The difference between menstrual periods , ovulation and fertility

You have learned in your high school biology classes ( hopefully you were paying attention !) that a fertile woman ovulates regularly, which is why she has regular menstrual cycles, and that the central key event in the menstrual cycle is ovulation – the release of a mature egg from a ripe ovarian follicle, which normally occurs once a month.

If your cycles are irregular , this suggests that you are not ovulating.

This is called anovulation, and you can read more about this at  www.drmalpani.com/knowledge-center/articles/anovulation

 A common reason for this is PCOD ( polycystic ovarian disease) and you can read more at http://www.drmalpani.com/knowledge-center/the-infertile-woman/how-to-manage-your-pcod

Another possible cause could be poor ovarian reserve  and you can read more about this at http://www.drmalpani.com/knowledge-center/the-infertile-woman/oopause

However, you should also remember that just because your cycles are regular does not mean that you are ovulating . For example, some women have LUF, or luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome, where the follicle matures, but the egg remains trapped inside the follicle because it does not rupture.

Also, just because your cycles are regular does not mean that you can assume that your fertility is normal either. As you get older, your ovarian reserve declines, which means the quality of your eggs may be good enough for you to get regular periods, but this does not mean the quality of eggs is good enough for you to be able to have a baby.

The biggest problem, of course, is that you cannot see your ovulation , and all you can see is your menstrual period . This is why women often worry about the quality of their menstrual flow - whether it's black or red ; painful; scanty or heavy; and has clots. However, there is very little correlation between the quality of your menstrual discharge , ovulation, and fertility , so please don't get misled by this.

One of the biggest problems is that there is very little education about human reproduction , as a result of which most women remain completely clueless about the relationship between fertility , ovulation and the menstrual cycle . This is why you need to invest in Information Therapy , so you understand the differences,  and don't end up jumping to the wrong conclusions.

Need help in getting pregnant ? Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/free-second-opinion so that I can guide you !