When you are ready to have a baby and trying to conceive, it’s good to know your menstrual cycle and how to track ovulation. Tracking fertility is one of the best natural methods for planning a family, and there are a few ways to go about it. 

Whether you choose the calendar method, ovulation predictor tests, or charting the symptoms, all of these options will help you determine the days of your ovulation and the ideal time of the month to have sex and conceive. 

If you’re seeking professional counseling before making this big and important step, make sure to visit the Women’s Care of Bradenton and meet some of the most reliable women’s health specialists in Florida. We will introduce you to the best Obstetricians in Bradenton and do everything to help you lead a successful and healthy pregnancy.

However, before we meet in person, here are some good-to-know facts and methods for understanding your menstrual cycle and ways of tracking ovulation.

How to Track Fertility When Trying to Conceive?

There are many ways to track ovulation, and they are all about knowing your body and its natural rhythms to predict and recognize the fertile days of your cycle. That fertile window usually lasts five days before the ovaries release an egg every month, and the day of ovulation itself.   

In these six days, you are most likely to get pregnant due to the fact that sperm can survive in the uterus for up to five days, and an egg survives 12-24 hours after ovulation. As there are only six days during a month when a woman can get pregnant, it’s good to know how to recognize and track those days. 

In a usual 28-day cycle, the fertile days would happen between the 10th and 17th day. However, there are many women whose menstrual cycles don’t count exactly 28 days, which is why every woman should try to keep track of her periods for at least six months to know the pattern. 

Studies have shown that even for women with regular cycles, the exact day of ovulation is very unpredictable. Many different life circumstances can affect the length of the cycle and ovulation, such as stress, quality of sleep, and diet. 

Still, our bodies provide signs that we can learn to observe and follow throughout the menstrual cycle to identify our own patterns and check ovulation. 

What Are the Best Ways to Track Ovulation?

Woman Planning Her Monthly Menstruation Calendar

Use the Calendar

One of the best ways to track ovulation is simply using the calendar. Knowing that for a 28-day cycle, ovulation should start about two weeks after the period, and for the 32-day cycle, about 21 days, you can easily calculate your fertile window around that. 

If your periods are irregular, using the calendar method may give inaccurate results, as ovulation will also differ from month to month. However, remember that ovulation days may vary even for women with perfectly regular periods. In a case where the cycle isn’t regular, we recommend trying to calculate its average length and consider taking a wider fertility days window when you will be trying to conceive.

Measure Your Body Temperature to Check Ovulation

Your body temperature measured at the start of the day, as soon as you wake up, is also called the Basal Body Temperature (or BBT). The BBT of your body changes during the menstrual cycle and is usually slightly lower (96-98° F) before ovulation and slightly higher (97-99° F) after it arrives. 

BBT is influenced by hormones such as progesterone that affect ovulation. The increased BBT will stay high for the following two weeks, and it should drop before the nearing period. 

Charting BBT is a great way to track ovulation and fertility days. This approach will provide a more accurate prognosis if you follow your BBT chart for at least three months to get an insight into the body temperature patterns and their changes. 

Track Ovulation Days with Predictor Kits

These tests are similar to those urine pregnancy tests you can do at home. They measure the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your body, which surges right before ovulation. LH causes the ovaries to release an egg during ovulation, so the increased hormone level means that ovulation is coming in the next 12 to 36 hours. 

To accurately detect ovulation, we recommend using Ovulation Predictor Tests several days in a row, and if you do it over five days, your chances of predicting ovulation are about 80%. Testing up to 10 days will increase this probability to 95%. 

How to Track Fertility with Saliva Tests?

Did you know that saliva tests can also help track ovulation? Like Ovulation Predictor Kits, Saliva Ferning Test detects changes in your saliva during the ovulation period.

To do this test, you need to place a bit of your saliva onto a lens and, after five minutes, check the result through the included viewing scope when it dries. If the test shows crystal, fern-like formations, it means that ovulation is approaching and you are in your fertile days.   

After getting this result on the test, you will probably start ovulating during the next 24 to 72 hours, indicating a perfect time to try to get pregnant. 

How to Track Ovulation With Bodily Symptoms?

Cropped Image of a Young Woman in Dress Suffering From Belly Pain and Showing Her Periods Calendar Isolated Over Pink Background

Besides the methods for calculating and predicting your fertile days, several physical symptoms can help you determine that what you are feeling is exactly your ovulation.

Many women experience light symptoms in the sense of breast tenderness, light spotting, or cramps that occur in the middle of their cycles. If you happen to feel similar sensations on the days that match your ovulation calendar, your BBT chart, or other test results, it will only assure you that your ovulation is in place and that you are very likely to get pregnant if you have regular sex over the following few days.

Cervical Mucus Changes

Another pretty accurate sign that your ovulation is near is the change in cervical mucus (vaginal discharge). If you pay attention to its color, texture, and amount, you will notice some differences during the menstrual cycle:

  • Mucus dry and sticky – no ovulation
  • Mucus getting creamy – ovulation may be approaching 
  • Mucus wet and watery – ovulation is close
  • Mucus is very wet and resembles egg whites – ovulation is here

The mucus becomes thinner and clearer as the ovulation period approaches, and it resembles the look of a raw egg white when it finally arrives. Such mucus consistency allows the sperm to pass through the cervix and survive in that environment for a few days, meaning that those days of your cycle are very fertile.

Keep in mind that this method may not be so accurate for everyone. Still, if combined with other methods of tracking ovulation, it can only determine those results and confirm their accuracy.  

We Can Help You Prepare

Planning a pregnancy and taking a step towards trying to conceive can be incredibly exciting but challenging for many. Many women don’t succeed in getting pregnant immediately, and it is normal if it takes some time before it happens to you. 

Besides tracking ovulation and knowing your fertile days’ window, scheduling a doctor’s appointment for screenings and counseling is recommended to reach quick results, healthy pregnancy, and overall well-being.

Our job is to be by your side every step of the way, so don’t hesitate to contact us and get your appointment.