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WHEN ARE YOU MOST FERTILE. LEARNING ABOUT YOUR FERTILE DAYS
WHEN ARE YOU MOST FERTILE? LEARNING ABOUT YOUR FERTILE DAYS
Introduction
Most married couples conceive late because of the ignorance of one of the major factors of getting pregnant early even though they do not suffer from any form of infertility. This factor is known as CHARTING.
Having deep knowledge of fertile days is very important for couples who are ready to take up the responsibility of starting a full family. To cater for this, a chart with the use of a calendar is used to follow up on the fertile days(a physical calendar or an app designed for this specific purpose can be used to follow up).
Some processes are followed with the use of this calendar to differentiate the fertile days from the non-fertile days. Women are often fertile twelve to fourteen days before their menstrual period. Couples should take advantage of these fertile days to conceive early.
How does charting work?
The process of charting involves;
- Checking the basal body temperature,
- Checking the cervical mucus and
- Checking the cervical position.
These three processes can help to determine the state of fertility and the right time to have sexual intercourse to conceive. The changes observed while following the procedures for charting are the result of hormonal changes in the body.
Checking The Basal Temperature:
The basal temperature is your first body temperature when you wake up in the morning. You should check this temperature before doing anything at all in the morning because, at this point, your body is still very relaxed, and this will help you get a very accurate result.
Throughout your cycle, you get different changes in your body temperature which might signify the right time for conceiving.
During your ovulatory phase, which is the time after your egg is released to the fallopian tubule, your basal temperature is usually higher than the other days in your cycle. Two to three days to the end of your ovulatory phase and the beginning of your menstrual period, your basal temperature decreases signifying the beginning of another cycle.
Women who are trying to conceive should take advantage of the two days before the rise of the basal temperature, as these are the most fertile days in the cycle. If the temperature does not decrease two to three days before your menstrual period, this might signify that a woman is pregnant.
The basal temperature should be checked by the use of a basal thermometer which is more sensitive than the normal thermometers.
Checking The Cervical mucus:
Cervical mucus, also known as cervical fluid is the discharge from the cervix of a woman. Attention should be paid to the texture, volume, and colour of this mucus as it gives a view of the different stages of a woman's cycle.
During the follicular phase, that is the three to four days after your last menstrual flow in a new cycle, you will notice little to no cervical mucus. This stage is also known as the dry phase and you have little to no chance of conception during this phase.
As one moves upwards in the cycle, the hormone estrogen that regulates the production of the mucus begins to build more and with this, more cervical mucus with the texture gradually getting stretchy is produced.
Throughout this ovulatory phase, which is your most fertile phase for conception, clear, stretchy mucus is produced.
Checking The Cervical Position:
The cervical position is another important thing you should know to keep track of your fertile days. The up and down position of the cervix shows the rate of conception at the different stages of your cycle. Although, it is not very well recommended that you should check your cervix position by yourself. Sometimes you can do so by following the right procedures;
- Empty your bladder before you begin. This makes it easier to have access to touching the cervix as a full bladder raises the cervix higher than the normal position that it should be.
- Wash your hands with warm water and antibacterial soap to prevent your body from any kind of infection such as bacteria that your fingers might have been in contact with.
- After that, settle yourself in a position where you feel relaxed to access your cervix. This might be you raising one leg on a stool, squatting or sitting in the most comfortable position to check.
- You might want to put a mirror in front of you before going ahead with the other procedures. This is to ensure that you are not doing the wrong thing especially if you are new to checking.
- Once you have your mirror in front of you, push your middle or index finger in an upward position in your vagina. Do not at any point bend your finger as your cervix is in a parallel position with the opening of the vagina.
- To indicate that you are touching your cervix, your cervix has a smooth and firm feel as opposed to the spongy feel of the other areas of your vagina.
- If you feel the position of your cervix close when your finger is in your vagina, then you are not in your ovulation time.
- The more difficult it is to reach the cervix, the closer you are to your ovulation and the higher the possibility of getting pregnant.
- Do not forget to record your cervical positions every time you check them. This makes it easier to get the position of your cervical position as time goes on.
Note that, all of these processes for identifying your fertile days must be followed for more than three months before you get a full grasp of it.
Conclusion
Charting enables women to identify their most fertile days throughout a cycle. A cycle only occurs twelve to thirteen times a year which makes the chances of getting pregnant a 50-50 ratio. This shows the reason why charting is a very important subject matter that couples should take very seriously, as this increases their chance of giving birth when they want to if they are not suffering from any infertility issue. Also, women need to consider taking women's fertility supplements to help increase their chances of getting pregnant.
Also, ladies who do not want to get pregnant yet and are sexually active should keep tabs on their charts as this puts them on the safe side from unwanted pregnancy.
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