Let’s make a baby, bro!

Or: More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Wife’s Reproductive Tract

Welcome, internet friends!

• Llamafaaace here! I made this powerpoint for my husband so he could have some general knowledge of TTC that would allow him to share in the process with me. As you will see, it’s a bit tongue-and-cheek, but contains a lot of good info based on the many hours of research I did into the menstrual cycle. I hope you find it useful!

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• This powerpoint contains some references to my specific cycle (typical ovulation day, typical cycle length, etc.) It’s view-only, but please feel free to download it and modify with your own cycle data, or remove slides, as you see fit!

MISCONCEPTIONS (GET IT?)

• Getting pregnant is super duper easy!
• Actually, even if you time everything perfectly a healthy couple still only has a 15-30% chance of conception each month.
• We can bang it out any old time to get you pregnant!
• There is a 5-day window each cycle where conception can take place
• We’ll probably get pregnant on the first try!
• It’s possible, but statistically, it’s not very likely.
• However, 80% of healthy couples will have conceived within 6 months of trying, and 92% of healthy couples will have conceived within 12 months of trying.

Fun (?) Facts

• Once released, an egg only has 12-24 hours to be fertilized before it will die.
• Sperm, however, can live for up to 5 days inside the reproductive tract.
• For the best chance of conception, sperm should be there ready to meet the egg once it is released.
• Statistically speaking, the best days to bang it out are the 3 preceding ovulation.

The Science Behind the Menstrual Cycle

The menstrual cycle is divided into two phases:

1. The Follicular Phase (first half)
2. The Luteal Phase (second half)

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Phase 1: Follicular

The Follicular Phase begins with menstruation and ends with ovulation. During the Follicular Phase:

• The uterine lining is shed (also known as a period)
• Within the ovary, an egg begins to mature inside of a sack called a follicle.

*** Analogy: If you picture an avocado, the egg would be the pit, and the follicle would be all of the good stuff surrounding it.

• Finally, ovulation occurs when the fully matured egg bursts out of the follicle and into the fallopian tube. The ruptured follicle hangs out on the ovary for a while.

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Phase 2: Luteal

The Luteal Phase begins after ovulation and lasts until the next period. During the Luteal Phase...

• The egg slowly makes its way down the fallopian tube and into the uterus.
• If the egg is fertilized, it will attempt to implant into the uterine lining. If implantation is successful, congrats you’re pregnant!
• If the egg is not fertilized or if implantation is not successful, the uterine lining will shed (AKA, period starts), and the cycle starts all over again.

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In case sex ed failed you

PHases: A summary

The Follicular Phase is the 1st half of the cycle. During this phase, menstruation and ovulation occur.�

The Luteal Phase is the 2nd half of cycle. During this phase, the egg makes its grand journey to the uterus and the body prepares for implantation.

TMI About Your Wife’S Menstrual Cycle

• For most women, the Follicular Phase of the cycle can vary in length, but the Luteal Phase stays pretty constant.
• My cycle is typically 30-35 days long, with a 13-14 day Luteal Phase.
• I typically ovulate between cycle day (CD) 17 and 21, with average being 19-20.

Yeah, so?

That means, for our best chance at conception, we should have sex everyday or every other day starting around CD 14 until ovulation is confirmed.

How in the heck do you know this stuff?

The menstrual cycle is driven by a complex interplay of hormones, which we will discuss in the next few slides.

These hormones also affect certain “secondary fertility signs”, which I can easily track. Correctly interpreted, these signs tell me when I’m about to ovulate and allow me to confirm ovulation.

Tracking these signs gives me great insight into my typical fertility patterns.

Are you ready for a science lesson?

The Players: Estrogen, Progesterone, Follicular Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH)

• Just before and during menstruation, levels of estrogen & progesterone are low. This causes the pituitary gland to produce FSH. FSH tells the ovary to start maturing an egg follicle.
• As the follicle develops, it produces more and more estrogen, which helps the body prepare for conception.
• When rising estrogen levels reach their peak, the pituitary gland (again) triggers a steep rise in LH.
• The LH rise causes the egg to burst forth from the follicle (Ovulation!)

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More Hormones and Shit

• As LH peaks and ovulation occurs, estrogen falls.
• The ruptured follicle stays attached to the ovary and starts to produce progesterone. Progesterone helps the body stay prepared for an impending pregnancy, and tells the body not to shed its uterine lining before the egg can implant. It also causes PMS, hooray!
• At the end of the Luteal Phase...
• If an egg has not implanted, the follicle dies and stops producing progesterone. The lack of progesterone signals the body to shed its uterine lining, and the cycle begins again.
• If the egg has implanted, progesterone production continues, and the embryo starts producing HCG (so now we can tell if I’m pregnant).
• The length of each woman’s Luteal Phase is directly influenced by how long the follicle lives after ovulation.

Whew...In summary:

Follicular Phase:

Low Hormone Levels > Rise in FSH > Egg Develops > Rise in Estrogen > Rise in LH > Ovulation

Luteal Phase:

Follicle produces progesterone as egg travels to the uterus > PMS makes me feel terrible > Egg implants, or doesn’t > Period starts, or progesterone production continues

Fertility Tracking

In addition to driving the menstrual cycle, the aforementioned hormones cause changes in some secondary fertility signs, which I can then track and use to interpret my menstrual cycle patterns.

Cervical Fluid:

• Cervical fluid (or cervical mucus) is always present, but different hormones cause different types of CM.
• When estrogen is high, the cervical fluid becomes very watery, slippery, and sperm-friendly (called Egg White Cervical Mucus, or EWCM). The presence of EWCM typically indicates that ovulation is impending (although the amount and number of days will vary from person to person.)

Fertility Tracking

Ovulation Predictor Kit, or OPK

• OPKs are similar to pregnancy tests, except they detect LH (Luteinizing Hormone) instead of HCG. They detect the LH surge that causes ovulation.
• Unlike a pregnancy test, a dark control line and a light test line are almost always present on an OPK. An OPK is considered positive when the test line is as dark as or darker than the control line.
• A positive OPK indicates that the LH surge is at its peak, and therefore ovulation will occur within the next 1-2 days (in some instances it can occur on the day of the positive.)
• Once I see EWCM, I will typically take an OPK every day until I get a positive.

Fertility Tracking

Basal Body Temperature (BBT)

• BBT is one’s lowest body temperature attained after rest. It is most accurately measured immediately upon waking in the morning. A BBT rise is the only way to confirm ovulation.
• Most normal BBT charts show a distinct temperature shift of .4 degrees between the Follicular and Luteal phases of the cycle.
• Prior to ovulation, BBT is low (typically between 97 and 97.4 degrees)
• After ovulation, BBT is high (typically between 97.7 and 98.2 degrees)
• Why? After ovulation, the ruptured follicle produces progesterone. A side effect of progesterone is heat - it warms up your body!
• At the end of the Luteal Phase when the follicle dies and stops producing progesterone, BBT falls once more, signalling an impending period.

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BBT Chart Example

Fertility tracking - a summary

• I observe my cervical fluid every day until I detect EWCM. Time to start banging!
• Once I detect EWCM, I start using OPKs every day (or twice a day) until I get a positive, indicating my LH surge is at its peak.
• I record my BBT every day. I use a combination of CF, OPK, and BBT to reliably predict the day I ovulated.
• Based on my previously observed patterns, I typically ovulate the day after my first positive OPK.

Am I pregnant yet?

• If an egg is fertilized, it takes 6-12 days for it to make its way into the uterus and implant, with the vast majority of implantation events taking place 8-10 days past ovulation (DPO).
• Once the embryo has implanted, it takes approximately 1-2 days for it to produce HCG at levels that are detectable on a pregnancy test.
• Since a typical Luteal Phase is 11-15 days, most women can get a positive pregnancy test before a missed period. The general consensus is that if you’re pregnant, a HPT will show positive by 13 days past ovulation.

Summary!

• Tracking my cervical fluid and using OPKs gives me a good idea of when I will ovulate. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know 100% what day ovulation will occur until it has actually happened, because a rise in BBT is the only way to confirm.
• For the best chance at conception, the sperm should be waiting to meet the egg when it is released. Therefore, we should ideally make sexy time in the 3 days preceding ovulation (O-1, O-2, and O-3)
• Since we established that I typically ovulate between CD 17 & CD 21 (with CD 19-20 being most common), we should try to start banging it out on CD 14 and have sex everyday or every other day until I confirm ovulation with my BBT.

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You

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

You right now?

let us now go and bring forth new life with our genitals!