Get Pregnant Faster By Predicting Your Ovulation
Congratulations on your decision to get pregnant! Trying to conceive (TTC) is an exciting process, but there are some things you should know about ovulation cycles in order to predict your ovulation and maximize your chances of getting pregnant.
The beginning of your cycle starts with the first day of your period. This is also the date that doctors use for predicting your due date if you do get pregnant during that cycle. Controlled by hormones, your body prepares itself for a new cycle by first shedding the uterine lining already built up so far, since it isn’t currently being used to nourish a new embryo.
Ovulation gets triggered by the release of a hormone called the Lutenizing Hormone, often abbreviated as LH. The level of LH increases dramatically previous to ovulation, so most ovulation tests check for ovulation by testing the level of LH in your blood stream via proxies such as urine or saliva, thus the “pee sticks”. An egg then gets released from the ovary 12-24 hours after the LH surge, so monitoring the hormone levels is a good way of predicting when the ovulation will occur.
Another way of predicting your ovulation is through the charting of your basal temperature. This requires a very accurate thermometer, one that can measure your temperature to the hundreds of a degree. For charting to work correctly, you need to take your temperature immediately after you wake, before you start moving and increasing your body temperature that way. Hormonal shifts in your body will reflect in changes in your resting temperature, so if you take your temperature consistently and graph them, you will see trends that give indications of the changes inside your body.
When are you most fertile? Well, the sperm can survive in a woman’s body for up to 3 days, so it is possible for you to get pregnant anytime from 2 days before ovulation occurs until about 3 days later. This means that well-timed sex during those five days can maximize the chances for getting pregnant. During that time the mature egg is traveling on its way from the ovary down to the uterus; too early and the sperm won’t be around when the egg is ripe, too late and your body will be ready to clean house again with the next menstrual period.
There are several difficulties with predicting your ovulation using either ovulation tests or charting. Since ovulation tests only look for the presence of the LH surge, it cannot tell you in advance and you lose the 2 days previous to ovulation where you are still fertile. Charting, on the other hand, can often be complicated, both to accurately record the temperature and to decipher the graphs for signs of hormone changes. An easier modern solution that can tell you of all your fertile days is the Clearblue Fertility Monitor.
Trying to conceive? Make sure you check Jenny Bella’s excellent information on Predict Your Ovulation, and other pregnancy information.
