Monitoring Your Fertility Cycle

For couples trying to get pregnant, paying close attention to the woman’s menstrual cycle is often the first and most important step toward a successful conception. Understanding the fertility cycle of the woman through fertility charting can be extremely helpful for couples. By paying close attention to subtle changes in the woman’s body using fertility monitors or an ovulation calendar and calculator, a couple can predict, to some extent, the best times of the month to try to conceive, increasing their chances of achieving a successful pregnancy.

Ovulation Calculator

Select the first day of your last period to see which days are the most fertile.

An ovulation calculator, or fertility calculator, is very similar to an ovulation calendar in that they both operate on the principle that relatively regular menstrual cycles can be used to predict the most likely time of ovulation. Basically, an ovulation calculator takes the same information that can be gleaned from an ovulation calendar and determines fertility mathematically rather than by charting dates.

An ovulation calculator can also be used to determine approximately when a baby will be born, assuming the date of conception is known. Some ovulation calculators claim to assist with gender selection, which can be affected by timing, though this has been disputed by the New England Journal of Medicine. Those couples trying to avoid unintentional pregnancy may also use a fertility calculator as part of their birth control regimen.

Fertility Charting - Why and How to Chart Your Cycle

Fertility charting is a systematic way for couples to monitor the woman’s fertility cycle. Using an ovulation calendar or calculator, fertility monitors, and a fertility chart, couples can track, with some accuracy, the most likely time for successful conception during the woman’s menstrual cycle. There are many benefits to fertility charting, perhaps the most important being that it improves a couple’s chance of conceiving without having to rely on pharmaceutical or surgical assistance. Ultimately, fertility charting gives couples their greatest opportunity to conceive naturally based on the fertility cycle.

Ovulation Calendar

An ovulation calendar—also called a fertility calendar—is an aid that can be used by those trying to get pregnant. By charting certain information, such as basal body temperature, the length of one's menstrual cycle, and the date of one's last period, the peak of the fertility cycle—the most likely time to conceive—can be calculated. Couples that are trying to conceive can then plan for the most fertile days of the menstrual cycle.

The three main fertility signs are basal body temperature (the temperature of the body immediately following the longest sleep period of the day), cervical mucus, and cervical position. Keeping track of these three signals on a fertility calendar, and noting any patterns or marked changes, will make it easier for a couple to conceive.

Fertility Monitors

A fertility monitor is an electronic device that measures the changes that take place in a woman’s body during ovulation and alerts users when they have the best chance to conceive. There are many different types of fertility monitors, from inexpensive kits that allow patients to monitor subtle changes in the structure of their saliva during ovulation to pricier but easier-to-use devices that electronically monitor estrogen levels in the saliva and vaginal fluids. Fertility monitors can give accurate and immediate readings on the readiness of a body to conceive. Fertility monitors can be used instead of fertility charting or in conjunction as part of a more thorough conception strategy.

Find a Fertility Specialist in Your City

A fertility specialist can help answer some of your questions about your fertility cycle and may conduct fertility testing. He or she can also assist with fertility charting and recommend effective fertility monitors or an ovulation calendar or calculator. Use DocShop to locate a fertility specialist in your area today!