1. Keep Your Facts Straight
You won't get the most accurate fertile days from your calendar unless you input your facts right. Input the first day of your last menstrual period in the ovulation calendar, then put in your average monthly cycle length. If your cycles don't fall into a regular pattern or you miss periods, this method is not the best predictor. This method might not work at all unless you are a woman with a shorter cycle, usually from 27 to 32 days. If your menstrual cycle runs longer, you may have to use another method of ovulation prediction.
2. Calendar Works Even Better When Combined With Other Prediction Tools
Using the ovulation calendar with other ovulation prediction tools gives you greater chance of success at pregnancy. One thing to try along with the calendar method is checking basal body temperature. Although it might seem like a drag taking your temperature every morning, you get used to it after a while, and it becomes part of your morning ritual. Another thing you might want to try is an ovulation predictor kit. Although these are a bit costly, they give you tests and results similar to a home pregnancy test, which you are probably already very familiar with.
3. It's the Natural Way to Plan a Family
Using an ovulation calendar for natural family planning (NFP), otherwise known as the Billings Method, the Ovulation Method or the Sympto-Thermal Method, involves using the information about when you ovulate to avoid pregnancy. Some women choose this method because they don't want to subject their bodies to the unnatural hormones that "the pill" introduces. Evidence surrounding the connection between breast cancer and hormones is still too vague to concretely connect the two, but some women would just rather not take the chance. For some, the slight increase in chances of pregnancy is better than the alternative. Know that the natural method is not fail safe, but no method except abstinence is.
4. Timing is Everything
For most women, the ovulation calendar places your most fertile time about two weeks after the start of your last menstrual period. For some women this will be accurate; for others it will not. To know your most fertile time, using an ovulation predictor during the time the ovulation calendar indicates gives you the best results for your body. Keep in mind you have approximately a three-day window to get pregnant; before or after this window and you might have to wait till next month.
5. Connect With Others
It's always nice to get a little help when you and your husband are trying for that little bundle of joy. Talking to family and friends about their experiences, especially if you have friends or family who have had difficulty getting pregnant, is a great place to start. Another place to get help is the Ovulation Calendar website (http://www.ovulation-calendar.com/). Here you can download a free preview of their ovulation calendar. Baby Center (http://www.babycenter.com) also has a free ovulation calculator and a message board, so you can connect with other moms who've been there.
