The menstrual cycle usually lasts between 26 and 30 days and consists of two phases. The follicular phase, which lasts from menstruation to ovulation, and the luteal phase, which lasts from ovulation to pregnancy or menstruation.
A woman's fertile days: two phases
A woman is only fertile during ovulation. In order to calculate the fertile days, it is important to know that the follicular phase can vary in length, while the luteal phase is usually fixed, lasting between 12 and 14 days. Therefore, for cycles that last between 26 and 30 days, the fertile days are usually between day 12 and 16 of the cycle (always taking into account that the first day of menstruation is day 1 of the cycle).
Chances of pregnancy
However, it is not advisable to have intercourse during these 5 days in a row, as it could happen that the semen loses quality as it does not have time to recover. Thus, if the woman ovulates on the 16th day, the sperm may not have the necessary quality to fertilise it. Therefore, to maximise the chances of pregnancy, the following should be taken into account:
- The egg has 24 hours to be fertilised.
- A good sperm should live between 2 and 5 days.
- A normal sperm can recover itself within 24 hours.
Successful sexual intercourse
With all this information, how do I have effective sexual intercourse?
By having intercourse on days 12, 14 and 16 of the cycle. In this way we give 24 hours for the sperm to recover, while if you ovulate on days 11, 13, 15 or 17 it is also possible for the sperm to reach the egg when it can still be fertilised (if you ovulate on day 11, the fastest sperm from the ejaculation on day 12 could arrive and if you ovulate on day 17, the sperm from the intercourse on day 16 could arrive).
Fertile days according to cycle
It should be borne in mind that for longer or shorter cycles these days may change. If the cycles are 24-25 days long, it is best to advance intercourse to days 11, 13 and 15 of the cycle, and if the cycles are 30 or more days long, it is best to delay intercourse to days 13, 15 and 17 to increase the chances of intercourse during ovulation.
Chances of pregnancy
That said, it is important to know that if the instructions are followed, the chances of gestation are between 30-35% per month if there are no problems.
