What are the safe days in a woman's menstrual cycle?
Disease description:
Doctor, my wife and I don't want to have children so soon. I heard that calculating the safe period can be used for contraception. I would like to know exactly which days are considered safe for women. I want to learn this together with my wife to see whether this contraceptive method is suitable for us.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
A woman's safe period is divided into the pre-ovulatory safe period and the post-ovulatory safe period. Generally, a healthy woman of childbearing age ovulates once each month, with ovulation typically occurring approximately 14 days before the next menstrual period.
The pre-ovulatory safe period starts from the day menstruation ends and lasts until the day before ovulation. The post-ovulatory safe period begins on the day of ovulation and continues until the day before the next menstrual period. For example, if a woman's menstrual cycle is 30 days long, and her current period starts on the 1st and ends on the 7th, her next period is expected around the 31st, with ovulation likely occurring around the 17th. In this case, the pre-ovulatory safe period would be approximately from the 8th to the 16th, and the post-ovulatory safe period would be roughly from the 18th to the 30th.
However, relying on the safe period for contraception is not highly reliable. A woman's time of ovulation can be affected by various factors, such as emotions, stress, and changes in living environment, which may cause ovulation to occur earlier or later than expected, or even result in additional ovulations. Therefore, relying solely on the safe period for birth control still carries a risk of unintended pregnancy. If pregnancy is not desired, it is recommended to choose more reliable contraceptive methods, such as using condoms, taking oral short-acting contraceptive pills, or inserting an intrauterine device (IUD), among others.
