Your journey to pregnancy: Know your fertile days

We know how you feel. Having a baby is a deep desire for many of us. In this blog post, we’d love to show you how you can get closer to your dream of pregnancy by determining your fertile days.

It’s so important to know your fertile days if you’re hoping to get pregnant! These days mark the period in your menstrual cycle when the chances of conception are highest. If you know these days exactly you can give yourself the best chance of getting pregnant.

There are lots of different ways you can find out when your fertile days are.

Fertility calendars

The calendar method, also known as the rhythm method, is a natural family planning technique that helps you to estimate your fertile days based on how regular and long your menstrual cycle is. So, how do you use this method to determine your fertile days?

Start by recording the first day of each menstrual period (the first day of bleeding) for at least 6-12 months. This will help you to track the pattern of your menstrual cycles.

Next, you’ll want to determine the length of your menstrual cycle. Your menstrual cycle length is simply the time between the first day of one period and the first day of the next.

Now it’s time to identify the shortest and longest cycles from the recorded data.

From these, you can calculate your fertile window. To find the first fertile day, simply subtract 18 from the length of your shortest cycle. Let’s say the shortest cycle is 26 days. 26 minus 18 is 8, so the first fertile day is the 8th day of the cycle! Now, to find the last fertile day, just subtract 11 from the length of the longest cycle. Let’s say your longest cycle is 30 days. 30 – 11 = 19. So, the last fertile day is the 19th day of the cycle.

This method is perfect for you if you have a regular menstrual cycle. Just a heads-up, this method might not be as reliable for women with irregular cycles. Even women with regular cycles can experience the odd blip due to stress, illness, or other factors.

Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Method

The BBT method is a great way to track the slight changes in body temperature that occur after ovulation. Here is a step-by-step guide:

Start by purchasing a basal thermometer. A basal thermometer is a little more sensitive than a regular one and can measure temperature to a more precise degree. Now take your temperature regularly. Make sure you do this every morning at the same time, before you get out of bed. Record the temperature each day on a chart or in a fertility tracking app. This way you can learn your temperature pattern. Before ovulation, your basal body temperature (BBT) typically ranges from about 97.0 to 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit (or 36.1 to 36.5 degrees Celsius). After ovulation, your body is busy preparing for the next stage of your cycle. The hormone progesterone causes your BBT to rise slightly (about 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit or 0.3 to 0.6 degrees Celsius) and stay elevated until your next menstrual period.

Your fertile window is the few days leading up to the temperature rise and the day of the temperature rise.

Cervical Mucus Method

The cervical mucus method is a way to track your fertile window by observing changes in cervical mucus throughout the menstrual cycle. Here’s how you can use this method:

Check your cervical mucus every day, if you can, at the same time. You can do this by wiping with toilet paper or using clean fingers. Track the quantity, consistency, colour, and feel of the mucus on a chart or in a fertility tracking app. It’s really helpful to understand your mucus patterns. After your period there is usually no mucus at all.  Before ovulation, you’ll find your mucus is sticky, thick, or creamy.  Just before ovulation, you’ll notice an egg white-like, clear, stretchy, and slippery mucus (which is the most fertile).  Once your egg has been released, the mucus will start to thicken again or even disappear. Your most fertile period is when your mucus will be clear, stretchy, and slippery, resembling raw egg whites. This type of mucus is really helpful for sperm, as it helps them swim and survive in the reproductive tract.

Ovulation Tests

Ovulation tests, also known as ovulation predictor kits (OPKs), are a another great way to find out when you’re most likely to ovulate. They work by detecting the surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) that occurs just before ovulation. During a woman’s menstrual cycle, various hormones rise and fall to regulate it all. LH is one of these hormones and plays a really important role in triggering ovulation. Did you know that a surge in LH levels occurs approximately 24 to 36 hours before ovulation? And it’s this surge that ovulation tests are designed to detect. The antibodies in ovulation tests react with LH in the urine.

The test strips are easy to use. You just dip them into a urine sample and the results are displayed either by lines to show the presence of LH (one control line to show the test is working and a test line that changes intensity based on LH levels) or by a digital reader. The digital reader is really cool because it displays a clear result, often a smiley face or another symbol, when the LH surge is detected!

If you want to use ovulation tests, it makes sense to use them around the time you expect your ovulation based on your menstrual calendar (see above). If  you have a 28-day cycle, you might start testing around day 11 (counting the first day of your period as day 1). It’s best to test at the same time each day, and if you can, in the afternoon when LH levels are typically highest. Collect your urine sample in a clean, dry container and dip the test strip into it, or urinate directly onto the test stick. Just make sure you do it depending on the type of test you’re doing. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully regarding how long to dip the strip or hold the stick in the urine, and how long to wait for the result. For test strips, simply compare the test line to the control line. If the test line is as dark or darker than the control line, it means that the LH surge has been detected! For digital tests, just read the result that pops up on the screen!

Combining Methods

Many women find it really helpful to combine a few different methods. For example, some women find it useful to use both the BBT and cervical mucus methods to get a more accurate picture of their fertile days. This combined approach is often called the symptothermal method, which is a lovely way of putting it!

Finally, just a little reminder that timing isn’t everything! There are lots of other things that can affect your chances of getting pregnant too.

It’s really important to look after your own health and that of your future child. Make sure you get enough exercise and avoid alcohol and nicotine. Taking folic acid supplements is a great way to prevent foetal malformations.

So, be patient and kind to yourself and your partner.

And finally, it’s always a good idea to chat with your doctor if you’re having trouble conceiving. They can help you identify and treat any underlying health issues early on.

Best wishes, your Fertilovit Fertility Team 🤗