Getting pregnant is not always as easy as they make it sound in health class. In fact, many couples find it difficult to conceive a baby because they never learned how to determine the days when a woman is the most fertile. Fortunately, the process of determining a woman's current state of fertility is easy to learn.
Step 1
Check the calendar. The first day a woman begins menstrual bleeding is considered the first day of her cycle. If you have a typical 28 day menstrual cycle, you will usually ovulate around the 14th day. However, the time of ovulation and menstrual cycles themselves can vary greatly. Therefore, according to Medline Plus, doctors generally recommend considering the fertile window to be somewhere between days seven and 20 of the menstrual cycle.
Step 2
Monitor your cervical mucus. A woman's cervical mucus can be an indicator of her state of fertility, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Thick mucus that is white and sticky usually suggests a women is probably not fertile. Clear, stretchy mucus resembling egg-whites, on the other hand, can signal that a women probably is fertile. To check your cervical mucus, examine the mucus left on the toilet paper after wiping yourself from using the bathroom or use your fingers to scoop out the mucus from your vaginal opening.
Step 3
Use an ovulation predictor kit or fertility monitor. To use, urinate on the testing stick and wait for the results to appear. Although you should check the instructions for the proper way to interpret the results for the specific brand you used, most tests will show a positive result by having the test line be as dark or darker than the control line. OPKs and fertility monitors work by detecting a surge in the lutenizing hormone (LH). LH generally surges right before a woman is about to release an egg, so knowing this information can be particularly useful for predicting in advance when a woman is going to be the most fertile.
Step 4
Look for physical signs of ovulation. Women may experience a softening or change of the cervix. Right after menstruation, the cervix is usually low, dry, closed and feels slightly lumpy, according to BabyHopes.com. As you approach ovulation and ovulate, the cervix will be open, high and wet. After ovulation occurs, the cervix gets lower and drier until it returns to the state it was immediately following menstruation.
Breast tenderness or a slight pain or cramping near an ovary can also be signs of ovulation. Not all women will experience these symptoms, but if you do you can use this information to pinpoint the time you are the most fertile.
Step 5
Take your temperature. Charting your basal body temperature can be done to gain further insight to when you typically ovulate and are the most fertile. For this method, take your temperature every day before getting out of bed and record it. As soon as you see three days of temperatures elevated more than 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit above the previous temperatures, this is a sign that you have ovulated, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Charting this information for several months will allow you to see a pattern to your fertility and predict when your temperature will rise.
Tips and Warnings
- Before attempting to conceive a child, it may be useful to make a preconception planning appointment with your doctor.
- If you try unsuccessfully to get pregnant for over a year, it may be wise to consult a doctor to rule out a medical condition interfering with your fertility, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, if you are over 35 years old or suspect fertility issues, you may want to consult a doctor sooner.
