Main entry(ies)
- menstrual cycle
Secondary entry(ies)
- cycle / menstrual —
Term in context
The term temporary sterility (621-5) is used even in instances where a woman’s inability to conceive is not the result of a pathological condition.Women are said to have sterile periods1 in each menstrual cycle2, because generally conception can occur only during a few days around the time of ovulation3. The period of sterility that extends from conception (602-1) to the return of ovulation after a delivery, which includes pregnancy (602-5) and is influenced by the duration of breastfeeding4, is called the nonsusceptible period5, particularly in mathematical models of reproduction. Temporary sterility is also used to refer to the occurrence of anovulatory cycles6 (i.e., menstrual cycles in which ovulation does not occur) or to abnormal periods of amenorrhea. The sub-fecundity7 of very young women is commonly called adolescent sterility8; it would be better to talk about adolescent sub-fecundity8.
Footnotes
5 The period between delivery and the return of ovulation is often called the period of post-partum sterility.
6 Also called anovular cycles.
