Use Fertility Charts To Determine Your Most Fertile Time Of Month
Find Out Your Most Fertile Days In Cycle
Keeping fertility charts is a good method to determine when is a woman fertile. If you are planning to conceive, you need to know when you are ovulating, your most fertile time of the month. There are several methods to help you to know when you are ovulating. The three most popular methods are rthythm or calendar method, the basal body temperature method and the cervical mucus method. You can combine the three methods and use fertility charts to organize and keep track of your body’s natural fertility signals.
Rthythm or Calendar Method
Keep a fertility calendar and record when your menstruation starts and ends for six months. From the calendar, you know when you are ovulating. Most women ovulate approximately 14 days before their next period. If you have longer cycle or shorter cycle, you should adjust accordingly. Once you determine when you are ovulating, you should have sexual intercourse on the days surrounding your most fertile period. This technique is useful but may not very reliable.
Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Method
Take your body temperature every morning before you get out of bed. You can use a BBT thermometer which you can purchase at local drugstore. Record your basal body temperature on a fertility chart or bbt ovulation chart. You can download a fertility chart here or you can easily create one yourself.
Connect the dots to form a graph. You will notice that your temperature is at the lowest when your period starts. Look for a subtle drop in temperature, followed by a rise in temperature. Your temperature should be at least 0.5 degrees higher and stays elevated. The drop in temperature occurs around ovulation and the rise in temperature indicates an increase in progesterone levels.
Try to have sex every other day. If you can’t, at least make sure you have sex on the day when your temperature drops. Studies have shown that most women ovulate after the temperature has risen. So continue to have sex until the temperature has been elevated for at least two days. If your temperature remains elevated for more than 15 days, there is a good chance that you have become pregnant.
The drawback of this technique is that your temperature readings may not be accurate as it can be influenced by factors other than your hormones.
Cervical Mucus Method
Take note of your cervical mucus changes during the month. You may notice that your vaginal area is fairly dry just after menstruation. A few days later, there appears a very thick, cloudy and stick mucus. Just before ovulation, your cervical mucus becomes clearer, more slippery and stretchy. This helps the sperm to get into the uterus. The mucus stays the same for several days until ovulation occurs.
Make sure you have sexual intercourse during this critical period when you are most fertile. After ovulation, your cervical mucus becomes thick, cloudy and sticky again or may disappear and your vaginal area becomes dry. Take note that your cervical mucus may change if you have a vaginal infection or if you are taking certain medications.
Cervix
Your cervix changes at different times of the month. Around ovulation, your cervix feels softer but firm and there is an increase in moisture. It also moves to a lower and more central position. You can locate your cervix by inserting your clean finger into your vagina until you feel a firm bump.
You can combine the above methods by keeping daily records of your body’s natural fertility signals on fertility charts. These fertility charts can help you to keep track of your fertility cycles and figure out when ovulation occurs.
