Your Window of Fertility

Understanding your cycle is an important task in increasing your odds of conceiving. Your body goes through a series of hormonal changes that begins with the first day of your menstrual period. The dominant hormone during your first phase of your cycle is estrogen. Estrogen develops and matures follicles on the ovaries. Once estrogen reaches it’s peak it triggers the release of luteinizing hormone(LH) that signals the ovaries to release the mature egg into the fallopian tube. Once the egg is released the egg has 24 hours to be fertilized by sperm. After 24 hours the egg begins to deteriorate. The last phase of your cycle is progesterone dominant, important in promoting and maintaining a pregnancy.

Knowing when you are ovulating is extremely important in increasing your odds of conceiving.

Ovulation Signs and Symptoms

Cervical Fluid
Your cervical fluid will change throughout your cycle and will vary from person to person. These are the changes to look out for:

• Immediately after Menstruation (Not Fertile)
  There is little to no cervical mucus and the vagina is considered dry
• 0-2 days after menstruation is finished (Possibly Fertile)
  There is a small amount of cervical fluid that is sticky or pasty in texture
• 2-4 days after menstruation (Possibly Fertile)
  There is a creamy cold cervical fluid
• Before ovulation (Most Fertile)
  There is egg white, clear, wet and slippery fluid. This cervical fluid is the most fertile substance for semen.
• After Ovulation
  The vagina dries up and there is no more cervical fluid present.

Ovulation from basal body temperature
Your basal body temperature is the temperature that is taken when your body is at rest. The best time to take this temperature is in the morning after at least 3 hours of sleep and before you get up. You can purchase special thermometers from your local drug store.

Chart your BBT from the first day of your cycle (first day of your menstrual period). Your temperature will fluctuate slightly at a lower body temperature. Ovulation typically occurs on the last day of your lower temperatures. Once you have ovulated the temperature will rise and remain higher until your next cycle begins or will remain high through pregnancy.
The rise in temperature is usually about 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.2 degrees Celsius, but the rise may be as slight as 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.1 degrees Celsius or even less in some cases.

Ovulation Detecting Kits
The ovulation kits that you purchase from your drug store, tests for luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine. LH is a hormone that peaks 12-24 hours prior to ovulation.
Ensure that you use the ovulation detectors in addition to observing other symptoms to determine your fertile window.

Your Window for Conception
You are most fertile 2-3 days prior to ovulation and the day of ovulation. You should time intercourse the day of ovulation and the few days leading up to ovulation. Sperm can survive for up to 3 days, especially in the abundant cervical fluid leading up to ovulation.

Implantation
After ovulation the fertilized egg can take 5-10 days to implant into the uterine wall. While some women may feel nothing at all, others can feel a mild cramping or sensation in the lower abdomen during this time. Light spotting can also be a normal sign of implantation.

Pregnancy
Home pregnancy tests should be taken 15 days after ovulation. This is usually when human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) levels are high enough to show up in your urine. HCG is produced by the developing baby. Your doctor can take a blood test that can detect a pregnancy 10 days after ovulation. If you have taken a home pregnancy test that is positive, it is still advisable to follow up with your family physician or primary healthcare provider such as your obstetrician or midwife, to confirm a positive test result and monitor your pregnancy.