Fertility Awareness Method
When having baby is your fondest wish, all you can ever seem to care about is determining your fertile days. Waiting for that one time in each month where you have the best chances to get pregnant may seem like a hit-or-miss thing, but fortunately, there are various ways which you can use in order to determine your ovulation.
Ovulation is the time in a woman's menstrual cycle where a matured egg is released from her ovaries. This matured egg travels down to her fallopian tube where it awaits sperm to fertilize it. Once fertilization happens, the zygote them floats into the uterus where it finds a nice place to burrow and implant itself, thus initiating pregnancy.
The Different Fertility Awareness Methods
Fertility awareness methods rely on detecting when ovulation will take place, which will then tell when the woman is capable of impregnation. There are natural ways to detect these signs, and there are also other methods that you can use as well.
The Calendar/Rhythm Fertility Awareness Method
This is the most common method of keeping track of your menstrual cycle. It benefits women who may or may not have regular cycles, although it is most certainly useful for those with regular cycles.
The first day of a cycle is usually regarded as the first day of menstruation because this is the time when an unfertilized egg is expelled and preparations for another cycle begin. A normal menstrual cycle lasts for 28 days, so counting 14 days backwards will give you the 14th day of the cycle as the day of your ovulation. Many women tend to think that ovulation occurs on the 14th day of their cycle. This is a misconception. Ovulation happens 14 days before the first day of the next cycle. It is important to stress this fact because of the failure of some couples to conceive due to a mere misconception. For those whose cycles last regularly for 30 days, ovulation would then fall on the 16th day. If the cycle lasts only for 20 days, then ovulation would happen on the 6th day of the cycle.
For those with irregular periods, another technique is used. To plan for this, the woman keeps a diary of six menstrual cycles. To calculate for the days of ovulation, she subtracts 18 from the shortest cycle documented. This number represents her first fertile day. She then subtracts 11 from her longest cycle. This represents her last fertile day. The days in between the first fertile day up to the last are the basis as to when ovulation is most likely to occur. It is during these days that intercourse can be planned in order to maximize chances of conception. For optimum chances of conception, intercourse can be done within three days prior and four days after ovulation because sperm is able to survive for up 72 hours, whereas an egg only has a lifespan of 24-32 hours.
Basal Body Temperature Fertility Awareness Method
This method involves monitoring the woman's basal body temperature in order to detect the subtle changes that signal the onset of ovulation. Just before the day of ovulation, a woman's basal body temperature or BBT rises a full degree because of the influence of the hormone progesterone. This higher level is then maintained for the rest of her menstrual cycle. This pattern is the basis of the BBT method.
The woman should be able to take her basal body temperature every morning upon waking up, and before doing anything else. For the rest of the days, she does this, taking note of a slight increase in her usual body temperature. This increase only tells her that ovulation has already taken place at least 24 hours prior to this temperature elevation. This is one problem of relying only on the BBT method. Because it detects ovulation only after it has occurred, there is a possibility that the woman may or may not time trying to get pregnant properly. Also, body temperature can be affected by a number of factors. Taking mediations, undergoing strenuous activities the night before, or even stress can all cause changes in the body temperature which can mislead the woman in thinking she has already ovulated. Because of this, BBT is used in conjunction with other fertility awareness methods as well.
Cervical Mucus Fertility Awareness Method
This method predicts ovulation by assessing for the cervical changes that occur during each woman's menstrual cycle.
The consistency of cervical mucus discharge is usually scant and thick, as ovulation draws near, it become thin, slippery, and copious. This is the perfect time for intercourse to occur as this type of cervical discharge helps facilitate the easy passage of sperm towards the awaiting egg.
Another cervical change that occurs during the time of ovulation is its consistency. Normally, when the woman palpates and feels for her cervix on days after menstruation, it feels firm and closed. However, when ovulation occurs, the cervix feels much softer and more open. Care should be done at all times in order to ensure that the woman does not injure herself during palpation, otherwise an OB-Gyne should be the only one to perform this method. Because this may be cumbersome and risky, not many women prefer this method. Instead, assessing for cervical mucus changes will do.
Ovulation Predictor Kits
Ovulation predictor kits are readily available in most pharmacies or convenience stores. They use the morning's first urine to assess for the surge of luteinizing hormones which signal the onset of ovulation. Such kits have a high rate of accuracy in predicting ovulation and their convenience allows it to be a popular choice among women. Although they are fairly expensive, use of such a kit in place of other methods is currently being preferred.
All these fertility awareness methods have their own pros and cons. In this case, a combination of two or more methods can be preferred in order to obtain a more accurate determination of ovulation.
