Healthy sperm and eggs are both prerequisites for the conception of a healthy baby. Some data show that nearly 70% of mothers and fathers who are ready to get pregnant have no knowledge of sperm and eggs, let alone the mastery of ovulation. In fact, to improve the conception rate, calculating the female ovulation period is the key first step. Physiological characteristics of male sperm vs. female egg Sperm are produced by the testes of mature males, and it generally takes 64 days from spermatogonia to mature sperm, which undergoes seven divisions. Each mature sperm includes X-containing chromosomes and Y-containing chromosomes. There is essentially no upper limit to a man’s sperm production capacity, with sperm concentrations ranging from 20 million to over 100 million per milliliter in each ejaculate. After entering the female reproductive tract following ejaculation, sperm have a life span of 1-3 days and slowly lose their ability to conceive if they do not meet with an egg. However, it has been shown that fresh sperm, when frozen, can be preserved for a long time without losing the ability to fertilize. Eggs are produced by the ovaries, the largest cells in the body, and mature follicles are about 18 mm in diameter. each female baby is born with up to 450,000 eggs in her uterus, but many die almost directly at delivery, and the remaining eggs decrease regularly as a woman ages. Approximately 400 eggs are released during the years that a woman remains fertile. This is generally the period of time from the onset of a woman’s menarche until she reaches menopause. The egg princess, waiting for the sperm prince for 48 hours A woman ovulates once a month during her normal reproductive life, with ovulation taking place approximately 12-16 days before her next period. Generally, women ovulate only one egg at a time, but there are exceptions to this rule. In a few cases, the left and right ovaries, which are supposed to ovulate alternately, expel two or more eggs at the same time. At this point, if both eggs are able to successfully unite with the sperm, what we often refer to as dizygotic twins will occur. A normal egg has a 48-hour survival period after discharge, and fertilization is strongest within 24 hours after discharge. Although sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract for 2-3 days, the further away from ovulation, the less chance a woman has of conceiving. Therefore, parents-to-be are most likely to conceive if they have sex during ovulation, and the egg and sperm must meet and unite within 48 hours of the egg’s discharge. If the egg is not able to meet the sperm to form a fertilized egg for various reasons, it will die after 48-72 hours, resulting in a failure to conceive and you will have to wait for the next ovulation period. Prepare for the arrival of sperm Since ovulation in women is cyclical, and sperm production is relatively easier. Therefore, counting the right ovulation date and ensuring that the sperm arrive when the eggs are at their freshest and healthiest is a prerequisite for conceiving a healthy embryo. Choosing the day of ovulation to have intercourse is one of the keys to increase the rate of conception. So, how do women who are ready to get pregnant calculate their ovulation date? Simply put, if a woman’s menstrual cycle is 28 days, ovulation takes place on the fourteenth day of her period; if the menstrual cycle is longer, ovulation will be pushed back accordingly. The accuracy of using this algorithm to calculate ovulation and safety period is relatively low. To calculate ovulation accurately, women are generally required to test their basal body temperature early in the morning every day and then keep a good record. This is because a woman’s body temperature will rise by 0.3-0.5 degrees Celsius after ovulation due to the action of the corpus luteum. At the same time, because the secretion of female hormones reaches its peak before ovulation, the leucorrhea will increase and become thin, resembling egg white. Based on these changes, women can accurately calculate their ovulation day. If you choose to have intercourse around the day of ovulation, you will naturally be able to have a healthy baby in one go.