-called

Doctors divide women's periods into short, average and long. In the first case, the cycle lasts up to three weeks. In the latter - 35 days. All this is considered normal and does not require medical intervention. Let's look at the separately described cycles and find out whether conception is possible on the 20th day of the cycle.

The average woman with regular menstruation

With a period of 28 days, the egg is released approximately on days 14-16 of the cycle. The viability of the gamete is only a few hours. If sexual intercourse occurs on the 20th day, then pregnancy is extremely unlikely. This fact is explained by the fact that more than 4 days have passed since ovulation.

Despite the available data, conception can still occur. Remember that every representative of the fairer sex experiences hormonal imbalances that shift ovulation in one direction or another. Also, sometimes two eggs may be released in a cycle. This is rather the exception than the rule. However, it is worth remembering it always.

in a short cycle

Is it possible to get pregnant on the 20th day of the cycle in this case? The answer to this question will be more negative than doubtful or positive. For representatives of the fairer sex, the short cycle lasts up to three weeks and is 21 days. Ovulation occurs about a week after the new menstruation. Therefore, if unprotected sexual intercourse occurs on the 20th day, then the next cycle will begin on the 21st. The gamete will simply die by the specified date.

It is worth considering another situation. As you already know, follicle rupture occurs approximately on the 7th day after menstruation. The viability of sperm in a woman’s genitals is up to ten days under favorable conditions. Based on this, we can assume that contact took place on the 20th day, and 8 days later ovulation occurred. Pregnancy may well occur from a gamete, which nevertheless waits in the wings. However, you will learn about your new position in the next cycle.

A woman with a long cycle and the likelihood of conception

On what day of the cycle does ovulation occur in the fairer sex with a period of 35 days? In this situation, the follicle ruptures around the 21st day. Can pregnancy occur if you have sexual intercourse a few hours before? Absolutely yes.

Doctors say that this particular day is the most favorable for conception among representatives of the fairer sex with a long cycle. That is why, if you are not planning a pregnancy, you should be especially careful during intercourse. Use barrier methods of contraception.

Symptoms of ovulation that every woman needs to know about

You already know at what day of the cycle ovulation occurs in certain women. It is also worth learning to determine the yield of gametes by symptoms. This will allow you to most accurately answer an important question: is pregnancy possible?

• Discharge on the 20th day of the cycle during ovulation is usually mucous, viscous and transparent. This is the environment that is most favorable for sperm. In it, cells move quickly, reaching their goal.
• You can determine the onset of ovulation using special means (testing, laboratory tests, ultrasound monitoring).
• Position of the cervix. This symptom will be indicative only with long-term regular examination. becomes softer, opens a little and rises up. Remember that the examination should be carried out exclusively with clean hands with short-cut nails.
• Increased libido. During ovulation on the 20th day of the cycle, as on any other day, there is an increase in sexual desire.

is pregnancy possible?

The first day of the cycle is the day on which bleeding began. Doctors say that normally every woman has up to two anovulatory cycles per year. What it is? Can pregnancy occur on the 20th day in this case?

The anovulatory cycle is a period when the ovaries are dormant (not functioning). Ovulation does not occur this month. Therefore, pregnancy can absolutely be excluded. It is worth noting that anovulatory cycles are often longer or shorter than normal periods. You should not pay special attention to this if the absence of menstruation lasts up to 40 days.

Determination of pregnancy on the 20th day

You already know what signs of ovulation on the 20th day of the cycle. Often women have a question: is it possible to determine the presence of pregnancy at this time? It is almost impossible to independently determine this fact. The most popular diagnostic tool is a test. However, on the 20th day it will show you a negative result due to the fact that the level of human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine is still low.

The fact of conception can be established on the 20th day using laboratory tests. However, they will show an accurate picture only with early ovulation. In other words, if the egg was released on the 7th day, then it is likely to see a positive level of human chorionic gonadotropin. Progesterone (day 20 of the cycle) will also be high, corresponding to the first trimester.

Ultrasound examination at this stage will not yet give a clear picture. Even when pregnancy occurs, the fertilized egg is still negligible, it is simply impossible to see.

During each menstrual cycle, there are days when the likelihood of conception is very high, increased or unlikely. The most favorable period for conception is ovulation, 1-2 days in the middle of the cycle. The period before it is considered relatively safe, and after it a period of increased likelihood of conception.

Everything seems simple, but there are many nuances that complicate the calculation. Otherwise, there would be no unwanted pregnancies, and women who have been unable to conceive a child for years would have given birth long ago. Let's look at the question of what days you can get pregnant in more detail.

Are there days on which it is impossible to get pregnant?

Let’s say right away that such days simply do not exist; there is always at least a tiny chance of conceiving a child. The “safest” days are two days before your period and the same number after it. In practice, this means that you need to know the length of your monthly cycle. There must also be confidence that the cycle will not unexpectedly shorten or increase. This can happen for a variety of reasons due to stress, nervous breakdown, illness, medication, etc.

How to correctly calculate which days you can’t get pregnant (with a regular cycle)

In order to accurately calculate the days that are relatively safe for sex, you need to keep a calendar of critical days for six months or longer in order to calculate the duration of the menstrual cycle. If your cycle is irregular, this method of contraception will not suit you. For small deviations, you can make the following simple calculation:

We take into account the duration of the shortest and longest monthly cycle.

We subtract the number 18 from the shortest cycle. For example, 23-18 = 5, so already from the fifth day of the cycle the probability of getting pregnant will be high.

We subtract the number 11 from the longest cycle. For example, 30-11 = 19, so already from the nineteenth day the chance of getting pregnant sharply decreases.

According to the results, from the 5th to the 19th day of the cycle there is a high probability of conception; on the remaining days it decreases significantly.

How to get pregnant with an irregular cycle

Planning a pregnancy with an irregular cycle is quite difficult, because in addition to the need to control the onset of ovulation, you also need to monitor your health. At the stage of pregnancy planning, every woman should lead a healthy lifestyle, eat right and maintain hormonal balance. The Time Factor complex helps to establish the production and natural ratio of progesterone and estrogen in the body. The biologically active substances in the complex will not only help alleviate the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, but also normalize the cycle, and, accordingly, make it possible to identify days suitable for conception.

Is it possible to get pregnant before your period?

Before menstruation, uterine tissue is shed, which then comes out with the blood flow. Along with the tissues, the egg, which could potentially be fertilized at that time, is also rejected. There are no conditions for the egg to attach to the wall of the uterus. The hormonal background that develops in the female body at this time makes conception difficult even with repeated ovulation.

At the same time, a woman who has an irregular sex life and is also protected by the method of interrupted sexual intercourse may well experience repeated ovulation, and during those 2-3 days while the sperm remain viable, the egg may mature and, having broken through the follicle, meet with sperm.

If a woman has sex with a regular partner, it is almost guaranteed that she will not become pregnant before her period.

Is it possible to get pregnant immediately after menstruation?

Immediately after menstruation, conditions arise that are not entirely suitable for conception. However, fertilization of the egg can still occur for several reasons.

The lifespan of sperm can be 5-7 days under favorable conditions. If the menstrual cycle is short, then sperm may well wait for ovulation, especially if sexual intercourse occurred 3-5 days after the end of menstruation.

In some cases, during one menstrual cycle, several eggs mature at once with a slight spread, so the chances of conception are significantly increased.

Even in women with a stable menstrual cycle, the timing of ovulation shifts from time to time, so the accuracy of calculations using the calendar method can be low.

Is it possible to get pregnant during menstruation?

During menstruation, the likelihood of conception is negligible. But even at this time, “surprises” are not excluded, especially in the following cases:

- With long periods, there is a chance that sperm will wait until ovulation.

— At any time, the menstrual cycle can change, which will make the calculations incorrect.

How to calculate when you are most likely to get pregnant

There are several more or less accurate ways to calculate days favorable for conception:

Basal temperature measurement method allows you to determine the onset of ovulation with an accuracy of up to a day - at this time the basal temperature is 37-37.3 degrees. The most accurate readings are obtained from measurements in the anus. They should be carried out daily immediately after waking up.

In cases such as poor sleep (less than 6 hours), consumption of alcohol or medications the night before, or sex, the accuracy of measurements may be impaired. To obtain more reliable results, it is recommended to keep a calendar of basal temperatures. Before ovulation, the basal temperature is 36.6-36.9 degrees, and its increase by 0.2-0.4 degrees means the onset of ovulation.

Ovulation tests modern method of pregnancy planning/contraception. Ovulation tests are very similar in principle to pregnancy tests. The result, which is two stripes, appears 10 minutes after placing the test in a container with urine. The difference is that the ovulation test must be done several days in a row.

The test is based on the interaction of the reagent with luteinizing hormone, which begins to be produced by the female body 20-30 hours before ovulation. To ensure the result is as accurate as possible, tests are carried out over several days in a row at a certain time.

Folliculometry(ultrasound examination) allows you to determine with great accuracy on which days you can get pregnant. Doctors advise women who are suspected of infertility to undergo this study. An ultrasound scan must be performed ten days after the last day on which menstrual bleeding was observed.

Starting from the first visit to the ultrasound room, on the 10th day after menstruation, the doctor evaluates the growth of the dominant follicle in the ovary. As soon as the follicle reaches a size of 20-24 mm, it ruptures and the egg begins its journey to the uterus. Sometimes ovulation does not occur; in other cases, using the endometrium, it is possible to trace the moment of implantation of the egg into the wall of the uterus.

Subjective sensations may also indicate days that are favorable for conception. These signs include:

• Increased sexual appetite;
• Pain in the lower abdomen or near the ovaries;
• The appearance of copious transparent discharge. This discharge is unlike discharge during gynecological diseases; it is colorless, odorless, and disappears after two to three days.

Are methods for determining days favorable for conception 100% reliable?

Folliculometry and ovulation tests are the most reliable methods for determining ovulation; the method of measuring basal temperature is slightly inferior to them in accuracy. Any of these methods does not provide a 100% guarantee, but the use of all methods together significantly increases the accuracy of the research.

About anovulatory cycles

On average, every year a woman has 12 ovulations, but sometimes, in about every 10 cases, the female body malfunctions and ovulation does not occur during menstruation. This menstrual cycle is commonly called the anovulatory cycle. “False” menstruation can be determined by several signs:

• There is no increase in basal temperature;
• The formation of a dominant follicle does not occur;
• The ovulation test is negative in all cases.

Thus, any day of the female cycle can become the beginning of the pregnancy countdown. But on certain days it is more likely to happen, and on others it is less likely. The main thing is to choose for yourself the most convenient and reliable way to calculate “important” days in order to conceive a baby as quickly as possible, or, on the contrary, use this for reliable contraception.

For successful conception, you need not only the desire and readiness of two people to become parents, but also the right time for this.

We're not talking about the phase of the moon, Mercury retrograde, or the most favorable period of the day. We are talking about the phases of the menstrual cycle. Evgenia Balashova, PhD, obstetrician-gynecologist, endocrinologist, and reproductive specialist at the Gineko gynecology clinic, tells Letidor readers about this in simple and accessible language.

Traditionally, women who are interested in this issue can be divided into two groups: those who use birth control during the cycle, and those who calculate the most favorable days for conception in order to increase their chances of getting pregnant.

I would like to immediately note the fact that the “peak fertility” in women is 24 years old (the pregnancy rate per menstrual cycle is 20%).

On the one hand, this is quite a bit (it’s worth imagining 80 out of 100 married couples who were upset when they didn’t see the coveted two lines on the test). On the other hand, this is a lot for those married couples who are protected by the “physiological method”.

Phases of the menstrual cycle

Let me remind you of the phases of the menstrual cycle: these are menstruation, which is the starting point, the follicular phase (first), ovulation and the luteal phase (second). Then everything is repeated from the beginning.

In fact, everyone's menstrual cycle is different - it can be short (21 days) or long (35 days). But as a rule, a luteal (second phase) cycle does not last longer than 10 days.

Accordingly, the most convenient option to calculate ovulation is to subtract 10 - 12 days from the average duration of your menstrual cycle.

For example, with a menstrual cycle of 21 days this is the 9th - 11th day, for a menstrual cycle of 30 days this is the 18th - 20th day.

What happens during the follicular phase

Let's figure out why the duration of the follicular phase is so different.

At the beginning of each menstrual cycle (2-3 days), a group of follicles is determined in both ovaries that are about to grow. These are the so-called antral follicles. Usually the doctor counts them during an ultrasound and makes a conclusion about the woman’s follicular reserve.

Over a certain period of time, these follicles “agree among themselves” - which of them will be the leader, and the rest of the “support group” goes into atresia - that is, into regression. From this moment on, the follicles will no longer grow.

The duration of the follicular phase depends on the duration of these “negotiations”.

Sometimes for this group of follicles it is immediately obvious which of them is the leader. Then ovulation can happen within 8-10 days. But sometimes they cannot “agree” for long enough - for example, for 30 days or more. Moreover, such scenarios can occur in the same woman!

This is usually influenced by a combination of external factors - the phase of the moon, a change in atmospheric pressure by 15-20 mm Hg, a change in the length of daylight hours - and internal factors such as hormonal levels, the presence or absence of functional ovarian cysts in the previous cycle, etc. .

Sometimes, for example, during an ultrasound performed on days 9-11 of the menstrual cycle, I announce to patients that they are ovulating, which is happening right here and now. And this is for women who, as a rule, have a cycle of 30 - 32 days! But, as we already understood, they usually ovulate on the 20-22nd day.

This is why cyclic birth control is not a reliable method of contraception.

And that is why those women dreaming of pregnancy need regular sex life, and not just on the expected dates of ovulation.

What happens to the leading follicle?

Once the follicles have agreed, the leading follicle grows at an average rate of 3 mm over two days to 19 mm in diameter. And after that - at a rate of 3 mm per day up to 27 mm. Then it bursts - this is ovulation. This period takes on average no more than 10-12 days. At the site of the burst follicle, a temporary endocrine gland (corpus luteum) is formed, which secretes progesterone. This hormone is necessary to maintain the ongoing pregnancy.

If pregnancy does not occur, the concentration of progesterone decreases and menstruation begins.

Sometimes, in the case of “particularly long negotiations” lasting 20-25 days, when in fact the next menstruation should have already arrived, the leading follicle is just maturing and it ruptures. It turns out that ovulation occurred on the days of the expected next menstruation, and the woman does not use protection because she thinks that her period will come today or tomorrow.

If your menstrual cycle is irregular

We looked at the options for physiological deviations of the normal regular menstrual cycle. If the cycle is irregular (with fluctuations of 7 - 10 days or more), then such calculations are not relevant at all. What to do?

For women planning a pregnancy, I advise either taking ovulation tests or going for folliculometry (ultrasound).

Women who are not planning a pregnancy should work with their doctor to select the optimal and reliable method of contraception.