The term ovulation refers to the release of the egg from the ovary. The egg is viable for 24 - 48 hours, which means that if there is sperm anytime during that time, the woman can get pregnant. Sperm lives up to 72 hours, so if there is already sperm in the woman's body even before the ovulation, it can get a woman pregnant.

Before the woman approaches her ovulation, the body prepares for the event: more cervical fluid, the cervix is 'ripe', etc. So fertile period could be the days leading up to the ovulation, and the few days after it.

Hope that makes sense.

Ovulation Proditor Kits (OPK) can be really unreliable. They will tell you that you are ovulating when in all actuality, you  have already ovulated. An egg is only viable for about 24 hours.

However, sperm can last up to 2-3 days. So, you can actually concieve for about 3-4 days per cycle even though an egg lasts a short amount of time.

The BEST sure fire way to tell when you ovulate si by using the  Fertility Awareness Method. They have you take your temperature as soon as you wake up while you are still lying in bed. You are supposed to do NOTHING, not even go pee, until you take the waking temperture. When you see  your temp do a drastic rise, then you have ovulated.

You can also check you cervical fluid. If alot of moucousy cervical fluid is present, that is also a sign that you are just about to ovulate. That fluid will help the sperm survive even longer.

You can google Fertilty Awareness Method and find all sorts of info on how to use it properly. There are even programs you can download that will help you figure out exactly when you ovulate.

I say all this because my DH and I tried for 6.5 years to get preggers using OPK. They don't work, they told me I was ovulate when I had specific blood tests done at the GYNs that said for sure I was NOT.

I lost a good amount of weight (about 60lbs) and then started checking for cervical fluid (not even check temps) and bam got preg. very quickly.

Good luck!!! Jessica

According to a book I recently read (on older mothers), there is a 2-3 day window of opportunity of the sperm and egg coming together to form an embryo. Rather than being most fertile at the end of a period, apparently it is the middle of your menstrual cycle when you are most fertile. There are a range of home-test kits with the (apparently) most accurate one being the one that tests your saliva for salt content which is meant to rise as your oestrogen rises. It looks like a ipstick but is actually a tube fitted with a tiny lighted microscope and retails for around AU$80. As ovulation gets close, you see a fern-shaped pattern and when the ferns cover the whole slide, you are about to ovulate (this equipment is reuseable). According to US FDA, it is about 98% accurate.

The egg or ovum is fertile for 48 to 72 hrs ( correct me minti if I'm wrong). Y sperm (according to some research) swims faster and stronger then X sperm. If the egg is close enough ie if you wait to the 2nd day of ovulation you increase your chances for a boy, if you start on the 1st day of ovulation you increase your chances for a girl because the x sperm apparently has more stamina then Y sperm and can do the distance. Generally if you have plenty of sex just before ovulation and during you can increase the chances of getting pregnant or avoid getting pregnant by not having sex just before and a couple of days after.

I thought I just add the X vs Y information as it's rather interesting research, not sure if it really works but!

Cheers Raven