When planning to reproduce a baby, the couple is faced with many nuances that they had not previously suspected. This includes their compatibility by blood and Rh factors, and the need to look for favorable moments, and the ability to correctly draw up a calendar for the conception of a child, and the ability to predict his gender. Find out everything you need to know when preparing for pregnancy in our article.

Couple compatibility for conception

When you go to the hospital, especially when planning your first pregnancy, the doctor will prescribe a full examination and tests. The check applies to both spouses. So, if a woman’s hormone content and their ability to have the necessary effect on ongoing monthly processes in the body are analyzed, then a man’s spermogram is studied, which shows the activity and viability of cells.

Influence of the Rh factor

In addition, both have their blood checked to identify Rh factors and groups. It is necessary to analyze the compatibility of blood for conceiving a child in order to understand how problematic fertilization and implantation of the fetus is.

It is believed that in order to avoid problems, it is better that the Rh factors (RH) of the spouses coincide. Most people (85%) are positive. If one of the couple is negative, the couple will not be able to get pregnant for a long time and their risk of miscarriage increases. The woman will need to be closely monitored and possibly hospitalized to maintain the pregnancy with treatment (“preservation”).

If the mother's RH is negative, the situation becomes even worse. In addition to the problem of conception and implantation of the embryo, as well as the threat of failure, there is a danger of disruption in the development of the baby itself if he inherits his father’s genes. In such a situation, the uterus tries to reject the “inappropriate” fetus.

For this purpose, examinations are carried out in advance in order to support the pregnancy process with therapeutic methods.

The influence of blood type

In addition to Rh factors, the blood type itself also plays a certain role in conceiving a child. It is believed that in 90% of cases or more the baby will inherit the maternal one. The most common and “strong” is considered group I. It is suitable for all people, regardless of their type. Group IV blood is the most adaptive, capable of accepting any other types, but is considered to be of the poorest quality, because doesn't suit other people.

So, after conducting tests, the couple receives the first recommendations. If there are threats, the doctor will tell you how to get around them in a particular case and will observe the patient in order to transfer to a hospital if necessary.

Favorable days for conceiving a child

The next step is to determine favorable days for conceiving a child. To do this correctly, you need to monitor your body for some time to obtain the following data:

• Cycle duration. The countdown starts from the first day of bleeding of menstruation and ends on the day before the next one. The standard is considered to be 28 days, but there are cycles of 25-30 days, which is not a deviation. For other indicators, it is worth identifying the cause of such a non-standard parameter by consulting with your gynecologist.
• Periodicity. After tracking for several months, you need to find out whether the cycles are always the same. To do this, you can keep a calendar in which to mark the first dates of your period. A simple calculation of the period between them will give a complete picture.
• The course of menstruation. It is necessary to clarify whether deviations exist. Normally, bleeding has the same abundance, characteristics and duration every time.

Having compiled a calendar before planning to conceive a child, subsequently calculating the best days for productive sexual intercourse will be quite simple. The process itself must be carried out at the moment of ovulation, i.e. when the female cell has already matured and is in the genital tract. But its lifespan is limited to one day (rarely - up to 2 days), therefore it is necessary to know the exact date of its appearance in order not to delay conception for another month. This can be revealed by simple mathematical calculations by subtracting the length of the second phase from its cycle.

Recall that ovulation occurs between two processes:

• Cell maturation. A fluid-filled sac forms in the ovary. A cell appears in it and begins to grow. Having reached its maximum size and level of development, the cell breaks the membrane and moves towards the uterus. The ripening time is different for everyone and can be 11-17 days. Therefore, this figure cannot participate in the calculations, since the girl cannot calculate her value.
• The period of the “yellow body”. After the cell leaves the ovary, the corpus luteum begins to grow on it. This process does not depend on whether fertilization occurs or not. The body produces a hormone necessary to prepare the uterus to accept an embryo, the breasts to feed, etc. After the death of the unfertilized cell, menstruation occurs after the usual time and the cycle repeats. If the cell is implanted into the uterus, the hormone will be needed throughout pregnancy for the development of the fetus.

Let's look at an example: a girl has a 29-day cycle, her last period began on June 3. Subtract: 29-14=15. We count 15 days from June 3, we get June 18. This is the expected day when the cell has already entered the reproductive tract. You need to plan sexual intercourse for every day during the period June 15-19. Such a reserve of time is necessary because some male cells function for up to 3-5 days and can wait for the female one. And she lives for a day or a little more.

Forecasting the gender of the child - algorithm of actions

When choosing days to conceive a child, you should know that it is quite possible to influence his gender. To do this, you need to understand which sperm will fertilize the egg:

• X-type: it will be a girl;
• Y-type: the embryo will become male.

To “force” the sperm you need to complete the fertilization process, you need to create optimal conditions. To get a son, it is necessary to ensure that male cells enter the woman’s reproductive environment at the moment when the egg has already ruptured the follicle and is moving towards the uterus. This is due to the speed and mobility of Y-cells. Under equal conditions, they will reach the goal many times faster than their slow “brothers” X.

If you want to conceive a daughter, you need to act more carefully. It is necessary to ensure that the act is carried out ahead of time, when there are still a couple of days before the appearance of the female cell. Then the Y cells will die because they only live 24 hours. And only after their disappearance will the female cell leave the ovary. X cells are more viable, they function for up to 3-5 days, and therefore will wait for her appearance.

As you can see, calculating the conception of a child of the desired gender will not be difficult at all. The only problem is the correct appointment of the day of ovulation. If, after observing and keeping a calendar, a girl has identified the rhythm of her processes, she only needs to be satisfied with mathematical calculations according to the formula presented above. It is worth confirming the day with tests or other methods. Do not forget that failure is possible at any time. Elementary stress or climate change can shorten or accelerate the process of follicle development. A woman taking medications containing hormones will undoubtedly have an impact on the duration of the processes.

How to check the onset of ovulation

If a woman’s cycle differs in length from month to month and her periods come irregularly, then mathematics will not yield anything.

Tests

In such a situation, tests can be used. They determine the concentration of the hormone that splashes out at the moment the follicle ruptures. Observing the change in color of the strip soaked in the reagent, the woman sees the approaching moment of rupture. This makes it possible to understand in advance when the cell is ready for fertilization. Using strip tests is ideal if you need to conceive a son. In the case of a girl, it will take some “work.” In particular, it is better to follow these instructions:

• Conduct testing for several months in a row to obtain control samples. You need to mark the days of the cycle on them and observe the change in shade.
• In the month chosen for conception, start testing in advance.
• Every day the sample is checked against the control ones.
• Since the act is necessary 2 days before the appearance of a bright shade (ovulation), you need to compare the colors of the stripes on the eve of this clear change.

Basal temperature chart

It is possible to predict the conception of a child of a certain gender for women with irregular processes using the basal schedule. It will give a more reliable result, although it will also require several months of observation. It is necessary to take rectal temperature measurements daily. Mark the indicators with dots on the graph, connecting them with a line at the end of the cycle. Ideally, you get a curve with the following characteristics:

• First part of the cycle: the line is in the same range (temperature is stable).
• Before the follicle ruptures, the temperature drops by several tenths of a degree.
• At the moment the cell emerges, the temperature rises above that characteristic of the first phase.
• Throughout the second part of the cycle, indicators remain at a level slightly higher than in the first part of the cycle.
• Just before menstruation there is a slight decline to normal. In the event of fertilization, the temperature will remain elevated throughout the entire pregnancy.

To use this method, you need to remember that the difference and "peaks" range from 0.4-0.6°C. To detect them, you need to take a big step on the chart and fill in the indicators carefully and accurately. Temperature changes are influenced by many factors: alcohol intake, medications, minor illness. Therefore, even measurements are performed while remaining in bed and immediately after waking up.

If you don’t want to monitor for so long, you can check with an ultrasound. The doctor will reliably and accurately indicate the moment before the “birth” of the cell.

Online calculators

Without problems with rhythm, you can use a child conception calculator instead of doing your own calculations. They work based on all of the listed factors and will provide a finished result after analysis. You need to enter your indicators into the service criteria: date of last menstruation, duration of cycles, how long to make a forecast, etc. Those. You will still need to identify your parameters in advance. If you wish, you can use another method that works based on two menstrual dates. But this method is likely to have an error, since it only takes into account one cycle.

Using the online service, a woman receives calendars for several months, in which the dates of menstruation and ovulation are noted. Having them at hand, it is easy to manage your sex life and predetermine the date of fertilization.

If you want to predict the gender, and not just find out the date of conception of the child, the calculator on our website will help with this too. In the calendars, according to the given criteria, three favorable days will be marked for the baby of each gender.

But it’s worth remembering the cell characteristics described above so as not to get into trouble. For example, you need to be more careful about conceiving a boy. If the act is carried out a day before, the Y-cells may not wait for the female to appear if there is a slight delay (for example, ovulation occurred at night, not during the day, and the day has already ended). And then from such an act a daughter will be born sooner. If you miss the day of ovulation itself and have sexual intercourse the next day, then the female cell may already disappear if it appeared, for example, yesterday, but in the morning. In this situation, you will need to wait until next month.

In the case of a girl, you should not expect any effect from the first of the appointed days. X cells are not always able to survive for so long.

But calculators help you keep track of your rhythms. This makes it easier to identify deviations in menstruation if they have lost their rhythm. At the same time, you need to understand that the day of ovulation will change the date accordingly. Therefore, it needs to be confirmed by additional means. Prompts from the body itself are considered good signs of ovulation:

• Slightly enlarged mammary glands, the appearance of sensitivity and pain.
• Pain on the side of the ovary. Since the cell, when released, injures the ovary (breaks through the follicle), pain occurs. They can be unimportant, which is why they are often ignored.
• The appearance of thick, profuse discharge. Until ovulation, cervical mucus does not appear. Just before the bubble ruptures, the mucus liquefies and is released, resembling egg white in appearance: thick, viscous, transparent.

Ancient tables for gender predetermination

The Chinese table of child conception according to the mother’s age will also help you determine the necessary dates for the acts. Despite some controversy that exists regarding its reliability, many people trust such forecasts. It is believed that it is very ancient and at one time helped the wives of emperors to conceive an heir. Chinese women still actively use it today.

The table has a list of months of the year in vertical columns that are assigned for conception and a list of the woman’s ages in horizontal columns. At the intersection of these criteria, it is indicated which child of what gender may appear during the act in a given month.

You will need to find the column with your age and look at the forecasts for the coming months. If undesirable results are indicated there, it is worth postponing the date of conception until the “effective” month.

The table for conceiving a child by mother's age has mixed reviews. In particular, women who already have children conducted a “test” using their own example and the result turned out to be dubious – about 30% of discrepancies. Therefore, if you decide to use the ancient method, you should not abandon scientific methods, taking into account the characteristics of sperm and the moment of cell release.

Japanese conception chart

A Japanese table of this type received slightly better reviews. It has a somewhat complex structure and consists of two tablets. You need to work on it this way:

• In the first table, look at the control number at the intersection of the spouses’ birth dates. How to calculate the conception of a boy using the Japanese table, fig. 2

There are other types of similar predictions: the famous Vanga table, gender prediction based on parents’ blood groups, etc. Whether to use them or not is up to everyone to decide. In any case, it would be useful to confirm their forecasts with additional calculations.

Preparing for pregnancy is a complex process and parents will need to prepare carefully, starting with an examination in the hospital. But, thanks to research by scientists, today it is possible to influence the gender of your baby. In total, you can use additional calculation methods: an online calculator, a child conception table. But for most couples, it doesn’t matter what gender the baby is, the main thing is that he is healthy and pleases his parents.

In the early stages of pregnancy, measuring the length of the embryo allows you to determine the gestational age with great accuracy. To calculate the date of conception, subtract 2 weeks from the resulting figure.

Comment . All dates are based on the last menstrual period. We remind you that in obstetrics, pregnancy is traditionally calculated not by conception, but by the date of the first day of the last menstruation. Gestational age at last menstrual period ( p. m., post menstruation) approximately 2 weeks more than the true gestational age at conception ( p. c., post conceptionem). Thus, the term of full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks p.m., which corresponds to 38 weeks p.c. This rule is accurate for a 28-day menstrual cycle. If the cycle is shorter or longer than 28 days, then the due date will be several days earlier or later, respectively. Calculating the time of conception allows you to more accurately determine the timing of pregnancy.

Not all women give birth exactly at the estimated time. For some, birth occurs a little earlier, and for others, a little later than the estimated date. A pregnancy of more than 38 weeks is considered full-term. Pregnancy beyond 42 weeks is considered post-term.

Determining the date of conception

To accurately determine the timing of pregnancy, it is important to know the date of conception. It coincides with the date of the last ovulation. Enter your data and click on the "Calculate!" button.

Calculation of pregnancy dates

Pregnancy dates are given according to the last menstrual period, which is 2 weeks longer than the conception date. The age of the fetus in days is calculated based on the date of conception (true gestational age). All pregnancy dates will be automatically calculated after entering the date of conception into the form.

The birth of a new life has been considered a sacrament since ancient times. Some still decide that it is not worth interfering in the affairs of God, while others are trying to determine the day of conception, since there may be various reasons for this.

The simplest and oldest method of determining the day a child is conceived is the method. To do this, it is enough to know the exact number of days in the menstrual cycle and subtract the duration of the luteal phase from this figure. This is the period when ovulation occurs, the meeting of the sperm with the egg, its implantation into the walls of the uterus and further development. In 90% of cases it lasts 14 days.

For example, consider a cycle that consists of 29 days: 29 – 14 = 15. So, ovulation occurred on the 15th day of the menstrual cycle. This means that fertilization occurred on that day or the next, because A female egg lives no more than 48 hours. To the question whether it is possible to determine the day of conception using this method, for girls whose menstruation is irregular, the answer will be negative, because It is not possible to find out the exact number of days in the cycle when conception occurred.

Is it possible to determine the day of conception using an ultrasound scan? This is one of the difficult questions. Ultrasound examination is more aimed at studying the development of the fetus at the appropriate time. The doctor will examine the baby and, based on the information received and the date of the last menstruation, will diagnose pregnancy. In order to calculate the date of expected ovulation, and therefore conception, based on these data, it is enough to subtract two weeks from it.

So, it is possible to determine the exact date of conception, but it should be remembered that there is almost always an error and, as a rule, it ranges from 2-3 days to a week. The ultrasound method is also not 100% reliable, although the opinion of a specialist in this field may play a certain role in confirming the date calculated by the calendar method.

It turns out that getting pregnant even if you are an absolutely healthy woman is not an easy problem, since during the month each of us has a maximum of one week, during which, under favorable circumstances, you can catch a pregnancy. As a rule, this time occurs at the moment of ovulation or, more simply, at the moment when our egg matures. Since she, like a butterfly, lives no more than a day, if we want to get pregnant, it would be nice to ensure that during this period she meets sperm, whose viability lasts on average five days...

I. Rogaleva

1. "Frozen heavens" "We are all saved in hope" (Rom. 8:24) "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life" (Matthew 7:14) Antonina dreamed that winter had come. The gray asphalt disappeared under the snow-white sheet, and the cars parked on the streets turned into snowdrifts. At home they put on white hats, and thick fur coats were thrown over the old, freezing poplar trees. A small child in the yard was rolling down a wooden slide with joyful screams, and older children were playing with snowballs. This was the yard from her childhood, and she herself was a five-year-old baby...

Pregnancy is the most important stage in the life of any mother. The health of the unborn baby depends on preparation for it and its course. To determine the exact duration of pregnancy and childbirth, the date of fertilization is important. There are several ways to determine the date of conception, all that remains is to choose the most optimal one.

How does conception occur?

It is well known that a woman can become pregnant only during the ovulatory period. Directly at these hours, a female cell ready for conception leaves the ovary in the direction of the uterus. The lifespan of an egg is short and rarely exceeds 36 hours, so the chances of spouses conceiving a child during one cycle are negligible. When sperm penetrate the vagina, under the most favorable conditions, a tiny part of them can live there for about a week. That is why the process of conception can occur several days before and on the day of ovulation. How to determine the day of fertilization?

During one sexual act, about 500 million sperm enter the vagina, which modestly accumulate at the posterior vaginal wall next to the cervix. For conception to occur, sperm must reach a mature egg in order to properly fertilize it. To do this, the sperm has a rather difficult path ahead:

• First it passes 2 cm of the cervical canal;
• Then overcomes 5 cm of the uterine cavity;
• Then his task involves crossing 12 cm of the fallopian tube.

Only after passing the cherished 19 cm does the sperm reach the meeting place - the ampullary section, where the “date” with the egg takes place. It takes the sperm about three hours to overcome this path, and the female body resists this process in every possible way. In fact, the vagina is an aggressive environment for sperm, in which most of them die. While in the vaginal environment, the sperm dies after 2 hours. Therefore, a sufficient number of viable and active sperm is important for fertilization.

Process Features

Many of the sperm cannot reach the egg, becoming entangled in the epithelial layer of the fallopian tubes. But they can wait here for the release of the egg, since they are able to live here for about 5 more days. At the same time, at the meeting point of the sperm and egg, conditions favorable for fertilization are created at 37°C. But getting to the egg is not enough; you also need to break through its defenses. This is also taken into account by nature, therefore, in the head of each sperm there is a specific enzyme, which dissolves the membrane membrane of the egg. When one sperm manages to fertilize a female cell, the composition of its shell changes so that no more sperm can get inside and die within 48 hours.

The egg enters the uterus approximately on the fourth day after fertilization has occurred. It takes another three days for attachment, after which conception can be considered accomplished. It is at this time that human chorionic gonadotropin begins to actively enter the blood, which is determined by express pregnancy tests.

When did conception take place?

To determine the day of conception, you need to accurately calculate the ovulatory period, then compare it with the date on which unprotected sexual intercourse occurred. Typically, conception occurs in the middle of the female cycle. Therefore, if the cycle of menstruation is 28 days, you need to count 14 days from their beginning. During this period, the ovulatory process and conception occur. When making calculations, it is necessary to take into account that sperm can fertilize a female cell only within one and a half days, but the vitality of sperm can last up to 5 days (for some, up to a week). Therefore, even knowing the date of sexual contact that occurred, you should not expect that it will coincide in date with conception.

There are two types of gestation periods - true or obstetric. The true or specific period is counted from the ovulatory period and the moment of fertilization. It usually lags behind the obstetric one by about half a month. The obstetric period can be calculated based on and comparing certain factors such as the beginning of maturation of the female reproductive cell, the formation of the fertilized egg and the formation of the fetus. This calculation starts from the date of your last menstrual bleeding.

Proven methods for calculating dates

There are other proven methods for determining conception. At a gynecological appointment, after confirming the fact of pregnancy, the obstetrician asks each woman in detail when her last period began, the duration of the cycle and other information of this kind. Some doctors, in order to determine the exact date of conception, rely on the period of menstrual delay, although the main starting point is still the day the period begins. Therefore, women are recommended to keep a women's calendar, in which all information regarding the beginning and end of menstruation must be entered. There are several proven options for finding out the date of conception.

1. With the help of a gynecologist. This period and date of fertilization will be very relative; in order to more accurately determine the date of conception of the child, additional examinations and medical calculations must be carried out.
2. Calculate the due date using the last monthly period. This is a fairly common technique, but it is applicable only in the case when the cycle is always the same, does not float or get confused, and your period always comes on a certain day. In cases where the cycle is constantly shifting to decreasing or increasing days, it will be quite difficult to calculate when exactly delivery will occur.
3. When registering, each woman is sent for ultrasound diagnostics, where the date of conception and gestation period are determined. The ultrasound method is the most reliable, but such a study can only show the presence of pregnancy at 5-7 weeks, and not earlier. But you can find out when the baby is due to be born using ultrasound diagnostics in the period of 9-16 weeks. If the fetus develops with deviations (too large or small), then the ultrasound may give erroneous calculations.

These methods are used by gynecologists to identify the exact day of conception and determine the timing of fetal development. In the process of calculations, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the mother’s body, the presence of possible deviations in fetal development, etc. Also, one should not discount the fact that the newborn will show activity to be born a little earlier than the calculated period, or, conversely, will linger in the mother’s womb for a while longer for a week.

Calculator

So, in order to determine when conception occurred, it is necessary to have information about two dates: the first day of the last menstruation and the days when there were sexual intercourse without contraception. It is recommended to write down these dates, because, as practice shows, they are forgotten quite quickly, and already at a gynecological appointment it is difficult for a woman to remember when the last bleeding occurred. How to find out the desired date, knowing the above numbers?

Normally, the duration of gestation is 280 days from the date of conception. This is 10 months or 40 weeks. So, you know the start date of your last period. You need to add exactly 40 weeks to this number. The resulting result will be the number when the baby is expected to arrive.

If you need to determine the date of conception of a child, then everything is simple here too. Ovulation occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. If it lasts 30 days, fertilization will occur on day 15-16. It is a mistake to say that the egg is fertilized on the day of sexual intercourse. Sometimes several days pass between sex and conception, which depends on the degree of maturation of the egg, viability and motility of sperm.

What does knowing the date give?

Knowing when conception occurred is important in order to calculate the time of delivery. In addition, such information will help monitor fetal development. Specific changes occur with the fetus every week; in order to find out whether this is the norm or a deviation, it is necessary to reliably determine the gestation period. This will help monitor the processes of growth and development of the fetus, determine whether the pregnancy is proceeding favorably, etc.

In addition, knowing the exact day of conception, you can find out the exact date of birth, determine the time of the mother’s maternity leave, etc.

Conception period

It has already been noted that even with the exact date of sexual intercourse that led to pregnancy, this day cannot be considered with absolute certainty as the date of conception. Since sperm can reach the female cell for several days, conception can be determined by several days covering the ovulatory period. When patients are interested in how to determine the dates of conception, doctors usually say that conception can take place after sexual intercourse that occurred a few days before the ovulatory period and a couple of days after its end.

In obstetric practice, it is quite rare for births to occur at the appointed time, because a newborn may be born not at 40, but at 42 or 38 weeks, which is not a deviation. Therefore, the preliminary date of birth should be treated as a rough guide.