How to Track your Fertility when you’re Trying to Conceive

There are several factors to take into consideration when trying to conceive, and understanding these factors will help make your pregnancy planning all the more effective.

 The first is cervical mucus. Cervical mucus changes in texture throughout the days leading up to ovulation, and it is important to understand how these changes affect your fertility, and window of conception. A few days before ovulation, cervical mucus is generally white and sticky. (It can be stretched from thumb to middle finger easily.) After a few days, the mucus becomes wetter and more slippery, and it is right around this time that ovulation should occur.

 Tracking your Basal body temperature is another way to check when you’re likely to be ovulating and ready for conception. Your body is in a “basal” state when you wake each morning, so take your temperature at the same time each morning to determine your basal body temperature. When taking your temperature during your first menstrual cycle this temperature reading should remain the same for the first weeks of your cycle and through ovulation also. Once ovulation has occurred, progesterone is released and your temperature reading will rise until menstruation commences. Check this for a few monthly cycles and you will begin to notice a very definite and scheduled pattern which will help predict your ovulation, and furthermore your window of conception, more effectively.

Using both the basal body temperature and ovulation tracking methods together will increase your awareness of when you are most fertile and therefore able to successfully conceive.

Whilst charting both temperature changes and mucus changes may seem a little daunting and a bit strange, it can greatly improve your chances of successful conception. Working together to understand fertility on such an intimate level can also greatly strengthen a couple’s relationship as they embark on their journey towards parenthood.