Fertility and the female

Every month a fertile woman releases an egg and her body prepares for a fertilised egg to implant. Her cycle is controlled by hormones secreted by her brain and is most noticeably marked by her ‘period’.

Women have a limited number of eggs within their ovaries and these reduce in number and quality as you get older. Every month the hormone signal from the brain causes a number of eggs to start to grow. Each egg is encased within a special set of cells called the follicle which helps the egg develop and grow. In a normal cycle only one egg will develop to maturity and be released. This is why most naturally occurring pregnancies result in a single baby.

During the time the egg is growing the lining of the womb also starts to thicken. This is a highly specialised environment where the early embryo will attach and implant.

Approximately 14 days after the start of her last period (and therefore 14 days before the next) the woman will release the ripe egg in a process termed ‘ovulation’. This is therefore the best time to have intercourse and try for a baby.

The egg then enters the fallopian tubes and for about 24 hours remains at a stage in which it may be fertilised. If the egg is fertilised it will begin to develop into an embryo as it passes down the tube. Between five and nine days later the embryo will reach the womb and implant.

If the egg has not fertilised, or the embryo does not implant, then the woman will have her normal monthly ‘period’. This is where all the extra lining of the womb prepared for the embryo breaks down and is lost in a process that seems similar to bleeding.

Different problems can occur at any of these stages from ovulation not occurring, through blocked tubes to problems with the womb lining. All of these will be assessed before and during your clinical treatment.