Some women don’t get pregnant simply because they are unaware of the way their cycles work. A common myth is that women become pregnant on the day or near the day that their period starts. In reality, a woman is fertile about half way between her the first day of menstruation and the day before the day menstruation begins.

There are three ways to keep track of fertility. Combining all three is the most efficient way to determine fertility.

1.    Track cycles
2.    Track symptoms
3.    Track basal temperature

MENSTRUAL CYCLE

Simply keeping track of your menstrual cycle will help you to determine the approximate time that you ovulate. About 10-14 days BEFORE the first day of menstruation will be about the time that ovulation occurs. If intercourse occurs a few days before ovulation, pregnancy can still occur because sperm can live a few days. The egg lasts a brief amount of time and sperm would need to be present within about 24 hours after ovulation.

The fertilized egg takes 10-14 days to travel down the fallopian tubes to the uterus. This is when implantation in the uterus occurs. If the egg is not fertilized or the uterus is hostile towards implantation due to disease or birth control, the egg is expelled and menstruation begins.

OVULATION SYMPTOMS

Ovulation may be as obvious as a brief sharp pain on the side of the ovary that is producing the egg to almost no symptoms. Some common signs that ovulation is occurring would be an increase in sex drive and a change in cervical mucus. Some women notice an increased discharge that can resemble raw egg white in consistency. This makes for an optimal medium for sperm to live and travel up to the ovary. Douching should be avoided during this time, because without the mucus, sperm cannot survive long enough to fertilize an egg.

The cervix will become soft, move up, and slightly open when ovulation is occurring and a woman is most fertile.

BASAL TEMPERATURE

A basal thermometer is a more detailed thermometer than a thermometer used to detect a fever. A basal thermometer should not be used if there is a fever because it cannot raise that high and the thermometer may become damaged.
At the time of ovulation, the basal temperature will spike and remain raised until the day of menstruation. At the time of menstruation, the temperature will drop back to a “normal” level.

Charting the cycles, symptoms, and temperature will show a pattern after a few months of charting. The time from the first day of the cycle to ovulation may vary, but the time from ovulation to the first day of menstruation will be pretty consistent. Once a woman sees a pattern in the time she ovulates she can increase her chances of becoming pregnant by having intercourse as close to predicted ovulation as possible.