Forget what you learned in Grade 9 health class. Yes, a menstrual cycle is generally 28 days but we are not all created equal in this regard. Knowing your menstrual cycle will help you pinpoint the days when you are most fertile. If your cycle is irregular, keep a menstrual calendar and note the following: the day you start your period, the day you finish your period, and any pre-ovulatory symptoms you observe. This will be a helpful resource in deciding when to have sex. If your cycle is a little shorter or longer than 28 days, then your ovulation will also shift accordingly. Keep in mind that stress can delay ovulation or cause you to experience a cycle in which ovulation does not occur. 

 

 

In addition to monitoring the length of your cycles, you can also learn to observe other symptoms of fertility. The quality and quantity of your cervical mucous changes over the course of your cycle. During the early days, your mucous is sticky and opaque. As ovulation approaches, your mucous becomes increasingly wet and slippery. On your most fertile day, it may resemble a raw egg white. Once you ovulate, the mucous changes back to a sticky and opaque consistency. Monitoring your mucous is simple: just take a look at the toilet paper each time you go to the bathroom and record the results on your cycle chart. 

 

The position and feel of your cervix also changes over the course of your menstrual cycle. At the beginning of your cycle, your cervix feels firm, and dips slightly downward into your vagina. As ovulation approaches, it rises and becomes soft and fleshy. At the same time, the opening of the cervix dilates slightly to allow sperm to enter more easily. Monitor the changes in your cervix by inserting your finger. Note the position, feel, and the opening to the cervix (can you insert the tip of your finger inside?) If your cervix feels soft and mushy, you’re likely fertile at the moment. Record this information on your chart.

 

The term “basal body temperature” refers to the temperature of your body when you wake up in the morning, before you get out of bed. The subtle fluctuations of temperature can be used to predict your fertility. The shift in temperature is caused by the production of progesterone, which causes it to go up when you’re ovulating. Right before ovulation, your temperature will likely dip slightly below its usual pre-ovulatory range of 97.0 F to 97.5 F. After you ovulate it will shoot up to 97.6 F to 97.8 F. You can monitor basal body temperature by taking a reading each morning before you get out of bed and plot the results on a graph like this one http://www.womenshealth.gov/Pregnancy/tools/bbt-chart-blank.pdf Be sure to connect each day’s dots with a line to establish an obvious pattern for your basal body temperature.

 

Notes: 

 

*You can purchase a digital thermometer at any drugstore. If you don’t mind paying a little more, you can buy one that’s designed specifically for taking basal body temperature.

 

*If you get out of bed to get your thermometer and chart, this could throw your reading off. Keep your materials beside the bed!

*For more detailed information about monitoring your fertility, a great resource is the book by Toni Weschler entitled: Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control and Pregnancy. (New York: Harper Collins, 1995)

 

-- Sarah Simpson

   sarah@babyontheway.ca

 

Source: 

 

Douglas, Ann. The Mother of All Pregnancy Books. Toronto: Macmillan Canada, 2000.