What is one potential outcome of having sexual intercourse within 72 hours of ovulation?

The potential outcome of having sexual intercourse within 72 hours of ovulation is conception. This period is when the ovum, or egg, is viable and can be fertilized by sperm. Sperm can live inside a woman’s reproductive tract for up to five days, but for fertilization to occur, sperm must meet the egg during this brief window of ovulation. If intercourse takes place during this time frame, especially close to or within 24 hours after ovulation, the likelihood of sperm encountering the egg and leading to fertilization is significantly heightened, which is why conception is the most probable outcome during this time.

Other options, like contraception, are less likely since sexual intercourse within this time is aimed at achieving conception, not preventing it. Metrorrhagia refers to abnormal bleeding and is unrelated to the timing of sexual intercourse in relation to ovulation. Ovulation itself is not an outcome of sexual intercourse but rather the state of the egg being released from the ovary, which must have occurred prior to intercourse for conception to be possible.