08/10/2021
MENSTRUAL CYCLE: WHEN SAFE OR UNSAFE?
🔎Every woman desires to know the fertile(unsafe) and infertile(safe) periods of her menstrual cycle for contraceptive and fertility reasons.
📚The menstrual cycle is the length of time from the beginning of one menstrual cycle to the beginning of the next. Each cycle begins from day 1 of menstrual bleeding-this can last from as short as 1day to as long as 8days, with an average of 3 to 5days. Normal length of menstrual cycle is 21 to 35days with an average of 28days.
📌At what time exactly, during the menstrual cycle does ovulation occur? The time from ovulation to the beginning of the next me**es is constant at 14days. So in a 28day menstrual cycle, ovulation would occur on day 14, in a 21day cycle, on day 8 and in a 35day cycle, on day 21.
✏The next question is, what period of the menstrual cycle is considered unsafe?
Sperms can survive in the female ge***al tract for up to 5days(though they are most fertile in the first 48hours). On the otherhand, the egg survives for about 3days after ovulation(but is fertilizable for only about 24hours after release). Fertilization can therefore be produced by sperms released for up to 5days prior to ovulation and by eggs released for up 3days after ovulation. 5days prior to ovulation, ovulation and 3days after ovulation, would therefore be considered the unsafe or fertile period of a lady's menstrual cycle. Note that the most fertile period of your cycle is from ovulation up to 24hours after ovulation. For those that use the rhythm or calendar method of contraception, note that pregnancy can occur on any day throughout your menstrual cycle. There are rare but documented cases.
💡How do you determine when your ovulation occurs? Knowing when your ovulation occurs is important in increasing fertlity and in contraception.
🌡One method is the basal body temperature chart. The woman takes her temperature orally(mouth), va**nally or rectally(anus) first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. A rise in the basal body temperature(0.5 to 1degrees) is indicative of ovulation. You will notice that prior to ovulation, the basal body temperature would be rather consistent. As you get closer to ovulation, you may have a slight decline but it will be followed by a sharp increase after ovulation. This increase in temperature is indicative that ovulation has occured.
🔬Another method of predicting your ovulation is noting changes in your cervical position and cervical mucus. The cervix is the neck of the womb that protrudes into the va**na. If you think of your va**na as a hallway, your cervix is the door at the end. To check for the position of your cervix, wash your hands clean, adopt a comfortable position and introduce your index and middle fingers into your va**na, then move inwards and upwards. You would feel your cervix as a firm round dimple. If you are not ovulating, your cervix will be lower down and more easy to find. It will also be firm-like the tip of your nose.
Around ovulation, your cervix will be higher up and more difficult to find. It will be soft-like your lips-and slightly open-no more than a thin slit-during ovulation. A high, soft and open cervix is likely a fertile cervix. Check your cervical position at thesame each day but not during or after s*x as s*x affects cervical position and consistency.
📒Cerival mucus(simply va**nal discharge) also undergoes changes during the menstrual cycle. When you are not ovulating, your cervical mucus is scanty, thick and sticky. Around ovulation, it is more abundant, thin-thinnest at ovulation- and elastic and can be stretched between your fingers.
🕹Around the time of ovulation, there is usually an increase in s*xual desire. You tend to be more h***y around this time. Your breasts may also be tender. You may also have a fleeting lower abdominal pain("mittelschmerz"-German for middle pain), so called ovulation pain. This pain is caused by minor bleeding (from the follicle that ruptures at ovulation) into the abdominal cavity, causing peritoneal irritation.
☒There are also commercially available ovulation predictor test kits. These kits test for levels of Luteinizing hormone(whose surge causes ovulation) in urine.
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