Predicting Ovulation

by Andrew Pacholyk, MS. L.Ac.

As a specialist in the area of fertility, one of the most frequent questions I am asked is, "when is the best time for me to get pregnant?". Your key time is around ovulation. So then the follow up question is, "how can I know when this time occurs?"

Predicting Ovulation

1. Counting Your Days: A cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next period. Remember, the hormone levels are at point zero or neutral for the first three days. Keeping track of the average length of your menstrual cycles is one of the easiest ways to predict ovulation. In a 28-day cycle, for example, ovulation will generally take place between 12 and 15 days. This is the time that a women is most fertile and most likely to get pregnant. Therefore, the best time to have intercourse is between days 10 and 17 of your menstrual cycle. This first phase (Phase 1) should not be shorter than 10 day or longer than 17 days. If too short, the uterine lining does not have enough time to thicken and the egg does not have time to mature. If too long, this means a women's estrogen production is low.

2. Changing Cervical Mucus: As you approach ovulation, your cervical mucus changes in both volume and texture. You are most fertile when your cervical mucus discharge is clear and stretchy, like egg white texture. For conception, have intercourse during each cycle on the days when your cervical mucus (vaginal discharge) feels elastic, wet and slippery.

3. Cervix Changes: When levels of estrogen are heightened, as they are around ovulation, the cervix will become more pliable, soft and change positions upward away from the vagina. The cervical opening will also become wider. To check the position of the cervix, reach into the vaginal canal with your finger. The tip of the finger will touch the tip of the cervix. Note any subtle changes that vary before and after ovulation.

4. Lower Abdominal Discomfort: Some women may experience mild aches and pain in the lower abdominal area. Referred to as mittelschmerz (a German word meaning "middle pain"), abdominal pain can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and is a sign that ovulation is occurring.

5. Body Temperature Increase: This change in temperature occurs because of the release of the egg and the production of hormones that accompany it. While this temperature is too slight to be felt, it can be measured using a body temperature thermometer.

6. Ovulation Timing Self-Test: An ovulation predictor kit is an option in predicting ovulation. A positive result means that your hormone levels are high, signaling that ovulation will occur within 12 to 48 hours.


Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac
http://www.peacefulmind.com/infertility.htm
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