Let’s chat about why you can have unprotected sex after CONFIRMED ovulation without fear of pregnancy. Notice the all-caps emphasis on CONFIRMED. If you’re familiar with fertility awareness, you’re well aware that it takes corroboration of multiple signs to ensure you have indeed ovulated that cycle.
Just so we’re super duper clear: Do not have protected sex until you are totally comfortable with using fertility awareness for birth control.
Once you’ve confirmed ovulation with three or more days of elevated basal body temperature (BBT), three or more days after Peak Day and (if you check cervix position) a shift to a low, closed and firm cervix: Congratulations! You’ve ovulated this cycle, you amazing human being.
But why does that mean pregnancy is now impossible for the remainder of the cycle?
1) An egg can only survive for 12-24 hours once you’ve ovulated. If not fertilized by a sperm, the egg will disintegrate. Starting 24 hours after ovulation, there is no egg left to fertilize— and there won’t be until you ovulate in your next cycle.
2) Y’all might already know the magical properties of progesterone. (If not, read more here!) Progesterone suppresses ovulation for the rest of that cycle. With elevated progesterone present, you won’t ovulate until sometime after your next period.
3) This one’s cool. As you enter your luteal (post-ovulation) phase, your badass vagina reverts to an acidic pH. The pH is low enough to kill sperm that may enter. Not that they’d get to an egg anyway, considering #1 and #2 above. Poor little sperm.
4) Circling back to that change in cervix positioning, after ovulation occurs, your cervix closes and fills with a thick mucus plug. These factors prevent sperm from getting through to your Fallopian tubes and uterus.
Long story short: After ovulation, your body doesn’t allow sperm to get up to egg habitat, and there are no eggs to fertilize, anyway.
Ready to know when YOU are/aren’t fertile? Click the button:
Are you a nerd like me who likes to know the WHY? What other cool body phenomena would you like explained?