Understanding Your Chances of Pregnancy

For some people, pregnancy is an important part of life.  They want to receive the gift of children and to raise a family with great values.  Other people would rather wait until they are financially stable before having children. 

With either circumstance, whether you want to wait or would rather have a child now, you first need to know your chances of pregnancy.  The following are the basics in regards to what makes you pregnant and how you can avoid it if you so choose.

There are certain times in a woman’s cycle when they are more fertile.  This is called ovulation.  You have the biggest chance of becoming pregnant if you have sex during this time.  There are many ways that you can find out if you are ovulating, which is a monthly event.  Some women start an ovulation calendar.  They write down when they had their period.  Then all you do is subtract 12 to 16 days from that first day of your period to know what time of the month you are generally ovulating.  Women are the most fertile at this time and your chances of getting pregnant are much higher.  Another way that women can use the calendar to tell if they are ovulating is to record their daily temperature.  Your body temperature will usually be one half to one degree warmer during this time.  If you track these temperatures for a few months, you can get a good idea of when you are most fertile. 

Another way you can test to see if you are ovulating is use an ovulation testing kit.  These are kits that test your urine to let you know if you are ovulating.  This is a good quick way to get results, especially if you do not have time to chart out your progress in an ovulation calendar. 

Sometimes, you would prefer not to get pregnant, or you want to wait until you feel ready for such a task.  If this is the case, you should learn about your chances of pregnancy as a method of pregnancy prevention.  You can then use the right methods so that you can prevent this event from happening.

The first thing that you must do is have some method of protection.  For instance, condoms are a very popular pregnancy prevention method.  They act as a barrier between the sperm and the vagina.  They are not 100% accurate, but if used correctly, the chances of pregnancy are very slim.  There are other ways to avoid pregnancy as well.  Women can take birth control.  This comes in many forms such as a pill and an injection.  Either of these methods are great if you use them properly. 

There are certain rumors about pregnancy that are not true and can potentially raise your risk.  For example, some people assume that if they pull out before ejaculation, they can avoid pregnancy.  This is just untrue.  It is just better to use condoms or other birth control methods to be safe.  If you are planning any contact with sperm or pre-ejaculate, use birth control.  This is the best way to lower your chances of pregnancy.

While the above methods of pregnancy prevention are good, the only way to completely avoid it is to use abstinence.  Refraining from any sexual activity will ensure that you do not get pregnant. 

Now that you know your chances of pregnancy, you can safely make decisions that work towards your goal.  This applies to women who need to learn when their ovulation period is in order to have children.  This also applies to women who plan to postpone the event.