Ovulation myths: Fertility expert Zita West sorts fact from fiction

METRO 2018-11-17 10:00:00

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(Illustration: Liberty Antonia Sadler for Metro.co.uk)

Ovulation myths: Fertility expert Zita West sorts fact from fiction

Many women have concerns about ovulation, as it is often a cryptic, hidden event. How much do you think you know about ovulation?

We asked fertility expert Zita West – known as the fertility fairy godmother – to answer the most questions she is most frequently asked by women who are trying to conceive.

Yes, although this is fairly rare, and is what happens in the case of non-identical twins. If ovulation happens twice it is always within 24 hours so your fertile time will still be over the same few days of your cycle.

Sperm can live for 2-5 days inside a woman’s body. However, during the optimum conditions which accompany the ovulation time it can survive for up to a week.

The vast majority of pregnancies occur due to intercourse in the six-day period before ovulation occurs. This fertile window will generally occur earlier in shorter cycles and later in longer cycles.

Regular periods can occur even if ovulation has not occurred, so are not necessarily a sign you have ovulated during your cycle.

With great difficulty! Currently there are only three ways to confirm that ovulation is occurring: being pregnant: an ultrasound scan showing a collapsed follicle or a blood test showing a raised progesterone level.

A progesterone test can show ovulation has occurred but needs to be taken on day 21 of a 28-day cycle. At this time, raised progesterone levels will show that ovulation has occurred, while the absence of raised levels will show if no ovulation has taken place.

An accurately taken waking temperature can give some idea of the possible presence or absence of ovulation and any ovulatory problems, but temperature recordings are not conclusive and can be stressful so are not generally recommended long term.

Some women find these useful, but they should be used alongside understanding of how your cervical secretions change during fertile times. An ovulation predictor kit tests for a surge in luteinising hormone. Ovulation normally follows within 36 hours of the LH surge, but a positive LH test does not always indicate that ovulation will follow.

During fertile times oestrogen changes cervical secretions to allow sperm to live longer in the woman’s body and enter the womb more easily. Typically, fertile secretions are wetter, slippery and stretchier. To maximise the chance of conception, sex should occur on days with optimal mucus quality, regardless of the exact timing relative to ovulation.

But it is very important to ascertain whether secretions have diminished due to age, or other factors such as hormonal imbalance

As women age, ovulation becomes less frequent and the interval between ovulation and the next period (luteal phase) may be deficient or shortened. This may be a normal part of the ageing process or may have other causes. However, if there are less than 10 days from ovulation to the next period, there is not enough time for a fertilised egg to implant in the endometrium (womb lining).

Stress and exhaustion can have a large impact because it disrupts hormones associated with fertility. Weight fluctuations can also have an impact and being underweight can be more detrimental to fertility than being slightly overweight.

Other health issues such as anaemia and medications can have an impact. As can smoking, excess alcohol and poor diet. I see many exhausted clients who are running on empty.

It requires energy to ovulate so if you are really depleted, it’s not a matter of survival to your body if you produce and ovulate an egg each month.

The thyroid gland is like the body’s thermostat, releasing hormones to speed up your metabolism and burn more fuel, or slow down and conserve energy. Issues like stress and illness can affect the thyroid, disrupting its natural processes and since your hormones are interrelated this can affect fertility.

This varies from person to person. The first month after you stop taking the pill is usually a particularly fertile cycle. After this, ovulation can be disrupted for a few months in most women. For others it may take longer for ovulation to return to a normal pattern, despite regular periods.

Breast-feeding suppresses ovulation and it may take a while after stopping breast-feeding for a normal ovulatory pattern to return, despite seemingly normal periods.

No. When you have sex makes no difference to the gender of the baby.

You can find more by Zita West at zitawest.com, or you can make an appointment to visit the Zita West Clinic (020 7224 0017), where Zita and her team specialise in natural fertility and IVF as well as working with couples who have already had failed IVF cycles.

Fertility Month

This story is part of Fertility Month, a month-long series covering all aspects of fertility.

For the next four weeks, we will be speaking to people at all stages of the fertility journey as well as doctors, lawyers and fertility experts who can shed light on the most important issues.

If you have a story to tell or a question to ask, please do get in touch at fertilitystories@metro.co.uk.

Here is a selection of the stories from Fertility Month so far - and you can find all Fertility Month content here.