Fertile Thoughts on Female Fertility

What are your thoughts on the use of birth control?  Do you ever wonder if there is another way rather then the one spouted by drug companies or religious organisations?

In another article, I talked about the journey I made towards my current thinking about birth control. I would like to carry on with the same theme by considering a few key points on fertility in women.  You may or may not know these but I know that a lot of the women I speak to in my local community and also in my role as pharmacist, have never considered some of these issues.

Let's begin...

1. You may not have a cycle of 28 days – It could range from 21 days to 45 days.  28 days could be an average for someone but it may not be for you. 
    
2. Limited Fertility  - Did you realize you can only get pregnant during about 5 days leading up to ovulation, including the day of ovulation? and these days can be predicted if you get to know your body.
   So if you know your cycle, you may well find that there is suddenly a reduced need to run to your health care professional and flood yourself with hormones as you take the emergency pill because of one mishap or the other.  The KEY is to know your cycle.
    
3. Day 14 Ovulation - Did you know this is a bit of a myth?  You may not ovulate slap bang in the middle of your cycle - If you know about ovulation, then you may think that it only occurs on day 14.  This may be true for you but it is more likely not to be as again that is an average and we are all unique. For some ladies, ovulation can occur as early as the 8^th day of her cycle or as late as the 30^th day. 
   It is just like saying the baby WILL come in 9 months. For mothers still waiting at the end of the 42nd week, that prediction can be pretty annoying!
    
4. Some women are not infertile, they miscarry a lot – Some people are treated for the wrong problem.  Not being able to conceive a child when you want one is horrid.  Without knowing your body, it could be made worse as you are treated with drugs to help you ovulate when actually you have no trouble doing that, you either do not time things appropriately or you conceive but lose the baby quickly. Knowing this information may not change the situation you are in but it may help the health care professionals treat you appropriately and quickly.
    
5. Birth control (hormonal or non-hormonal) is a marketed product – It may be marketed as a drug but really it is a non-essential product.  It does not treat a disease; it does not prevent a disease (unless pregnancy is considered one these days).  Think of it like you would a microwave, you would not just buy the first one sold to you.  You would look into it, do a little research, read a review or two and then buy the one that best suits your needs.
   How much more value do you place on yourself?