Your best chances of getting pregnant are when you’re ovulating. This includes a few days before and after your egg is released. Ovulation generally occurs 14 days before the start of your next menstrual period, but everyone is different, and predicting when you ovulate could get a little tricky.
First, you need to determine when your menstrual period begins. The first day of a menstrual cycle is considered the day that your period starts. The last day of your cycle is the last day before your period starts again. The menstrual cycle is usually around 28 days long, but could be longer or shorter for you. Track your period on a calendar to figure out how long your menstrual cycle is. Ovulation should occur about 14 days before your next period begins.
Accurately predicting ovulation can be a little trickier than figuring out when day 14 is for you. Ovulation can be irregular or it can be affected by diet, stress or illness. There are a few other ways to more accurately predict ovulation. Tracking your basal body temperature is a common way to predict ovulation. Take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed and track the changes. After you ovulate, your body temperature will rise slightly, around a half a degree Fahrenheit. Your body temperature rises to create a more fertile environment for a fertilized egg. Your body temperature should remain elevated from the day after you ovulate until your next period begins due to the increased progesterone in your system.
Another prediction method is the cervical mucus method. Monitoring your cervical mucus levels can help you predict ovulation. This can help you figure out when ovulation is about to happen and increase your chances of getting pregnant. Just before ovulation, your cervical mucus will become thin, clear and slippery. Sperm can live in your body for a few days, so intercourse around this time can increase your chances of having a fertilized egg and achieving pregnancy.
Ovulation prediction kits and tests can be very accurate. When your body is preparing to ovulate, it creates a surge of luteinizing hormone which prompts the ovary to release the egg from the ovarian follicle. Ovulation prediction kits and tests detect the surge of luteinizing hormone and accurately show when ovulation is going to occur. It is very important when using this method to follow the manufacturer’s directions exactly. Unlike pregnancy tests, early morning is not the best time to take and ovulation test. Luteinizing hormone can take until early afternoon to collect in your urine. Take the test at the same time every day for the most accurate interpretation of the results. Like a pregnancy test, you should avoid drinking a lot of liquids for two hours before you take the test, as to not dilute the hormone being detected.
You may need to try different methods while you are attempting to get pregnant. Talk to your doctor about your results and keep track of each method’s results on a calendar. This will help you track your fertility and best figure when ovulation is actually taking place.
About the Author: Eric Daiter is the medical director of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, LLC, a leading NEW JERSEY INFERTILITY CENTER that offers a complete range of MALE INFERTILITY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY TREATMENT. For more information on The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and Dr. Eric Daiter please visit www.drericdaitermd.com.
