A woman gets pregnant by a man through a process that begins with sexual intercourse. During intercourse, the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina, and semen containing sperm is ejaculated into or near the vagina. The sperm then swim through the cervix and uterus into the fallopian tubes. If an egg has been released from the woman's ovary (ovulation), sperm can meet and fertilize the egg in the fallopian tube. The fertilized egg (now called a zygote) travels to the uterus and implants into the uterine lining, starting the pregnancy.
Key Steps in Getting Pregnant
- Ovulation: The woman's ovary releases a mature egg approximately midway through her menstrual cycle.
- Sexual intercourse: Sperm are ejaculated into the vagina.
- Sperm transport: Sperm swim through the cervix and uterus to reach the fallopian tube.
- Fertilization: One sperm penetrates and fertilizes the egg.
- Implantation: The fertilized egg moves to the uterus and embeds itself in the uterine lining.
Timing for Pregnancy
Pregnancy is most likely if intercourse occurs during the woman's fertile window, which is about five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. Sperm can survive in the woman's reproductive tract for up to five to seven days, so intercourse days before ovulation can still result in pregnancy. This process generally takes place naturally during vaginal intercourse, but can also occur via assisted reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization, where sperm fertilizes the egg outside the body before implantation. In summary, pregnancy happens when a sperm fertilizes an egg inside the woman's fallopian tube and the resulting fertilized egg implants in the uterus.
