When a woman has her normal menstrual cycle, this is the body’s way of planning for a pregnancy to occur. A regular cycle will take 28 days and it has at least three different phases before the egg is fertilized. The stages of a woman’s menstrual cycle is one of the areas a doctor must investigate to find out if the woman can become fertility pregnant.
The Follicular Phase
The first phase is the follicular phase and it starts on day one of your menstrual cycle. This is when a woman will start to bleed for three to five days. During this first phase, the brain will release a powerful hormone called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).
The function of this hormone is to stimulate the ovaries to mature and release an egg. Another hormone that is at work during the first stage is luteinizing hormone (LH). The job of LH is to also cause maturation and release of the egg from the ovary. This is the most important step towards becoming fertility pregnant. The egg follicles that were also stimulated, but do not mature, will eventually die.
The way a woman’s body is created, normally only one egg will go on to complete maturation. The exception to this is in the case of fraternal twins. In this case, the fertility pregnant woman has released two eggs and they are both fertilized and implanted into the womb.
The Ovulatory Phase
Therefore, at about 14 days in the cycle, the woman will release an egg from the ovary and it enters the Fallopian tube. This is the start of the second phase known as the ovulatory phase. It is during this phase that the woman hoping for a child has the opportunity to become fertility pregnant. When this second phase occurs, the woman’s body begins to prepare in case the egg is fertilized. The normal mucus levels will increase and thicken to help transport the egg and nourish any sperm as they travel. The walls of the uterus also thicken in preparation for an implanted egg to signify a fertility pregnant woman.
The Luteal Phase
The third and last phase towards becoming a fertility pregnant woman is the luteal phase. It occurs after the sperm enters the woman and fertilizes the egg. The fertilized egg then travels down to the uterus or womb and becomes attached or implanted in the uterine wall. You are now considered fertility pregnant and a pregnancy test can detect this implantation.
If the egg remains unfertilized, the body will release it in two weeks. However, the egg that is not fertilized can only survive around one to two days. However, sperm can survive at least five days. The woman’s body will start bleeding to breakdown the lining of the uterus and start the menstrual cycle again. She will then have to wait until the next month to try to become fertility pregnant again.