Understanding your menstrual cycle

What is the menstrual cycle

The menstrual cycle is what your body goes through to get ready for pregnancy. This cycle is the time from the first day of your period (first day of bleeding) up to the day before the start of your next period.

4 - Phases of Menstural Cycle

Starting With menstrual bleeding

Getting to know your menstrual cycle

A typical menstrual cycle is 28 days long

Let's break that down a bit, It is made up of four distinct phases: the menstrual phase, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase.

Days one through five are typically menstrual bleeding. Next comes the follicular phase, when an egg matures in your ovaries. The mature egg is then released into your uterus (ovulation), where it can potentially be fertilized by a sperm, resulting in pregnancy.

The next two weeks are the luteal phase, during which the uterine lining builds and prepares for pregnancy. But, if fertilization does not occur, the body sheds the egg and the lining during menstruation, and the process starts anew.

Phases	Days	Remarks	Pregnancy
Menstrual Phase	Day 1 to 5	Menstrual bleeding Days	NO
Follicular Phase	Day 6 to 11	When an egg matures in your ovaries	NO/yes
Ovulation Phase	Day 12 to 16	The mature egg is then released into your uterus (ovulation), where it can potentially be fertilized by a sperm, resulting in pregnancy.	YES
Luteal Phase	Day 17 to 28	prepares your uterus for pregnancy by thickening your uterine lining	NO

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Fertile Window

Fertility relates to our ability to be able to reproduce. In short, being fertile means having the ability to conceive, or have children. Women become fertile over a number of fertile days in the menstrual cycle, known as the fertile window, or pregnancy window

Preventing pregnancy in the fertile window

While finding the fertile window can help identify the best time to get pregnant, this knowledge can also be used to do exactly the reverse: preventing a pregnancy. A short fertile window means there’s only actually six days in a month when a woman can get pregnant.

Ovulation typically happens around day 14 of your cycle, with the egg remaining in your uterus for about 24 hours before it is no longer able to be fertilized. Sperm usually live for about 48 hours in the body, but they can live up to five days.

This would mean that, assuming that you have a typical 28-day cycle, to prevent fertilization, you would need to abstain from sex from day nine through day 16 - refer our above table Ovulation Phase.

FAQ : Menstrual cycle VS pregnancy

How many days after my period can I get pregnant?
From Day 12 to 16

How may days after your period can you get pregnant?
From Day 12 to 16

How many days after period is safer to avoid pregnancy?
From Day 17 to 28

safe days for not getting pregnant
From Day 17 to 28

Can I get pregnant 2 days after my period?
No

How may days after your period do you ovulate?
From Day 12 to 16 - for a normal 28 days cycle

fertile days after period
From Day 12 to 16 - for a normal 28 days cycle

chances of getting pregnant
From Day 12 to 16 - for a normal 28 days cycle

What Is the Luteal Phase of the Menstrual Cycle?

Women will not experience any pregnancy symptoms during the earliest part of the luteal phase. This is because pregnancy does not occur until the fertilized egg implants into the wall of the uterus. During the luteal phase, the body produces more progesterone, which is a hormone that helps sustain an early pregnancy.

What are the signs of luteal phase?

Other than fertility issues, symptoms of a Luteal Phase Defect include more frequent periods and spotting between periods, which is also the case for a range of different cycle-related health issues which makes it more difficult to diagnose

Ovulation Calculator
Stages of Pregnancy, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Trimester
Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

The above content is for informational and educational purposes only, for more about your health condition you may Consult the best Obstetricians & Gynaecologists