How long after ovulation are you fertile?

[Greeneyesbigbottom]

I know, I should know this, being TTC forever and google everything! Hope this makes sense

I have previously used the CBFM which showed Peak days on CD15/16 or CD16/17 (think I was often wrong with when CD1 actually was!!!) and after a few months I began to recognise my symptoms and especially very sore/tender boobs straight after ovulation.

Today (CD17) I have very sore/tender boobs.
Q. How long am I fertile?

We DTD last night, missed the two nights before, but managed it 3 nights before that. What are the chances? Do I need to pounce on him when I get home tonight also????

I read recently that once you've ovulated your chances are much slimmer. So the 2 x dtd will have been much more useful.

However, one more's not going to harm is it?

I agree with buttonmoon, that AFTER ov is not as good as BEFORE ov. The egg stays alive for 12 hours max, but for best chances you want the sperm to be ready and waiting and fertilise it straight away so it has better chances of implanting.

How soon before ov you do it will depend on how good a quality your cervical fluid is. When its at its best it will nourish and keep sperm alive for 5 days, but at worst they will only live 2 hours!

Having said all that, you should definitely do "one more for luck" because you cant be 100% sure you have ovulated and even if you have sometimes, rarely a second egg is released too. So go for it!