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Conception

Fertility*

Fertility varies from person to person and at different stages of our lives. The following facts are true for most people:

  • The fertility of both men and women reaches its peak at about the age of 24
  • Among couples having intercourse regularly without contraception, 25 percent of women will conceive in the first month, 60 percent within six months, 75 percent within nine months, 80 percent within a year, and 90 percent within 18 months
  • After ovulation, an egg can only be fertilised for approximately 12-24 hours.

Your baby’s sex

The gender of a child is determined by whether the fertilising sperm is an X sperm (female) or a Y sperm (male), as the woman’s ovum is always female, X.

The X and the Y sperm have different properties, the X sperm (female) being larger, slower, and long-lived than the Y sperm (male). The X sperm also appears to be favoured by the slightly acidic conditions in the vagina.

Bearing in mind that there is very little scientific evidence to support them, the following ideas may be of interest if you are trying to choose the gender of your baby.

When: For a female baby, make love up to two or three days before ovulation as only female sperm survive this long; for a male baby, make love on the day of, or just after, ovulation, as the faster male sperm will reach the ovum before the female sperm.

Frequency: For a female baby, make love fairly frequently, as this lowers the proportion of male sperm in the semen; for a male baby, make love infrequently, as this will increase the proportion of male sperm.

Drugs Can Affect Your Fertility

If you are trying to fall pregnant it is important to assess any drugs, medicinal and recreational, that you are currently taking. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist about these or contact the Mothersafe unit at the Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, on 9382 6539 for Sydney residents or freecall on 1800 647 848. Even the most simple of medicines may have an affect on your chances of falling pregnant and on your baby before you have had your pregnancy confirmed.

Remember that both alcohol and tobacco are considered drugs, so now may be a good time to kick the smoking habit and drink in moderation. This includes your partner as these can also affect his fertility.

Fertilisation

Ovulation usually occurs each month, and at the same time the lining of your womb becomes engorged with blood ready to receive and nourish the expectant embryo, also your bodies hormones begin to rise in preparation of supporting a pregnancy. Fertilisation will occur within 12-24 hours of your egg being released from the ovum, if the sperm are successful in penetrating the egg. Both the sperm and egg contain 23 chromosomes, and when they join together they form the first 46 chromosome cells of your baby. It is at this time that the sex of your baby is determined. This is the building block for his development and this new cell divides repeatedly until it has formed a ball of cells called the “blastocyst”.

If possible it is a good idea to know when you are ovulating while trying to conceive. Ovulation usually occurs 14 days before menstruation commences. One major sign of ovulation is a change to your mucus. It becomes thin and clear, and looks and feels a little bit like egg white. You may also choose to chart your basal body temperature throughout your cycle. You should notice an increase in temperature that will indicate you have just ovulated. For the best chance of falling pregnant you should have sex during the 2-3 days prior to the spike in temperature. To be exact you can use an ovulation test kit, which are available from your local pharmacy.

For more information on how to detect when you ovulate visit these websites:

 

* Dr Miriam Stoppard MD FRCP, Conception, Pregnancy & Birth, Dorling Kindersley, Australia 2002