Physiology of Getting Pregnant
Perhaps you can still remember those amazingly cool movies from seventh
grade "Hygiene" class, as "sex-ed." was called in the early
1970's.There were those squiggly little worms with giant heads called
"sperm" swimming all over the place until they bumped into "the
egg"? No matter how giggly, uninterested or even disrespectful we were
back then, we couldn't deny the incredible miracle of what we were seeing. Getting pregnant is one of life's most profound wonders. It is the first step
in the fascinating journey to giving birth to a baby who bares no resemblance
whatsoever to either that sperm or egg. Nevertheless, that is how that baby,
and all of us begin the miracle of life.
In the Beginning There Was...an Egg!
Every month a woman's body prepares for the possibility that an egg will be fertilized by a sperm. Hormones stimulate the follicles in the ovary to
release one (sometimes more) egg (ovum) as well as build up the lining of the uterus for
implantation of the sperm. This preparation usually last about 14 days from the
first day of the last period (menses or bleeding). (In an average 28 day
cycle-these time frames can vary widely.) This first stage, known as the
follicular stage, ends when an egg is finally released from the ovary. The
second stage is known as ovulation. After only 24 hours the egg will degenerate
if it is not fertilized by a sperm and pregnancy during this cycle will not
occur. The third phase in the women's cycle can take two paths. If
fertilization does not occur, then the endometrial wall of the uterus will breakdown. Bleeding occurs on the 28th day of
the old cycle (on average), which is also the first day of the new cycle.
However, if fertilization has taken place during ovulation, then the endometrium
will continue to build up, the fertilized egg, now known as the embryo, will
implant in the uterine wall, and it will develop over the next nine months into a
baby.
Are We Ovulating Yet?
Knowing that ovulation takes place can help a woman either to conceive or to
avoid conception. Trying to predict ovulation solely based on counting days is
highly unreliable, since ovulation can easily and often does take place on a day
other than the middle of the cycle. Other signs of ovulation are changes in the
shape and feel of the cervix, cervical secretions and basal body temperature, which
increases at the time of ovulation. Timing combined with knowing other physical
signs of ovulation can improve the chances of getting pregnant enormously.
