Ovulation occurs as the release of a single, mature egg that comes from a follicle that has developed in the ovary. It usually happens around day 14 of a 28-day menstrual cycle. The egg is then capable of being fertilized for the next 12 to 48 hours before it starts to disintegrate. Although there are several days each month during which a woman is fertile, the most fertile is during the days around ovulation. Having sex at least on alternate days during that week gives you a very good chance of getting pregnant.
If you are trying to conceive, then predicting your ovulation cycle can greatly increase your chances of getting pregnant. The most simple method of predicting ovulation involves just counting days.
When using the counting days method, to pin point ovulation, the first day of your period, when you start bleeding, is normally 14 days after your ovulation. If you have regular cycles, then this method can work well for you.
Sometimes, a more natural method involves being aware of the physical symptoms, which deal with ovulation. These are such things as basal body temperature, cervical mucus changes and others like lower abdominal pains, which are all symptoms of ovulation. The body temperature chart is a daily recording of body temperature, which is an indicator of ovulation (body temperature will rise after ovulation). Cervical mucus monitoring involves examining the mucus that is secreted from the cervix, which enables you to predict the time of ovulation.
The Basal Body Temperature method shows when you are ovulating by you keeping a record of where you are in your menstrual cycle. The Basal Body Temperature chart records the change in temperature that occurs after ovulation. It cannot predict when ovulation will occur in a given cycle, but by looking at records from a few cycles you can notice a pattern from which ovulation can be estimated.
You can download free blank Basal Body Temperature charts from many websites-just do a Google search.
A BBT chart provides a good visual basis for determining ovulation:
* Make sure that day one on the chart is the first day of menstruation.
* Every morning, before getting out of bed or going to the bathroom, take your temperature. The use of special basal body thermometers is highly recommended for accurate results. Also, the same thermometer should be used every time.
* Make note of any lack of sleep, drinking alcohol, fever, illness, or emotional stress. It is also helpful to describe the condition of any mucus or discharge.
Cervical Mucus Monitoring
The presence and consistency of your cervical mucus undergoes a number of changes during your menstrual cycle. By watching for changes in cervical fluid, you can predict ovulation, and thus know your most fertile time for conceiving a baby.
Using clean fingers, or toilet paper, examine your cervical fluid. Prior to ovulation, during non-fertile periods, you will experience more dryness (or lack of cervical mucus). Gradually, as you get nearer to ovulation, the cervical mucus will increase, though the consistency will be “sticky” and the color will be white, yellow, or cloudy in nature.
Directly prior to ovulation, cervical fluid will increase greatly, and now the mucus will be semi-transparent, slippery, with the consistency of “raw egg white”. This is your most fertile period and ovulation will take place at about this time.
If you find that your cervical mucus is not reaching the “raw egg white” stage, you may want to try a lubricant like Pre-Seed. Pre-Seed is the only truly sperm friendly lubricant currently on the market at this time, and many people have found success in getting pregnant while using it.
