Charting: An Introduction to Charting your Fertility
Have you and your partner decided to try and conceive? Congratulations! This is such an exciting time in your life, but it can also be a very confusing one. As women we spend half of our life time trying not to get pregnant and when the time comes to try for a baby we have no idea where to start!
The first step in starting your journey is to work out your cycles. Believe it or not there are only 3-4 days during your cycle where you are fertile.
It may take a few cycles before you will learn to read all of the signs, so sometimes it’s best to start this before you intend to conceive. This means when the time comes you will know your cycle and have the best chance of conceiving quickly.
Charting your fertility can be as easy as taking note of the first day of your period, the length of your period and the number of days in your cycle. This will give you a good idea on your fertile days and will help you to get to know your cycle.
Signs Of Fertility
Aside from counting cycle days, there are a few other signs you can look out for to give you an indication of your fertile days. These symptoms are not experienced by everyone and they are never a guarantee. However they are a great sign of healthy fertility.
Basal Body Temperature (BBT): Your basal body temperature is your temperature first thing in the morning, as soon as you wake and before you leave bed. It is generally measure with a BBT thermometer and taken in the mouth. These thermometers can be purchased from a chemist of pharmacy.
As you reach your fertile or ovulation days your basal body temperature may have a sudden drop and will slowly increase after ovulation due to a rise in progesterone hormone in your body.
Cervical Mucus (CM): Cervical mucus is a discharge from your vagina. This discharge could indicate infection – yellow or milky white can mean thrush. However a clear “egg white” cervical mucus is an indication of ovulation.
The egg white cervical mucus should be the same texture and the look of uncooked egg whites.
How to chart your cycle
A regular calendar is all you need to record your cycle or you can use an Iphone application or a service such as Fertility Friend. No matter which platform you choose be sure to include the following in your notes:
• First and last day of your cycle
• First and last day of your period – include notes on your flow: spotting, medium, heavy
• Record your cervical mucus – record the days you have egg white cervical mucus
• Record your temperature
• Record the days you have sex
There is a fabulous site called www.FertilityFriend.com where you can record all of this data and update it daily. It is displayed in a really easy to read graph to show your “at a glance” cycle.
Reading The Results
Using a service like Fertility Friend makes reading the results easy, however if you are using a basic recording system you will need to keep a closer eye on your chart.
When your temperature drops or you experience egg white cervical mucus these are generally your most fertile days so sex on these days as well as a day either side will increase your chances of falling pregnant.
Remember this is only a guide and even though you may have textbook signs, sometimes these are not a guarentee you are fertile. If at any stage you have any concerns please talk to your doctor or healthcare professional.
The first step in starting your journey is to work out your cycles. Believe it or not there are only 3-4 days during your cycle where you are fertile.
It may take a few cycles before you will learn to read all of the signs, so sometimes it’s best to start this before you intend to conceive. This means when the time comes you will know your cycle and have the best chance of conceiving quickly.
Charting your fertility can be as easy as taking note of the first day of your period, the length of your period and the number of days in your cycle. This will give you a good idea on your fertile days and will help you to get to know your cycle.
Signs Of Fertility
Aside from counting cycle days, there are a few other signs you can look out for to give you an indication of your fertile days. These symptoms are not experienced by everyone and they are never a guarantee. However they are a great sign of healthy fertility.
Basal Body Temperature (BBT): Your basal body temperature is your temperature first thing in the morning, as soon as you wake and before you leave bed. It is generally measure with a BBT thermometer and taken in the mouth. These thermometers can be purchased from a chemist of pharmacy.
As you reach your fertile or ovulation days your basal body temperature may have a sudden drop and will slowly increase after ovulation due to a rise in progesterone hormone in your body.
Cervical Mucus (CM): Cervical mucus is a discharge from your vagina. This discharge could indicate infection – yellow or milky white can mean thrush. However a clear “egg white” cervical mucus is an indication of ovulation.
The egg white cervical mucus should be the same texture and the look of uncooked egg whites.
How to chart your cycle
A regular calendar is all you need to record your cycle or you can use an Iphone application or a service such as Fertility Friend. No matter which platform you choose be sure to include the following in your notes:
• First and last day of your cycle
• First and last day of your period – include notes on your flow: spotting, medium, heavy
• Record your cervical mucus – record the days you have egg white cervical mucus
• Record your temperature
• Record the days you have sex
There is a fabulous site called www.FertilityFriend.com where you can record all of this data and update it daily. It is displayed in a really easy to read graph to show your “at a glance” cycle.
Reading The Results
Using a service like Fertility Friend makes reading the results easy, however if you are using a basic recording system you will need to keep a closer eye on your chart.
When your temperature drops or you experience egg white cervical mucus these are generally your most fertile days so sex on these days as well as a day either side will increase your chances of falling pregnant.
Remember this is only a guide and even though you may have textbook signs, sometimes these are not a guarentee you are fertile. If at any stage you have any concerns please talk to your doctor or healthcare professional.
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