Knowing Your Fertile Window

Unfortunately for some, falling pregnant can be very difficult and a highly stressful time.
Understanding ovulation and your ‘fertile window’ (the time period that you can spontaneously conceive) may help you to fall pregnant.
It is estimated that around 10-20% of couples will not conceive after 12 months of trying. Majority of these couples will have identifiable causes for their impaired or “sub-fertility”. With a proper diagnostic workup these causes may be identified and treated – most of the time without the need for IVF!

Did you know?

Sperm can be found in the fallopian tube (the site of fertilisation) as early as 5 minutes after intercourse and can survive there for up to 5 days!

An egg on other hand can only be fertilised for 12-24 hours after ovulation (the release of the egg from the ovary)

The fertile window begins 5 days prior to ovulation and ends the day after.
However, the highest pregnancy rates (~30-35% chance) occur when intercourse happens 1-2 days before, or on the day of ovulation.
Intercourse at this time results in the greatest number of viable sperm present in the fallopian tube.

How Do I Know When I am Ovulating?

Cycle Charting

• Charting your cycle is useful to estimate your fertile window. There are many free apps that do this for you.
• Ovulation generally occurs ~14 days before your next expected period. However this may vary a few days between individuals and even between each cycle.
• If you have a short, long or irregular cycle then it unlikely you are regularly ovulating. See one our doctors today to investigate why this may be the case.

Home Ovulation Tests (Urine LH Kits)

• Accuracy is usually >90%, they cost ~$2-5 per test.
• If a patient chooses to use these, we suggest starting around 2-3 days prior to expected ovulation (see cycle charting above).
• A positive test indicates ovulation is likely to occur within 24 hours.
• *Unfortunately ~7% of women may have false positive results due to high baseline levels of LH (e.g. women with PCOS).

Symptoms of Ovulation

• In the late follicular phase (just prior to ovulation), rising oestrogen levels cause an increase in stretchy clear cervical mucus.
• Some women may notice unilateral pain or cramping around the time of ovulation.

What About Timing Intercourse?

• Maximal sperm numbers (and function) occurs after ~1-3 days of abstinence (and even up to 7 days normal sperm parameters)
• Shorter intervals may be associated with lower numbers and longer intervals with more abnormal or dead sperm.
• For this reason (and those above) we generally advise intercourse every 1-3 days around the time of your fertile window.
• However, trying to conceive is already stressful enough, so we believe it is most important to focus on retain a healthy normal relationship and sex life.

Follow these links for more information on Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle and Knowing Your Fertile Window

1 – Your health history

Do you have any chronic illnesses ­– such as high blood pressure, epilepsy, heart disease, or diabetes – or previous complications that may require special care? If so, ask the obstetrician you’re considering what experience they have caring for patients like you, and consider whether you should be cared for by a perinatologist (a doctor who specializes in high-risk births). If you’ve previously had a c-section, would you like to try to have a vaginal birth this time? In that case, you’ll want to make sure that both the provider and the hospital are supportive of vaginal birth after cesarean.

2 – The obstetrician outlook

Find out the doctor’s attitude about issues that may be important to you, such as the routine use of interventions like IVs, continuous electronic fetal monitoring, and episiotomy. You can’t predict what your individual situation will require, but you can get an idea of the general approach to care and practice patterns from the doctor’s responses to these questions.

3 – Is the obstetrician supportive of natural childbirth, if that’s what you’re interested in?

Your birth is your experience. Finding a doctor and team that supports and respects your wishes for birth is important to making the most of your pregnancy experience.

4 – Is breastfeeding encouraged?

5 – Compatibility

Pregnancy and childbirth are exciting, but they can also be stressful. So the best healthcare partner is one you feel comfortable with and can communicate with easily. It helps to ask yourself questions like these:

• How comfortable do you feel with the doctor?
• Do you find it easy to ask questions of the doctor?
• Does the doctor explain things clearly and completely?
• Does the doctor seem interested in you personally?
• Does the doctor seem like someone who will respect your wishes?

And most importantly you need to ensure that you are getting the best Sunshine Coast Obstetrician for you and your baby. An OB is not there as a friend but as a medical practitioner who looks after the best interests of you and your baby. The team at Sunshine Coast Coastal IVF believe that we fulfill these services as a highly reputable gynecologist, obstetrician and fertility specialist team which consists of Dr Paul Stokes, Obstetrician – Dr Rob North, and his specialist nurse, clinical director, fitness instructor and online private facebook group to support patients of all levels.

If you are looking for private obstetric services or for a specialist team for the best care, make an appointment to meet our team!

Different cultures have different expectations on the mother-to-be and whether they should continue to work. If you work in a culture that requires you to continue to work, knowing how to best manage symptoms and stay healthy while getting the job done will make your pregnancy that much more pleasant. In most cases women can work throughout their pregnancy. Being pregnant, can present challenges in your workplace therefore it is important to stay healthy so you can continue to be productive on the job. It is also necessary to know when enough is enough and that you can be risking your pregnancy.

Morning Sickness

It might be called “morning” sickness, but pregnancy nausea and sickness can hit at any time. To ease nausea try the following: Avoid nausea triggers. Snack often. Drink plenty of fluids.

Handling fatigue

During pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester you can feel overwhelmingly tired. It is important to rest when you can and don’t take on extra work as it leads to extra pressure and stress. Try the following: Eat foods rich in iron and protein. Try foods such as red meat, poultry, seafood, leafy green vegetables, iron-fortified whole-grain cereal and beans. Take short, frequent breaks. Getting up and moving around for a few minutes can reinvigorate you.

Cut back on activities

Scaling back can help you get more rest when your workday ends. Keep up your fitness routine. Although exercise might be the last thing on your mind, taking a brisk walk or a pregnancy fitness class can help boost your energy levels. It is important that your Doctor says it’s ok to exercise.

Go to bed early

Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Sleep or rest on your side will improve blood flow to your baby and help prevent swelling. For added comfort try placing pillows between your legs and under your belly.

For private obstetric care on the Sunshine Coast contact the Coastal IVF team on 07 5443 4301

Both without symptoms, they often go undiagnosed until investigations are made by the couple or patient.

For this reason when a couple is looking to start a family with us, we generally do a thorough investigation of both the male and female to ensure we have the best picture of what a couples fertility diagnosis is.

The good news is, after treatment up to 40% of men with these common infertility problems are able to impregnate their partner.

Male tube blockages:

This is any obstruction in the vas deferens or epididymis (the tubes that transport fertile sperm).

Possible symptoms – None.

Possible solutions – Surgery to repair the varicoceles or other obstruction.

Coastal IVF Success rates – About 40 per cent are able to impregnate their partner within a year of surgery, most within six to nine months. Results after Testicular biopsy & sperm injection are no different from standard IVF ie around 40-50% clinical pregnancy per embryo transfer.

Sperm problems:

Low or no sperm counts, poor sperm mobility, and abnormally-shaped sperm can all cause infertility.

Possible symptoms – None.

Possible solutions – Fertility drugs may boost sperm production. Other options include injecting sperm directly into the egg (ICSI) or insemination with donor sperm (AID).

Coastal IVF Success rates – Fertility drugs: About 25 per cent are able to impregnate a partner. Artificial insemination: 5-20 per cent of women become pregnant per cycle. Sperm injection: About 40 per cent of women having treatment at Coastal IVF get pregnant per attempt.

Find out if these common fertility beliefs are true or false:

Long abstinence Improves sperm equality.

False. Exactly the opposite is true! Long abstinence results in lower quality sperm as the ratio of immotile spermatozoa increases.

Alcohol has a negative effect on the male reproductive function.

True. Studies have shown that excess consumption of alcohol may adversely affect sperm quality and delay natural conception.

Smoking has a significantly adverse affect both on male and female fertility.

True. Smoking is a major limiting factor for a couple’s prognosis; it has a negative effect on the quality of both sperm and oocytes as well as the function of the uterus. Smoking will decrease success rates of all methods of assisted conception by 30% or more.

A healthy diet combined with moderate physical exercise improves your fertility potential.

True. An increasing number of studies confirm that lifestyle may have a significant effect on the probability of pregnancy.

Couples undergoing IVF treatment with an unhealthy lifestyle are less likely to see success in treatment.
Couples can improve their prognosis by adopting certain changes in their lifestyle, such as quitting smoking and losing weight, even for a period of just one or two months before their treatment!

Let the Sunshine Coast’s premier IVF Clinic, Coastal IVF, assist you with your pregnancy.
We are proud to be one of Australia’s most successful IVF Clinics based on pregnancy rates as a predictor of a successful outcome.

Contact us today to find out what you can do to get started on your journey.