Can one get pregnant after ovulation?

Dear Agatha, 

Please I need your help. I want to know if I can get pregnant after ovulation. 

Apprehensive Woman

Dear Apprehensive Woman, 

According to my investigations on this subject, yes you can get pregnant after ovulation. It depends on when the egg was released. Ovulation is the release of the mature ovum from the follicle into the fallopian tubes. Ovulation occurs around the 14th day of a regular 28-day menstrual cycle.  Once released, it becomes available to a matured sperm for fertilisation for 12 to 24 hours before it begins to disintegrate. This is the most fertile period of a woman’s cycle and during ovulation her chances of conception are highest.

The time of ovulation is determined by the luteal phase, which is usually between 12 to 16 days in most women. Calculate the time of ovulation within your cycle by subtracting the length of your luteal phase from the length of your cycle. For example, if your cycle is 28 days long and your luteal phase is 12 days long, the ovulation will occur on the 16th day of your cycle. The exact time of ovulation may vary within your cycle even if you have religiously regular menstrual cycles. This is because ovulation can be delayed by a number of factors such as stress, illness, diet, or increased physical activity.

For women who are trying to get pregnant, it is often advised that they should have intercourse before ovulation. This helps in conception since the sperm from the man is deposited into the cervix and as soon as the ovum is released, it has the opportunity to be fertilised but doesn’t limit the woman’s ability to get pregnant after ovulation. However her chances of getting pregnant depend on when she ovulates as well as when she sleeps with her man. Considering the fact that the egg starts to fall to pieces 12 to 24 hours, there is a small chance that sperm can fertilise the egg for a short time after the egg has been released into the fallopian tubes.  Have it in mind that the chances of getting pregnant this way decreases the further away from ovulation a woman is.

Therefore, if you are trying to get pregnant, try to have intercourse anytime near ovulation to increase your chances of getting pregnant. 

It is in your interest to chart your ovulation pattern and monitor your cervical mucus. When it is like pap, you aren’t fertile, but when it has the stretchy-mucus appearance, you are fertile. The mucus presentation of the discharge helps the sperm make the journey quicker to the waiting fertile egg before it begins to expire. It is nature’s way of aiding conception.

To help you under this better, do see your doctor since you would be able to ask him questions on issues you don’t understand or that are clear to you in this write up.

Good luck