SeasonsSeasons of a Woman's Life
Fertility & Conception
Understanding your fertile window, and calling in a soul.
The body
What science and medicine say
Your fertile window
An egg lives for about 12 to 24 hours after ovulation, but sperm can live for up to five days in fertile cervical fluid. That makes the fertile window about six days: the five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation itself.
Ovulation usually happens about 14 days before your next period, not necessarily on day 14. In a 32-day cycle, that is around day 18.
Signs your body gives you
- Cervical fluid becomes clear, slippery and stretchy (like raw egg white) as ovulation approaches.
- Basal body temperature, taken on waking, rises slightly (about 0.2 to 0.5 °C) after ovulation and stays higher until your period.
Preparing your body
Folic acid (400 µg a day) is recommended from at least one month, ideally three, before trying until week 12 of pregnancy. Stopping smoking, limiting alcohol and seeing a doctor about any medication you take are the most important steps.
Most couples conceive within a year. If you are under 35 and have tried for a year, or over 35 and have tried for six months, or your cycles are very irregular or absent, talk to your doctor.
The soul
The spiritual and traditional view
Calling in a soul
Many traditions speak of the child's soul choosing its mother. Trying to conceive can be a time of tender longing, and of practising trust.
Create a small altar for the soul you are calling: a flower, a candle, a letter of welcome. Sit there in your fertile days, not to control, but to open.
When the waiting is hard
Each bleed can bring grief. Let your Inner Winter hold it. Your worth is never measured by your fertility. You are already whole.
Educational only
- Fertility awareness here is for understanding your body, not for preventing pregnancy.
- Talk to a doctor if you have tried for 12 months (6 months if you are over 35), if your cycles are very irregular or absent, if you have a known condition such as endometriosis or PCOS, or whenever something about your cycle concerns you.
Nourish this season
Open your supplement & herbal guideSacred She offers spiritual and wellness practices, not medical advice or treatment.