by: Heather K. Beasley, M.S.
Welcome!
The Motherhood Experiment isn’t just a website for mom’s, but we are much more! We are an emerging resource for women’s health too.
I know that this topic may be delicate for many, so I will be as sensitive as possible.
Trying to conceive…
Firstly, take a big breath! You are an amazing woman whether you have biological children or not.
Perhaps, you are just now considering children, or maybe you are worried that conceiving children may not be a part of your story because it hasn’t “naturally” happened before now. Either way below is some data-driven information:
All women are different, although most women have cycles that fall within the 28-days.
Messinis IE, Messini CI, Dafopoulos K. Novel aspects of the endocrinology of the menstrual cycle. Reprod Biomed Online. 2014;28(6):714-722. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.02.003
To best understand your cycle, you should know that a biologically assigned female, has four phases:
1. Menstral Phase
2. Follicular Phase
3. Ovulation phase
4. Luteal phase
I made the above diagram for the visual learners. 😁
Ok, so now that we know that there are four phases, what does that mean?
The first phase is your menstrual cycle AKA your period. For however long yours may take, after your uterus sheds, the follicular phase begins.
The follicular phase is the biologically assigned female’s body revving up to start to release an egg. Think about an Olympic runner that has her feet in the startup blocks getting ready to take off in a beautiful stride. That’s what is happening in the follicular phase. During this time there are two hormones at play; Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). Hormones, by the way, are chemical signals that the body produces to stimulate an action. Both LH and FSH mediate the events that lead to the ovulation of fertilizable eggs.1
The Ovulation Phase: Well, once the follicle is released, the egg, waits around to be fertilized. The sperm can last for days, but the ripe egg is only viable for up to 24 hours! That is why when you are trying to conceive, it is best to have intercourse during the days that your egg is “waiting” to be fertilized.
How do you know what day that is? I’m glad you asked. There are several ways to estimate this. If you’re a mathematician, you can always calculate your cycle, or use the app. 😉
Or you can do my recommendation from my OB/GYN and get the Wondfo Ovulation test strips off of Amazon. They are great and they come with pregnancy tests too! The tests work the same way as a pregnancy test. After urinating in a collection cup you follow the directions and you will have results in a couple of minutes. YAY!
The above test works by detecting Luteinizing Hormone, LH. LH is important because it induces or triggers OVULATION 2! You, of course, want to know approximately when that is because your egg or eggs are waiting for the lucky sperm.
For the science nerds like myself, this is what’s happening: LH signaling leads to alterations in the synthesis of steroid hormones, eicosanoids, growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, proteolytic enzymes, and their inhibitors. These molecules play important intraovarian roles in mediating LH actions, which include follicular rupture and ovulation.3,4
Side note: Hormone secretion is highest in the morning. Your best bet is to test when you first wake.
Interestingly, LH has the same biological role in men!
Ok, now that you know when you are ovulating, you have a better oportunity for a fertilized egg! Happy thoughts! 😁😀🥰😘💛
After Day 14, or midway through your cycle, the egg is no longer viable and you enter the Luteal Phase. The Luteal Phase is accompanied by more fluctuating hormones. After ovulation, the follicle becomes the corpus luteum. The role of the corpus luteum is to produce the hormone Progesterone which helps to sustain pregnancy. However, if pregnancy does not occur, the corpus luteum will stop producing Progesterone and it will becomes scar tissue.
Since this egg did not result in a pregnancy, the uterine lining will thin and shed through the vagina hence the Menstrual cycle starts back over with Phase 1.
I hope you were able to gain some good information. Let me know i
Citations:
- Egbert JR, Fahey PG, Reimer J, et al. Follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone increase Ca2+ in the granulosa cells of mouse ovarian follicles†. Biol Reprod. 2019;101(2):433-444. doi:10.1093/biolre/ioz085
- S.M.Yellon et. al., 2004 Physiology of Reproduction.
- Richards J, Fitzpatrick S, Clemens J, Morris J, Alliston T, Sirois J. Ovarian cell differentiation: a cascade of multiple hormones, cellular signals, and regulated genes. Rec Progr Horm Res 1995;50:223–54.
- Rao CV. Multiple novel roles of luteinizing hormone. Fertil Steril. 2001 Dec;76(6):1097-100. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(01)02863-1. PMID: 11730733.