Throughout the existence of mankind, representatives of the fair sex have been concerned with two questions:
- How to get pregnant?
- How not to get pregnant?
Of course, all experienced specialists and obstetrician-gynecologists insist on using classical and proven methods of contraception. But many couples take this issue lightly and prefer to simply abstain from sexual intercourse during the most dangerous days for pregnancy. How does this happen?
A little anatomy
Normally, every woman ovulates once a month. It usually occurs in the middle of the cycle, about a couple of weeks before the start of the next period. However, not everyone does it this way. Quite often there are women with a long or shortened menstrual cycle. In them, the release of the egg from the ovary does not occur in the very middle of the cycle.
In the weeks leading up to ovulation, several follicles grow in the ovary, but only one of them reaches the required size and ruptures. So, the female egg leaves the place of its birth and begins to move through the fallopian tubes. It is here that she can meet a male cell, then fertilization occurs, after which the egg continues to move towards the uterus and after a few days attaches to its wall. If the meeting does not occur, then after a few days the female cell dies.
In order to find out when dangerous days for pregnancy occur, calculate them correctly and avoid conception, you need to know exactly the day the egg leaves the ovary. There are several methods for such calculations. It is worth learning about each of them in detail.
Body temperature measurement
One of the most common ways to find out which days are dangerous for pregnancy is to measure your body temperature. Many experts recommend using this method to get pregnant. The only difference is that to prevent conception it is necessary to abstain during these days, and to achieve pregnancy, on the contrary, to be sexually active.
In order to use this method, you need to take a regular thermometer, a piece of paper and a pen. Every day, immediately after you wake up, measure your body temperature in the rectum. Write down the resulting numbers in your notebook.
From the data obtained, you can build a curve that will show you the dangerous days for pregnancy. The temperature table usually shows that in the first half of the menstrual cycle there is an almost flat straight line. A day or two before ovulation, the resulting numbers decrease slightly, and the next day, on the contrary, they increase. The interval between the lowest and highest marks is a dangerous day. You need to add three days to it and subtract the same amount. As a result, you will end up with a week that includes dangerous days of the cycle for pregnancy.
Carrying out the test
This method is also recommended by doctors for pregnancy. It consists in the fact that approximately in the middle of the cycle a woman needs to be tested at home. Test devices, or strip strips, can be purchased at any pharmacy chain. They are similar to a regular pregnancy test, but they do not determine the content of the pregnancy hormone, but the amount of luteinizing hormone.
It is LH that provokes the release of the egg from the ovary. At the moment of its greatest production, the test shows a positive result. This means that ovulation will occur in the next two days. Dangerous days for pregnancy begin from the moment the test system shows a positive result. After receiving it, you must abstain from sexual intercourse for a few more days, provided that you do not want to become pregnant.
Vaginal mucus assessment
Throughout the entire female cycle, representatives of the fair sex can observe changes in the consistency of discharge from the genital tract. In the first half of the month, even before the release of the egg, the mucus is mostly thick and almost invisible. During this period, the woman feels that the vagina is dry. When dangerous days for pregnancy approach, the discharge begins to thin out and acquire a mucous consistency. At this time, the so-called egg white may be observed. The woman feels that the vagina becomes wet, and wet spots appear on her underwear.
To prevent conception, you should abstain from sexual intercourse from the moment clear liquid discharge appears for several more days. However, this method has great risks. Three out of ten women who use this method of protection end up pregnant. This happens because male cells have the ability to survive in a woman’s genital tract for up to a week. This means that sexual intercourse a few days before the appearance of clear mucus can cause an unplanned conception of a child.
Calendar method
There is another way to determine dangerous days for pregnancy. In this case, they can be calculated only when the woman has a regular menstrual cycle. As you know, from the moment the egg leaves the follicle until the first day of the next period, ten days to two weeks pass. Based on this data, you can make a basic calculation.
Count the length of all your cycles over the past year. Sum up their duration and divide by the number. This will give you the average length of your cycle. Subtract 14 from the resulting value. The displayed number will be the serial number of the estimated day of ovulation from the beginning of the cycle. Dangerous days for pregnancy occur on average three days before the due date and remain the same number of days after it.
Carrying out an ultrasound
With an irregular cycle, it is very difficult for a woman to determine the day the egg leaves the follicle. In this case, the best option would be to conduct an ultrasound examination. This is the only way to determine dangerous days for pregnancy.
Usually a three-time examination is prescribed, which is carried out immediately after the end of menstruation. The doctor uses an ultrasound machine to monitor the growth of the follicle and approximately calculates when it should burst. The following diagnostics are prescribed depending on the data received.
Perhaps this is the most accurate method for determining the day of ovulation. However, it is also quite expensive and time-consuming. Surely not every woman will be able to afford to visit an ultrasound room at least three times per cycle.
Blood test
You can determine the approaching onset of dangerous days for pregnancy using a blood test. In this case, you must submit the necessary material on a certain day of the cycle. As ovulation approaches, a woman's body produces large amounts of luteinizing hormone. This is what is detected in the blood.
Thus, by taking tests with a break of several days, you can detect a certain pattern of increase in the hormone being studied. It reaches its peak several hours before the release of the egg from the ovary. However, this method is not common. It is not very convenient to donate blood in order to prevent an unplanned pregnancy.
It should be remembered that this manipulation is carried out mainly in the morning and before the first meal. Before the study, you should refrain from smoking.
Experienced doctors and obstetricians-gynecologists strongly do not recommend identifying dangerous days for pregnancy as a method of contraception. According to statistics, 30 women out of 100 find themselves in an “interesting position” thanks to these methods.
However, when planning a pregnancy, identifying dangerous days is encouraged. In most cases, the doctor himself suggests that the woman use one or another diagnostic method. In these cases, conception occurs with a higher probability than without determining the day of ovulation.
Conclusion
To sum up everything that is said above, we can conclude: every woman has the right to choose the method of protection against unplanned pregnancy that suits her. However, you must always be responsible for your actions and be careful.
“Dangerous” days are called such because it is on these days of the menstrual cycle that there is the greatest likelihood of pregnancy. Most sexual intercourse in the Western world is performed without any particular desire to have a child, which is why the common expression has such a somewhat negative connotation.
Today there are about 15 different types of contraception. Among them:
- condoms;
- hormonal contraceptives (tablets, patches, injections, rings);
- intrauterine devices;
- temperature method;
- calendar method;
- emergency contraception (“morning” pills);
- and other.
This time we will talk about the calendar method of contraception, which allows you to understand which days are the most dangerous for pregnancy.
How to determine dangerous days for pregnancy?
The calendar method was developed by medical luminaries and officially called the Ogino-Clauss method. According to him, in every woman’s menstrual cycle there are days when pregnancy cannot occur even with unprotected intercourse.
This method is not suitable for everyone, but only for those women whose cycle has been and remains regular for at least 8 months. It should also be remembered that the reliability of this method is only 60%. Therefore, it is recommended, in addition to it, to focus on basal temperature, ovulation test and other supportive methods of contraception. Do not use the method after childbirth or abortion.
How does the calendar method work and how to calculate dangerous days?
Scientists have found that ovulation lasts two days, and sperm can live in the uterus for up to three days. Thus, you should monitor your menstrual cycle for 8-12 months and calculate its shortest duration. From this number of days (for example, 27) you need to subtract 18 and so get the beginning of the fertile (“dangerous”) period. We get 9.
Then we calculate the end of the fertile period. We take the duration of the longest cycle (take the number 31) and subtract 11. We get 20. Thus, in the example we gave, dangerous days for pregnancy last from the 9th to the 20th day of the cycle, that is, from the first day of menstruation. There should be no unprotected sex during this time unless a child is in your immediate plans.
All other days are considered safe for pregnancy. But you need to carefully monitor your cycle. It can go astray for completely different reasons:
- emotional condition;
- health problems, especially hormonal imbalances and gynecological diseases;
- unfavorable environment, including climate change;
- strict diets;
- age over 45 years (as a harbinger of the onset of menopause).
Is it possible to get pregnant during menstruation?
Until now, medicine cannot accurately answer this. Many consider PA during menstruation unhygienic, so they are not even interested in this issue. Meanwhile, doctors cannot accurately answer whether pregnancy is possible during menstruation. But statistics warn that after such PAs the risk of ectopic pregnancy increases.
The “dangerous days” method itself has low accuracy rates, and therefore is suitable only for women who very rarely complain about cycle disruptions, or for couples who 
we have to resort to it for the following reasons:
- more effective methods are contraindicated for women or men;
- the couple's beliefs (for example, religious) conflict with the use of other methods of contraception;
- sexual intercourse occurs irregularly and can be avoided for more than a week;
- the couple is in such conditions that there is no access to other contraceptives.
Whatever the reason for using the calendar method of determining pregnancy, doctors strongly recommend supporting it with supportive methods. The most useful in this regard is the complex, or symptothermal method, which combines several options. But they all involve monitoring a woman’s own well-being and signs of ovulation. You can use each of them separately, but the most effective way is to use them all at once.
The symptothermal method consists of the following steps, not counting the calendar method itself:
Remember that all these methods will not give you a 100% guarantee of protection against pregnancy. But in order to make it easier for you to use the calendar method and calculate the most dangerous days of the cycle for pregnancy, we will finally provide a table on the “Screen-Line” that will help you with this.
| Number of days in the shortest cycle | The first "dangerous" day | Number of days in the longest cycle | The last "dangerous" day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 3 | 21 | 10 |
| 22 | 4 | 22 | 11 |
| 23 | 5 | 23 | 12 |
| 24 | 6 | 24 | 13 |
| 25 | 7 | 25 | 14 |
| 26 | 8 | 26 | 15 |
| 27 | 9 | 27 | 16 |
| 28 | 10 | 28 | 17 |
| 29 | 11 | 29 | 18 |
| 39 | 12 | 30 | 19 |
| 31 | 13 | 31 | 20 |
| 32 | 14 | 32 | 21 |
| 33 | 15 | 33 | 22 |
| 34 | 16 | 34 | 23 |
| 35 | 17 | 35 | 24 |
| 21 | 3 | 21 | 10 |
Women and girls know about the existence of days favorable for conception. Those who have unprotected sex life should definitely know them. But only those women who have a regular menstrual cycle can independently calculate the days that are dangerous for pregnancy.
This method is called the physiological method of contraception and it is based on the cessation of sexual activity during the onset of ovulation. During this period of the menstrual cycle, you can have sexual intercourse, but use additional methods of contraception.
How to calculate dangerous days?
A woman can become pregnant during the period when her egg meets a sperm. In a healthy woman, the process of egg maturation occurs in the middle of the cycle and is called ovulation. You need to calculate dangerous days for pregnancy from the first day of your last menstruation to the first day of the next.
In order to correctly calculate the days when pregnancy may occur, a woman needs to calculate the average duration of her menstrual cycle over the last six months, or better yet, over a year. If the cycle lasts 28 days, then approximately ovulation will occur on the 14th day. At the same time, we should not forget that the viability of an egg remains for 24 hours, and that of sperm – up to 5 days. It turns out that 5 days before expected ovulation are dangerous for pregnancy.
However, in the case when a girl has irregular menstruation, her body is subject to stress and physical activity, it is quite difficult to calculate ovulation. In gynecology, several methods are used to calculate the days when conception can occur. To do this, women keep a menstrual cycle calendar, measure basal temperature, and use special tests.
What is an ovulation calendar?
The conception calendar is also called the Ogino-Clauss method or the method of safe days for sex. Gynecologists claim that the calendar method of calculating days favorable and unfavorable for conception is ineffective, its reliability is very low - from 30 to 60%.
The main disadvantage of the system is that in order to determine dangerous days, a woman must have a regular menstrual cycle. If you nevertheless decide to carry out the calculation using a calendar of dangerous days for pregnancy, you need to have a regular calendar on hand, on which the days of menstruation are marked over the last six months.
Then you must find the smallest and longest cycle from them, subtract 18 from the minimum, and 11 from the maximum. For example, if the duration of the shortest cycle is 26 days, and the longest is 30, we carry out the following calculations: 26–18 = 8 , 30–11=19. It turns out that in this case the most dangerous period for conception will be the period from 8 to 19 days of the menstrual cycle. Modern science makes it possible for every girl to automatically calculate the days that are safe and unsafe for conception.
To do this you need to enter the following data:
- average duration of menstruation;
- the first day of the last menstruation.
The main task of such an automatic program is to show the days when a woman’s body is most ready for conception. Some women believe that using an ovulation calendar can program the sex of their child.
Genetics say that the likelihood of having a girl increases if you conceive a child before the peak of ovulation, and if you conceive a boy immediately during the maturation of the egg. This is due to the fact that sperm with a female set of chromosomes are more resilient and last longer, but move more slowly. Whereas sperm with a male set are less tenacious and die faster, but they move faster.
What does basal temperature mean?
You can find out which days are dangerous for pregnancy by measuring your basal temperature. Most gynecologists prefer this proven method, and consider its results to be as reliable as possible. Basal temperature is measured in the rectum immediately after waking up, while the woman is still in bed.
Measurements should be carried out for at least 3–4 months, and the results obtained should be recorded in a table. In the first days of menstruation, the basal temperature normally does not reach 37 degrees, it is in the range of 36.6–36.7.
Then, when ovulation occurs, it decreases somewhat, and then steadily remains at 37 degrees, these are dangerous days.
Ovulation test
Sometimes, for those women who want to get pregnant, but cannot calculate favorable days for this, gynecologists recommend purchasing an ovulation test at pharmacies. These are special test strips that allow you to determine the period of high concentrations of female hormones that increase during ovulation.
Today, traditional and alternative medicine offer many methods of contraception. To avoid unwanted pregnancy, doctors have also come up with the so-called “conception calendar”, which is used to calculate unfavorable days for conceiving a child.
What is a conception calendar?
It is also called the Ogino-Clauss method or the calendar method for calculating safe days for sex. It is based on an understanding of the mechanism of a woman’s menstrual cycle, therefore it can be used only after studying the menstrual cycle, at least a year in advance and for several months after some kind of breakdown - illness, pregnancy, etc. What is the essence of this method of preventing unwanted pregnancy?
It is believed that sperm in the female genital tract (fallopian tubes) remains viable for about three to four days. The egg can be fertilized within two days after ovulation. Based on this, the possible time of conception is calculated: two days before and after are added to the expected day of ovulation (13-14th day for a 28-day cycle and 15-16th day for a 30-day cycle). It turns out that for a 28-day established menstrual cycle from the eleventh to the sixteenth days, pregnancy is very, very likely. For a 30-day established menstrual cycle, days 13 to 18 and so on are “dangerous”…
In order to have a greater guarantee of safety, it is recommended to add four days on each side of the three safe days. It is believed that pregnancy is impossible at all other times. Before relying on a conception calendar, it is better to consult a gynecologist in advance to determine whether this method is acceptable for you.
Dangerous days for conception: reliability of the method
Doctors say that the reliability of the calendar method as a means of contraception is quite low and ranges from 30% to 60%. Therefore, you should not completely rely on the calendar as the only method of contraception.
The main disadvantage and reason for the low reliability of the Ogino-Clauss method of calculating “dangerous” days for conception is that to use it, a woman must have a perfectly regular menstrual cycle. And, as reality shows, it is such only among a few.
For all women living in cities, it is rarely possible to talk about a “stable” menstrual cycle: the environment provokes frequent disruptions. Even the healthiest people have situations when ovulation does not occur at all, and menstruation begins and ends at any time.
In young girls, the ovaries often work irregularly, and therefore ovulation may occur a little earlier or later. And there are more than enough reasons that can cause a change in the ovulation cycle: a blow, an accidental fall, shock, illness, psychological or nervous breakdown, accident, climate change or overexcitation, etc.
Therefore, you cannot completely rely on the reliability of the calendar method for calculating days that are dangerous for conception. The physiological method of contraception is not suitable for those women who take hormonal drugs. However, many people use the Ogino method quite successfully as their only method of contraception. Some combine it with other methods of contraception.
Measuring basal temperature allows you to more reliably calculate the ovulation period
Experts believe that the measurement method is more convenient and reliable for calculating “dangerous” and “not dangerous” days for conception.
Basal temperature is the temperature measured in the rectum. You need to measure it correctly in the morning, before getting out of bed. Data is recorded for three to four months, at a minimum. Normally, at the beginning of the menstrual cycle, the temperature does not reach 37.0 degrees (36.6-36.7 ° C). At the time of ovulation, the temperature drops slightly (to 36.2-36.4 ° C), and then steadily remains above 37.0 degrees. The serial number of the day of the cycle on which ovulation occurs, as we have already written, plus minus 3 days (the average lifespan of a sperm) - these are dangerous days for pregnancy.
You can create a kind of calendar to determine dangerous days for pregnancy. In addition to the duration of each cycle, it will also record data after measuring basal temperature. Estimated errors can also be included here. For example, related to stressful situations, alcohol intake, etc.
By the way, such calendars are currently available online. You only need to enter the exact data regarding the beginning of the critical days, and after a few seconds you can obtain the necessary information. According to doctors, the reliability of calculating “dangerous” and “safe” days for conception using basal temperature measurements is 55-60%. But this is only subject to a regular menstrual cycle.
Menstrual period - safe days for conception?
The appropriateness of having sex during menstruation also raises many different opinions. Some consider it simply unhygienic. For some, sex during the menstrual period brings additional sensations and pleasure. However, most of the controversy arises over whether you can or cannot get pregnant during your period. And here medicine does not give a specific answer. However, according to research by doctors, this is precisely what is observed in many women who have had sex during menstruation.
If the fact of pregnancy is obvious, and the future parents have decided that the birth of a child at the present time will not cause any problems, then it is important to remember that and when the gestation of the fetus becomes jeopardized. According to doctors, the entire first trimester is considered the most critical period, when any medications are contraindicated (extremely undesirable).
Especially for Olga Borsuk
What are the dangerous days for pregnancy?
Many would agree that an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy is the worst thing that can happen to a woman. They try to avoid such situations by using various methods of contraception. There are quite a large number of them now. One of the simplest, free and accessible methods is the so-called physiological method of contraception, which is based on counting dangerous days for pregnancy.
Female physiology normally always works like clockwork. With all this, the possibility of conception occurs only on certain days of the cycle. That’s why, if you know your so-called “risky days,” you can most likely calculate when you should use more active protection and when you can practice unprotected sex.
But it must be remembered that this physiological method has its own difficulties. Sometimes it is not always possible to determine exactly which days are dangerous for pregnancy and which are not. As you know, the most likely time for pregnancy to occur is ovulation. In fact, the onset of ovulation can deviate very strongly in one direction or another (if we take into account each individual cycle). Many factors greatly influence the onset of ovulation. This includes a woman’s hormonal background, stress, and some health problems. Because of this, it is necessary that the method for determining dangerous days for pregnancy be as comprehensive as possible. He must take into account not only the calendar schedule, but also other points that in one way or another affect a woman’s physiology.
How to calculate dangerous days for pregnancy
There are several methods to help calculate days that are very dangerous for pregnancy. In principle, if you know these methods, you can easily calculate the days that are dangerous for pregnancy and rely on the information received.
The first method is calendar accounting method. This method is based on the knowledge that ovulation generally occurs on the 14th day of the cycle, that is, approximately in the middle of the cycle. Thus, 2-3 days in the middle of the cycle are very dangerous. There are high risks of getting pregnant at this time. But it also happens that the cycle is not very regular. In this case, dangerous days for pregnancy are calculated a little differently. Thus, the longest and shortest length of the menstrual cycle in recent times (for example, over the last year or 6 months) is determined. For example, we will assume that these are 31 and 28 days. It is necessary to subtract 18 from the smallest value, and 11 from the largest. Thus, it turns out: 28 - 18 = 10; 31 - 11 = 20. The resulting numbers 10 and 20 will determine the boundaries of the dangerous period in which conception is possible. As you can see, this is a very long period of time.
It is worth noting that the first method is not used very often. The more popular method now is based on monitoring basal temperature. With its help, you can more accurately determine which days should be considered potentially dangerous for pregnancy. The indicated method is used based on data that during ovulation there is a rise in body temperature. If you record temperature changes every day, you can very accurately determine both the beginning and the end of ovulation itself. It is recommended to measure the temperature in the rectum. There temperature indicators are more informative. To measure basal temperature, it is best to use a regular thermometer. The recommended time to measure your temperature is early in the morning, immediately after sleep. You need to take your temperature without leaving your bed. If you do not adhere to all these conditions, it may happen that the basal temperature chart will be incorrect and incorrect.
How can you understand that ovulation is occurring? Its beginning is marked by a not very large decrease in temperature. Then there is a steady increase to 0.4 degrees. You need to know that you can get pregnant not only during ovulation itself. This can happen 3 days before ovulation and within 3 days after it occurs. This is how long sperm can live while waiting for their egg. Of course, the presented method also cannot provide a complete guarantee. After all, everyone knows that body temperature tends to decrease/increase due to many other factors: these can be various diseases, and even the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
The third method that allows you to calculate dangerous days for pregnancy is monitoring the condition of your cervical mucus. You need to understand that this method can only be suitable for very attentive women. Some time before and during ovulation, the quality of the mucus that comes out of the vagina changes. The mucus becomes different from usual (not as thick). It has a sticky and transparent consistency. Many compare it to the white of a raw egg. If you try to rub this mucus with your fingers, it will stick like glue.
Another way to calculate dangerous days for pregnancy is complex symptomothermal. What is he? It includes combinations of all the methods mentioned above. So, a woman keeps a calendar record, regularly measures her basal temperature, and checks the quality of vaginal mucus. If all this is done regularly and conscientiously, then such a comprehensive study will give a very clear picture of the state of women's health. Those women who practice this method can always know with a high degree of probability whether pregnancy is possible on one day or another.
Pros and cons of physiological methods for determining dangerous days for pregnancy
It is worth immediately noting that physiological methods can be used both for contraception and for planning conception. This is their big advantage. Moreover, all these methods are absolutely free. They do not require large expensive studies. The advantage of physiological methods is that their use does not have any contraindications. Any side effects are excluded. Using these methods does not present any difficulties for a woman. The dangerous days for pregnancy are calculated, as we see, very simply. The main thing in this matter is to listen to your body.
Along with so many “advantages” of physiological methods for determining dangerous days for pregnancy, there are still some disadvantages of the presented methods. Firstly, these methods are not very reliable. If you use them exclusively (without the safety net of additional types of contraception), this can have disastrous consequences. The disadvantages include the fact that a woman needs to conduct daily monitoring and record all data. This imposes certain obligations on her. If it does not have a sufficient level of self-organization, then using the presented methods will be very problematic.
It is also believed that physiological methods for determining dangerous days for pregnancy require some experience. Only then will it be possible to use it with great confidence. Approximately three months of observation may be needed in order to achieve a certain experience and already have certain knowledge.
In any case, it must be remembered that the presented physiological methods for determining the most dangerous days for pregnancy are not a separate independent method of contraception. This is just another opportunity to protect yourself from an unwanted pregnancy.
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