Documenting and Predicting Ovulation to Achieve Pregnancy

So you've decided to "try." What's the best way of getting pregnant? A couple's first and healthiest step on the journey toward pregnancy is taking the time to check in with their preferences and personality types. Will you do best by throwing birth control out the window and just enjoying life until those first pregnancy signs arise? Are you attached to a specific plan and seeking a step-by-step method to reach your goal? Is one partner more information and detail-oriented than the other? If you feel empowered by more information, taking steps toward predicting and documenting ovulation will help you feel supported as you learn more about your body's natural cycle. When couples understand monthly cycles and ovulation, they can work together to achieve or avoid pregnancy. The single most effective way to gain understanding about when a woman's body is releasing eggs is to gather data consistently over time. With just a few minutes each day devoted to observing physical signs and recording information, you and your partner can more accurately pinpoint the time of ovulation. Before you begin recording data, take some time to learn more about the physical indicators of ovulation and how they are measured.

Learn about your cycle length. The broadest physical indicator of ovulation is cycle length. After you have recorded your cycle data for several months (eight or more months of data is optimum, but you may well achieve pregnancy before that time), write down your shortest cycle length and longest cycle length. A cycle begins on the first day of menstruation and ends on the last day before the next menstruation. Subtract 18 from your shortest cycle length and 11 from your longest. This will give you a very broad range of days during which ovulation is likely to occur.

For example, if your shortest cycle is 24 days and your longest is 33, your range numbers would be 6 and 22. Ovulation and optimum fertility occurs sometime between days 6 and 22 of your cycle. You can do much better than this in terms of accuracy, though. Look at additional indicators to find out exactly when during this time you are ovulating.

Observe the quality of cervical mucus. Cervical mucus goes through three main stages during a woman's cycle. Check cervical mucus quality using clean fingers or toilet paper. Immediately after menstruation, mucus will be dry and scant. During the next stage, it will become sticky or tacky, yellow or white in color. Prior to and during ovulation, mucus will have a consistency more like egg white. It will look shiny, feel slippery, and form a string if stretched between thumb and forefinger. After ovulation, the mucus will become dryer again. Knowing when mucus indicates fertility helps you get a better sense of when ovulation has occurred.

Take your temperature daily. A woman's temperature drops just prior to ovulation, then spikes and remains high until the end of the cycle. Take your temperature each day immediately after waking and before getting out of bed. Note that temperature readings can be affected by lack of sleep, alcohol consumption, or stress. When observed in conjunction with other signs of ovulation, though, temperature readings are a very useful indicator of ovulation. See an example of ovulation preceding a temperature spike here: http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-basal-body-temperature-cervical-mucus-chart_7252.bc . Note how the quality of cervical mucus recorded also indicates ovulation.

Check the position of your cervix. Get to know your cervix! The cervix is where the lower part of the uterus meets the vagina. With practice, you'll be able to tell the differences in your cervix during your infertile and fertile phases. Check cervical position by inserting one or two clean fingers in your vagina. When you are infertile, you'll feel the cervix as dry, low and firm, often described as similar to the tip of a nose. Immediately before and during ovulation, it feels moist, high and soft. You'll know that ovulation has occurred once you feel the cervix descending and becoming firm again.

Be aware of other indicators. Record any breast pain or sharp abdominal sensations. Some women notice over time that these indicators coincide with ovulation.

Monitor your saliva. If you're willing to invest about $30-$50 in a mini microscope, you can see how your saliva changes before and during ovulation, forming ferny and crystal-like patterns. See an example of a microscope and images of fertile patterns here: http://www.craigmedical.com/ovulens.htm

Other fertility microscopes are available from:

http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/saliva-ovulation-test.html

http://www.maybemom.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1

Try an ovulation predictor kit. This is another step requiring extra expense, but some couples find it very convenient to monitor yet another indicator of ovulation - increased levels of luteinizing hormone, also known as LH. LH increases around 36 hours before ovulation. Ovulation predictor kits are easily available in any drugstore alongside pregnancy tests, but don't worry if the extra expense puts them beyond your reach. Monitoring and recording all your other signs will give you plenty of information about when ovulation is happening.

Find a charting method. Now that you understand the basic physical indicators of ovulation, find a convenient way to record all your information in one place. Some couples like paper charts, while others prefer to input data online. Check out the following links for free resources.

Printable charts:

http://www.justmommies.com/chart2.pdf

http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/bbt-chart.html

http://www.ovulation-calculator.com/fertility-chart.htm

Online charts:

http://babymed.com/tools/fertility/fertilchart/new.aspx

http://mymonthlycycles.com/tour/onlinetour_intro.html

http://www.menstruation.com.au/periodpages/freechartingsoftware.html

Consulting Professionals

Chances are, charting and understanding ovulation indicators will give you all the information you need to achieve pregnancy. Give yourself time. If you have tried for a year with no successful pregnancy, additional help is widely available from mainstream and alternative professionals. In addition to consulting traditional fertility MDs, couples seeking to achieve pregnancy can also seek assistance from alternative practitioners such as naturopaths, homeopaths, and acupuncturists.

If you need help from a professional, the following resources can help you find the practitioner and mode of treatment best suited to you and your situation:

Registry of fertility professionals - http://www.fertilityproregistry.com/

Naturopathy and fertility - http://www.sharedjourney.com/naturopathy.html

Homeopathy and fertility - http://www.sharedjourney.com/homeopathy.html

Acupuncture and fertility - http://www.pregnancy-info.net/infertility_acupuncture.html

Best of luck to you and your partner as you approach parenthood!

Sources:

Deborah Gaines, "Pros and Cons of Ovulation Prediction Kits (OPKs)", Discovery Health, http://health.discovery.com/centers/pregnancy/americanbaby/opks.html

"Fertility Charting", Ovulation-Calculator.com, http://www.ovulation-calculator.com/cervical-mucus.htm

Tracee Cornforth, "What is the Cervix?", About.com: Women's Health, http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/cevicalconditions/a/cervixwhatis.htm