Copyright 2006 Power Marketing, Inc.Being aware of your menstrual cycle and the changes in your
body that happen during this time can be key to helping you
plan a pregnancy, or avoid pregnancy. During the menstrual
cycle (average 28 days), there are two parts: before
ovulation and after ovulation.
Day 1 starts with the first day of your period. Usually by
Day 7, a woman's eggs prepare to be fertilized by sperm.
Between Day 7 and 11, the lining of the uterus begins
thickening, waiting for a fertilized egg to implant there.
Around Day 14 , hormones cause the egg that is most ripe to
be released, a process called ovulation. The egg travels
down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. If a sperm
unites with the egg here, the egg will attach to the lining
of the uterus, and pregnancy occurs.
If the egg is not fertilized, it will break apart. Around
Day 25 when hormone levels drop, it will be shed from the
body with the lining of the uterus as a menstrual period.
The first part of the menstrual cycle is different in every
woman, varying from 13 to 20 days long. This is the most
important part of the cycle to learn about, since this is
when ovulation and pregnancy occurs. After ovulation, every
woman (unless she has a health problem that affects her
periods) will have a period within 14 to 16 days.
Charting Your Fertility Pattern
Knowing when you're most fertile will help you plan for
your pregnancy. There are three ways you can keep track of
your fertile times.
They are:
Tracking Basal body temperature - Basal body temperature
(BBT) is your temperature at rest as soon as you awake in
the morning. A woman's BBT rises slightly with ovulation.
So by recording this temperature daily for several months
you'll be able to predict your most fertile days.
BBT differs slightly from woman to woman. Anywhere from 96
to 98 degrees is average before ovulation. After ovulation
most women have a temperature between 97 and 99 degrees.
The rise in temperature can be a sudden jump or a gradual
climb over a few days.
Usually a woman's basal body temperature rises by only 0.4
to 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit. To detect this tiny change,
women must use a basal body thermometer. These thermometers
are very sensitive. Most pharmacies sell them for around
$10. You then record your temperature on a special chart.
The rise in temperature doesn't show exactly when the egg
is released. But almost all women have ovulated within
three days after their temperatures spike. Body temperature
stays at the higher level until your period starts.
You are most fertile and most likely to get pregnant:
- two to three days before your temperature hits the
highest point (ovulation), and - 12 to 24 hours after
ovulation.
A man's sperm can live for up to three days in a woman's
body. The sperm can fertilize an egg at any point during
that time. So if you make love a few days before ovulation
you are likely to conceive. Many things can affect BBT. To
get the most accurate chart you should take your
temperature every morning at about the same time.
Things that can alter your temperature include: - drinking
alcohol the night before - smoking cigarettes the night
before - getting a poor night's sleep - having a fever -
doing anything in the morning before you take your
temperature, including going to the bathroom and talking on
the phone.
Using A Fertility Calendar - This involves keeping a
written record of each menstrual cycle on a fertility
calendar. The first day of your period is Day 1. Circle Day
1 on the fertility calendar. Do this for 8-12 months so you
know how many days are in your cycle. The length of your
cycle may vary from month to month. So write down the total
number of days it lasts each time. To find out the first
day when you are most fertile, check your list for the
cycle with the fewest days. Then subtract 18 from that
number. Take this new number and count ahead that many days
on the calendar. Draw an X through this date. The X marks
the first day you're likely to be fertile. To find out the
last day when you are fertile, subtract 11 days from your
longest cycle and draw an X through this date. This method
always should be used with other fertility awareness
methods, especially if your cycles are not always the same
lengths.
Checking Your Cervical Mucus - This involves being aware of
the changes in your cervical mucus throughout the month.
The hormones that control the menstrual cycle also change
the kind and amount of mucus you have before and during
ovulation. Right after your period, there are usually few
days when there is no mucus present or "dry days." As the
egg starts to mature, mucus increases in the vagina,
appears at the vaginal opening, and is white or yellow and
cloudy and sticky. The greatest amount of mucus appears
just before ovulation. During these "wet days" it becomes
clear and slippery, like raw egg whites. Sometimes it can
be stretched apart. This is when you are most fertile.
About four days after the wet days begin the mucus changes
again. There will be much less and it becomes sticky and
cloudy. You might have a few more dry days before your
period returns. Record changes in your mucus in your
fertility calendar. Label the days, "Sticky," "Dry," or
"Wet." You are most fertile at the first sign of wetness
after your period or a day or two before wetness begins.
This method is less reliable for some women. Women who are
breastfeeding, taking hormonal contraceptives, using
feminine hygiene products, have vaginitis or sexually
transmitted diseases, or have had surgery on the cervix
should not rely on this method.
To most effectively track your fertility, use a fertility
calendar to track your Basal Body Temperature and Cervical
Mucus each month.
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Helene Kvist makes it easy to understand what to do to make
your body highly fertile and more likely to conceive and
become pregnant. Learn the essential keys to a successful
pregnancy. To receive the Powerful Pregnancy Report visit:
http://www.my-fertility.com/
