Key Takeaways

• When you understand your menstrual cycle and how it affects your fertility, you can prevent pregnancy with more success.
• Every woman should understand the basics of ovulation, menstruation, hormonal changes, and her fertile window.
• Women should also know how to learn more about their bodies, how to use this understanding to avoid an unexpected pregnancy, and how their lifestyle can affect their reproductive health.

Understanding female fertility is important for every woman. Learning how your body works is good in general, but it’s also essential for preventing unplanned pregnancies. When you know more about your menstrual cycle and ovulation, you can make better decisions about your health and body.

6 things every woman should know about her fertility

1. You are only fertile for a few days every month

2. Your menstrual cycle revolves around ovulation

Every month, your uterus prepares to support a pregnancy. Your uterine lining thickens to prepare for a fertilized egg that will implant and begin developing. If you don’t become pregnant after ovulation, this lining sheds, causing your monthly period. Your menstrual cycle phases then start over again.

Even when it is unwanted, pregnancy often means that you have a healthy reproductive system. It shows that your body is doing what it was designed to do every month: produce a pregnancy.

3. Ovulation does not always happen on day 14 of your menstrual cycle

For a long time, women were taught to avoid sex about two weeks after their periods if they didn’t want to get pregnant. Today, we know that the idea that women ovulate on day 14 of their menstrual cycles is a myth. Even if your menstrual cycle length is the typical 28 days, your fertile window may occur earlier or later than day 14.

Additionally, many women have irregular cycles that are shorter or longer than average. This factor will also change your ovulation timing.

Stress, lifestyle factors, and sickness can also affect your menstrual cycle. Rather than relying on the calendar, we recommend using natural fertility methods to track your cycle and understand when you are fertile.

4. Your body often shows natural signs of fertility

Natural fertility methods use changes in your body to identify your fertile window. These ovulation signs include changes in your cervical mucus and body temperature.

When your body prepares to ovulate, the mucus that comes from your vagina becomes thinner, slippery, and clear. These changes help sperm move easily through the reproductive system, increasing the chances of pregnancy. If you don’t want to conceive, you should avoid vaginal sex when you notice these changes to your cervical mucus.

A slight rise in your basal body temperature is another natural fertility sign. You can use a basal body thermometer to track changes in your temperature and identify your fertile window. This is helpful for both preventing and achieving pregnancy.

5. Hormones drive your fertility cycle

Several reproductive hormones regulate the menstrual cycle. Your body produces different levels of these hormones in each phase of your cycle. These hormones primarily affect your reproductive system, but they also impact many other aspects of your health. This is why you might experience mood swings, acne, breast tenderness, and more at different points of your cycle.

Follicle-stimulating hormone levels rise at the beginning of your cycle. FSH prompts your ovaries to prepare an egg for release. During this process, another hormone called estrogen increases. Estrogen triggers the release of luteinizing hormone, which causes your ovary to release the egg.

Next, your body produces a hormone called progesterone. This hormone, along with estrogen, prepares your uterine lining for a potential pregnancy. If a fertilized egg fails to implant, your progesterone and estrogen levels drop. Your uterus will then shed its lining, starting your next period.

6. Health, stress, and lifestyle can all affect your fertility

Your body is sensitive to your lifestyle. If the way you live is unhealthy, you may experience ovulation problems, missed periods, or irregular cycles. Both make tracking your fertility difficult, which may increase your risk of an unexpected pregnancy.

To keep your body healthy, make sure you are eating nutrient-rich foods and avoiding unhealthy eating. Limit stress as much as you can. Significant changes in your weight, poor sleep, illness, and some medications can also affect your cycle. Prioritize healthy lifestyle choices to better understand and track your fertility.