Fertility Cycle Symptoms

If you're trying to get pregnant or avoid pregnancy using natural methods, you'll need to be well acquainted with your body's fertility cycle. Knowing when you're fertile is the first step. During the course of your fertility cycle, certain changes take place to your cervical mucus, body temperature and cervical position. Tracking these changes on a regular basis and learning to look for them through your daily routine will keep you in sync with your fertile days and help you make choices about when to have and when to avoid intercourse or insemination.

Beginning of the Cycle

Your cervical mucus, cervical position, menstruation and basal body temperature are the symptoms you use to detect your fertility. These change throughout the fertility cycle. The first day of your new menstrual cycle is marked by the biggest and obvious symptom of all: menstruation. This is followed a relatively dry period. During this time you usually won't experience much cervical mucus. If you check the position of your cervix, it will be low and closed and it will feel firmer, like cartilage. Your basal body temperature should remain relatively even, usually at around 96 or 97 degrees. As you move toward the center of your cycle, you will begin to experience an increase in cervical mucus. Usually around day 10, you will begin to see cloudy or even thick, white discharge.

Ovulation

At the center point of most women's fertility cycles is ovulation. Ovulation is the key element to detect because it is the only time during the menstrual cycle when a woman can become pregnant. There are several symptoms to look for to determine this time frame. Cervical mucus increases and becomes clear and sticky. It often pulls away from your fingers in in strands and is referred to as "egg white" discharge. The cervix is high up, open and at its softest point. Your body temperature will also spike at this time. You will usually notice an increase of around one degree if you're charting your basal body temperature. The day you see this increase is the day you ovulate, or release an egg. You may begin to feel physical symptoms like breast tenderness, fatigue or a mild cramping sensation. Many women experience increased libido around this time as well.

End of Cycle

After ovulation, the symptoms return to their pre-ovulation state. The cervix closes up and gets firmer. Its position is high and tight. Cervical mucus tapers off until you enter another dry period that will stay with you until menstruation. Your basal temperature is back to normal, having only risen for ovulation. Before menstruation many women experience symptoms like headache, backache, mood swings, bloating or cramps due to hormonal changes that signal your period to start.