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How do I track my ovulation cycle to get pregnant?

The process of ovulation involves the release of an egg from your ovaries. You are potentially fertile from the five days prior to ovulation and the actual day of ovulation; but if you have sex from Day 4 to Day 6 of this fertile window your chances of getting pregnant are extremely high.

How do you track your ovulation cycle?

If you have a regular menstrual cycle, it becomes easy to track your ovulation. There are multiple ways of doing this – using an ovulation calendar, ovulation predictor kit, an ovulation calculator or watching out for ovulation symptoms. If you are tracking your cycle to fall pregnant, check out our article on the 12 things to do when trying to fall pregnant to get an overview.

1. Ovulation Calendar and Calculator

If your menstrual cycle is regular, that is you get your period for a certain number of days each time you can estimate your ovulation day 14 days before you expect your next period. Your fertile window is 6 days, 5 days preceding the day of ovulation and the day of ovulation. So if Day 1 is your period and Day 28 is your second period, Day 14 is the day of ovulation and Day 9 to Day 14 will be your fertile window. Your most fertile period of these 6 days is the last 3 days of your fertile window.

However, this method is not fool proof as only 10% ovulated on Day 14, so it is very easy to miss your fertile window. You may use an Ovulation calculator, it follows the calendar method by back calculating 14 days from Day 28 and estimating your fertile window as well as due date.

2. Ovulation Predictor Test

An Ovulation predictor test such as this checks the hormone levels which increase right before you are about to ovulate to indicate the fertile period. These are urine and saliva tests and are easily available online or any drugstore. The increase in hormones indicate that the ovaries are going to release an egg.

 

3. Ovulation Symptoms

If you have regular periods you may notice a certain pattern right before you ovulate. This pattern will include changes in cervical mucus, increased body basal temperature, reduced cervical firmness and spotting and cramping at times.

The hormone progesterone increases in the body post ovulation, an increased level of this hormone increases your Body Basal Temperature thus, indicating that you have ovulated. Use a basal thermometer and make sure your body is well rested when you check. Post ovulation till you get your next period, your BBT will go up by 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit. This method is not an indicator of when you are about to ovulate but that you have ovulated hence, this must be observed with other indicators like change in cervix and cervical mucus.

Your cervical mucus will resemble egg whites – stretchy, slippery and clear just before ovulation indicating that you are highly fertile and the chances of intercourse leading to conception are high.

The texture of your cervix becomes soft, open and wet as you are about to ovulate. Post that it goes back to being firm and dry.

If you are looking at conceiving you may have a million questions about when is the right rimeCan you get pregnant 3 days before ovulation, or Can you get pregnant 3 days after ovulation? Can you get pregnant before ovulation or can you get pregnant after ovulation?  Timing is extremely important.  

How often should you have sex during your fertile window?

Ideally you should have sex everyday or every other day, the highest pregnancy rates occur amongst couples who follow this pattern.

You may have heard that certain positions ensure conception, however, scientifically this has not been proven. There is no direct correlation between a sexual position and increasing the odds of conception.

What is the best time within the cycle to fall pregnant?

 

Can you get pregnant 3 days before or 3 days after ovulation? 

If you are looking at conceiving you may have a million questions about when is the right rimeCan you get pregnant 3 days before ovulation? Can you get pregnant 3 days after ovulation? Can you get pregnant before ovulation or can you get pregnant after ovulation?  Timing is extremely important.  

Why is this the most fertile window?

The key to getting pregnant is having sex at the right time – the most fertile time. For those who have regular periods, you need to start having sex three days before ovulation including the day of ovulation. This is the most fertile window because after your ovulation, your egg survives in your fallopian tube for 24 hours and even though sperm stays for up to 5 days, it fertilizes the egg within 3 days of having sex.

What if I have an irregular menstrual cycle?

For those with irregular menstrual cycles, it may be difficult to determine the most fertile period; in that case it is advised to indulge in sexual intercourse during the middle two weeks of the cycle. This ensures that you have healthy sperm your fallopian tubes whenever an egg is released.

Just ensuring the timing is right isn’t enough, you need to be sure that your partner’s semen contains healthy sperm. If you have gone through a dry spell for a long time, it is best that your partner ejaculates in the days before your fertile period. Go through this article which highlights some of the early signs of pregnancy you should look out for.

What if my periods are regular but I am not falling pregnant?

Around 15% of women menstruate but do not ovulate. Tracking your BBT and other symptoms may seem futile in this case. There can be many reasons attributing to this – extreme stress, weight gain or loss or even illness. But don’t worry, there are ways to medically induce ovulation that have been proven to be extremely successful.

Schedule an appointment with your OB/GYN in order to get the best options available for ovulation and eventually a healthy pregnancy

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