When Can a Woman Get Pregnant?: Using NFP to Track Your Fertile Window

Myths and Facts …

MYTH: Women can get pregnant any day of their cycle.

FACT: Pregnancy is only possible during the fertile window around ovulation.

What is the Fertile Window?

The fertile window refers to the period in the menstrual cycle when a woman is most likely to get pregnant. It is determined by the lifespan of both the sperm and the egg once ovulation occurs.

Duration of the Fertile Window

Typical Length: The fertile window lasts about 6 days. This includes the 5 days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself.

Sperm Lifespan: Sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract for up to 5 days.

Egg Lifespan: Once released during ovulation, the egg can be fertilized for up to 24 hours.

Additionally the probability of getting pregnant from unprotected sex for each day within the fertile window is as follows:

Conclusion

Overall, there are only a total of 6 days within a woman’s cycle in which she can conceive. However, of these 6 days, she is more likely to get pregnant on some than others. The days she has the highest chance of conceiving are the two days prior to ovulation.  Therefore, it is not only important for a couple to identify the day of ovulation, but also to be able to identify signs and symptoms of high fertility, which indicate a woman is within her fertile window.

References:

https://www.fertstert.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0015-0282%2819%2930432-7

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23439-ovulation