"Braving the Wave of Infertility"
(A tribute to Dawn B for making this so meaningful video...Thank you)
While many women think that getting pregnant will be no trouble, millions of women in America struggle with infertility.
According to a new survey conducted by RESOLVE, 70 percent of women who may want to have children think they can get pregnant whenever they want. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, infertility affects 7.3 million Americans.
Lots of women always asked themselves these questions ... Am I fertile? Am I ovulating?
Am I fertile?
Every woman is born with all of the eggs that she will ever have. Each month one or more eggs will mature in the ovaries in preparation for ovulation. As the eggs are and mature released over time, the number of eggs, which is a measure of your fertility potential, decreases.
Follicle Stimulating Hormone, (FSH), is one of many hormones that your body uses to regulate your menstrual cycle and to control the maturation of your eggs. FSH signals the ovaries to mature one or more eggs for ovulation each month/cycle.
If your ovarian reserve (eggs) is low in quantity or quality, your pituitary will produce higher than normal FSH levels early in the cycle trying to stimulate your ovaries to produce a mature egg. In other words, when your quantity or quality of eggs (your fertility potential) is low, your FSH level may be high.
Knowing your FSH level on Day 3 of the menstrual cycle can be helpful in finding out your fertility potential.
FSH is one of the leading single indicators of a woman's fertility potential and now it is possible to gauge your fertility potential through a simple at-home test.
Am I Ovulating?
When are you most likely to get pregnant, there are only about 2 days a month. Identify the most fertile days within your cycle and then plan intercourse to correspond with these times of peak fertility.
Every month an egg matures, travels and leaves the ovary down one of your fallopian tubes. This is called "ovulation".
Ovulation is primarily triggered by a monthly surge in a hormone referred to as "LH" (Luteinizing Hormone). The level of LH rises during the 24-36 hours before ovulation this is the "LH Surge".
When you have intercourse within 24-36 hours after the LH surge, your best chance to become pregnant occurs.
Most women do not ovulate mid-cycle. With so much variability, it may be difficult for a woman to find her peak fertility.
Become familiar with your cycle by using ovulation tests before you're actually ready to get pregnant. Ovulation Tests help you to identify the timing of your "LH Surge": †
Certain medical conditions and drugs can adversely affect the reliability of tests for predicting ovulation.
Understanding Ovulation
The Egg
When a girl is born, she typically has between 1 and 2 million eggs in her ovaries (primary oocytes.) She will begin to lose these eggs early in life leaving her only 300,000 to 500,000 by the age of puberty.
The great majority of eggs and follicles never grow to maturity and ovulation. Follicles begin to develop, but if conditions for continued growth are not optimal, the eggs lose nourishment and die.
During the hours leading up to ovulation when the mature egg is released from the dominant follicle, some important processes begin:
The production of the LH hormone (lutenizing hormone rises in the blood).
A few hours before ovulation, the primary oocyte undergoes a cell division process (meiosis) which results in an egg that contains 23 chromosomes
The follicle cells surrounding the oocyte secrete mucous, forming a circular barrier (the cumulus) around the ocyte. Beneath the cumulus is a glassy looking membrane the zona pellucida. Sperm must be able to go through the zona and the cumulus pellucida of the egg in order to fertilize it.
The egg is released and is picked up by the ends of the fallopian tube.
Fertilization usually occurs in the fallopian tube 12-24 hours after ovulation.
Every woman is born with all of the eggs that she will ever have. Each month one or more eggs will mature in the ovaries in preparation for ovulation. As the eggs are and mature released over time, the number of eggs, which is a measure of your fertility potential, decreases.
The follicle supports the egg it encloses for 50 years or more, providing it with nourishment but preventing it from maturing. The great majority of eggs and follicles never grow to maturity and ovulation.
For those of you women who can get pregnant easily, I congratulate you for not having to go through the emotional pain that some have to.
For those who are still trying, I would say don't give up yet. I tried and waited 10 years with my wife until one fine day ....
You can read more about my story at Getting-Inspired.com
