Ovulation, Fertilization and Pregnancy

An ovum develops in a sac called follicle in the ovaries every month during the reproductive age in a woman who menstruates regularly. This sac, which reaches a diameter of about 18-20 cm, cracks on the 14th day coinciding with the day in between two menstruations and the ovum it contains is caught by the tubes. During a sexual intercourse coinciding with this period, one of the sperms discharged into the vagina that succeeds in reaching the tubes pierces the oolemma entering in the ovum and inseminates the ovum. While the inseminated ovum proceeds in the tubes on the one hand, it divides on the other and the embryo is formed. If the embryo reaches the uterine within 5 to 7 days and if homing takes place, pregnancy occurs.

While all these events are taking place, some hormones are secreted from the headquarters of the brain, the ovaries and the inner layer of the uterus and control the physical aspect of the event. The number of hormones secreted is not always the same and changes depending on the ovarian activity on different days of menstruation and thickening of the inner layer of the uterus.

If a couple having a sexual intercourse at least twice a week has not fallen pregnant at the end of one year without using any birth control methods, BARRENNESS (infertility) is in question. About 15% of married couples in our country and all over the world face this problem. Insufficiency in the number and activity of sperms in the man, defects in sperm structure, structural defects relating to the sexual organs in the woman, clogged tubes, ovulation disorder, factors relating to the immune system and endometriosis can be listed among the reasons. Infertility, the reason for which cannot be found out despite all researches, might be in question in some couples.