Female Fertility
"Ovum" is the medical term for what is colloquially referred to as an egg. When a woman ovulates, her body releases an egg, which settles into the lining of the fallopian tubes waiting to be fertilised. The ovum only remains fertile for twenty-four to thirty-six hours, after which it and the prepared lining of the uterus is shed during a woman's menstrual period. If the egg is fertilised during that time period, it moves into the uterus and begins the cycle of chemical changes that will, eventually, transform it into a fetus.
The most common way for women to tell if they're pregnant is by use of a pregnancy test. Your average pregnancy test measures the amount of human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) in the urine to determine whether or not fertilisation has occurred. HCG is a hormone produced only by women carrying a fertilised egg; it is produced by the developing embryo and, later, by the placenta. While it is possible to get inaccurate results with a pregnancy test, it's more likely that you may get a negative result on the pregnancy test while actually being pregnant.
When to Take a Pregnancy Test
If you've never practiced the "rhythm method" or tried to chart your fertility cycles, you probably don't know when would be the best time to try for pregnancy or take a pregnancy test. Generally, women ovulate two weeks after the end of their last period. So, assuming your period ended on Wednesday, you can expect to be fertile two weeks after that Wednesday.
The fertility window is fairly narrow, yet thousands of women continue to experience unplanned pregnancies each year. Some studies suggest that women ovulate more than once per month, and still others have found that some women release more than one egg at a time. This means more chances to get pregnant in less time!
The best time to take a pregnancy test is about two to three days after the first day of your missed period. Continuing from the previous example, let's suppose you expect your period to start on a Thursday. If it hasn't arrived by Saturday, then taking a pregnancy test on Saturday or Sunday would be a good idea.
When the Results Come In
If you're trying to get pregnant with a partner, you should definitely have them around to discuss the results with you. If this pregnancy is an unexpected surprise, then the pregnancy test results might involve some heavy thinking on your part. Remember, too, that pregnancy test results are not guaranteed accurate and the most accurate method of determining whether or not you're pregnant is with a trip to the doctor.
By paying attention to your menstrual periods and your ovulation, however, you should be able to time things in such a way that you get those positive pregnancy test results you're looking for.. perhaps much sooner than you expected.
