Frequently Asked Questions

It is okay if your periods are delayed by about 4–5 days. The delay may be due to several factors, including stress. What family planning operation did you undergo? If it was a laparoscopic tubectomy, then there is a probability of the tubes having got rejoined, which may result in pregnancy. Wait for a few more days and in case your period does not start, get a pregnancy test done. If it is negative, please check with your doctor, to find out the exact cause. For all you know, you might even be anemic.

It is not important what positions you use for sexual intercourse. What is important is that the sperms should enter the vagina.

Most pregnancies occur in the first six cycles of intercourse in the fertile phase. After 12 months of unprotected intercourse, approximately, 85% of couples will become pregnant. Over the next 36 months, about 50% of the remaining couples will go on to conceive spontaneously. If there is no problem, I would suggest that you wait for some more time. Time your intercourse during your fertile period, which is approximately from the 8–18th day of your menstrual cycle. There are certain things you may want to do to prevent any infertility problems. Your husband should avoid drug and tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption, which may contribute to male infertility. Also, high temperatures can affect sperm production and motility. Although this effect is usually temporary, he should avoid hot tubs and steam baths. You can increase your chances of becoming pregnant in a number of ways: exercise regularly, avoid either being over- or underweight, limit the intake of caffeine (drinks like coffee and cola) and avoid taking any unnecessary medications. In spite of all this, if you do not conceive, I would suggest that you see an infertility specialist.

Most pregnancies occur in the first six cycles of intercourse in the fertile phase. After 12 months of unprotected intercourse, approximately 85% of couples will become pregnant. Over the next 36 months, about 50% of the remaining couples will go on to conceive spontaneously. Time your intercourse during your fertile period, which is approximately from the 8–18th day of your menstrual cycle. There are certain things you may want to do not to aggravate the situation. Your husband should avoid drug and tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption, which may contribute to male infertility. Also, high temperatures can affect sperm production and motility. Although this effect is usually temporary, he should avoid hot tubs and steam baths. You can increase your chances of becoming pregnant in a number of ways: exercise regularly, avoid either being over or underweight, limit the intake of caffeine (drinks like coffee and cola) and avoid taking any unnecessary medications. Since it has been 5 years since you are married, I would suggest that you see an infertility specialist, who will examine both you and your husband and also get the required investigations done, and arrive at the exact cause of the infertility. This would help in adopting the right treatment modality. There are medications available for treating infertility. If these do not work, in vivo and in vitro fertilization can be resorted to. If at the end of all this, if you are still not able to conceive, then, you can consider adoption.

Your menstrual cycle appears to have some mild variations. However, these slight variations can be due to factors such as stress, increased physical exertion, travel or dietary changes. This is not a cause for major concern as the normal menstrual cycle can occur over periods of 28, 30, 34 or even 40 days, without any underlying problem. Ovulation usually occurs between the 14th and 16th day of a 28-day cycle. In your case, it would be best to consider the middle 10 days, that is, 11–20th days, of your cycle as a fertile period as it is not possible to pinpoint the ovulation day based on dates. If you want to synchronize your sexual activity to the time of ovulation, you can note a few other changes that occur with ovulation. These include changes in vaginal secretions so that the discharge appears thinner, some increase in body temperature, mild pain on one side of the abdomen, etc. Note that all these changes may not be present in you as their occurrence varies in women. If planning on conceiving, you should also consider starting supplements for folic acid and vitamins as these will help with fertility and will also give a healthy start to your pregnancy. Effects depend on the cause, but if the problem is caused due to an infection, treatment is essential to prevent chronic problems such as infertility. You can avoid infecting your partner by asking him to use a condom or using a female condom yourself. Take care to avoid any chemical substances in the vagina to avoid aggravating the problem.

Women have a narrower age range of fertility than men do and are usually capable of child-bearing from the onset of menstruation, at age 13 or so, until menopause, around age 45–50. As you are still unmarried, you will need to initiate the process of starting a family within these 2 years, if other factors are also conducive. It is true that women are most fertile between 22 and 24 years of age and fertility declines sharply as age increases over 30. This is due to a decrease in general health as well as a decrease in ovarian follicles that contain eggs. Other changes that complicate fertility include thinning of the lining of the uterus, irregular menstrual cycles, change in vaginal mucus secretions, development of chronic diseases, etc. You will need to plan your family including spacing of children. If you want to conceive, you will need to have intercourse between the 12th and 18th day of the menstrual cycle. If you find that you have difficulty in conceiving, it is best to approach a fertility specialist at the earliest. Improving general nutrition, having a balanced diet, living a healthy lifestyle will all keep you younger and increase your chances of fertility and good health.

You can count the days of your cycle by considering the day your menses starts as the first day of the cycle. The duration of 7–10 days after the starting of your menses can be considered a safe period for being with your partner. Ovulation usually occurs between the 14th and 17th day of the 28-day menstrual cycle. However, it would be better to consider the 10 days, i.e. days 11 to 20 of your cycle as a fertile period. Again, the period from the 21st to 28th or 30th day of the cycle is unlikely to be fertile, and hence can be considered safe. Since you have a 32-day cycle. The safe and fertile periods mentioned above apply in this case as well. Contraceptive measures to avoid pregnancy include condoms, spermicides, oral contraceptive pills, and the morning-after pill, to name a few. With the exception of condoms, it would be best to consult a gynecologist before using any of the other methods. Home pregnancy test kits are available at all chemist/pharmacist stores and are very easy to use. Contraceptive measures without any common side-effects include condoms, diaphragm, and the rhythm method (intercourse during the safe periods).

Ejaculating outside the vagina provides some protection, however it is not considered a reliable form of birth control. There is also a chance that pre-ejaculation fluid might have entered the vagina. Pre-ejaculation fluid may contain sperm and it occurs before ejaculation without your knowledge. In addition, if you ejaculate very near to the vagina, the sperm may find their way inside through her body fluids. But this is very unusual. Your girlfriend can get a pregnancy test done herself. Home pregnancy test kits are available at all chemist/pharmacist stores and are very easy to use. Periods could also get delayed due to various other reasons, including stress. However, we would suggest her to see a gynecologist for an evaluation.

Among the birth control methods, the rhythm method is a natural form of birth control method that relies on knowledge of a woman's ovulation cycle in order to avoid pregnancy. The trick is knowing when ovulation (release of an egg during a woman’s monthly cycle) happens. You will get pregnant only when you have intercourse around the time of ovulation. Ovulation usually occurs between the 14th and 17th day of the 28-day menstrual cycle. If you don’t want to get pregnant you should not have unprotected sex during this period, while the others days are considered safe. However ovulation time differs for most of the women depending on their length of menstrual cycle and regularity of periods. For more details on natural birth control methods and rhythm method, please go through our article “Fertility Basics” at http://www.indianwomenshealth.com/Fertility-Basics-74.aspx.