The best methods to know the fertile days
There are several methods to know the fertile days, those in which it is more likely to get pregnant. We explain the most common ones.
Throughout the month there are a few days that are called the fertile days, and they are those in which a woman has the best chance of getting pregnant. This does not mean that they are the only fertile days of the month, but it is very likely that fertilization will take place.
These fertile days are determined by the moment of ovulation , that is, when the ovum, which has matured in the ovary, is released. If the egg meets a sperm, fertilization will take place, but there is a limited time for this to occur: sperm can live for 2 to 5 days inside a woman’s body , and the egg only survives 24 hours from when detaches. For this reason, the fertile days are around 5 days before ovulation, and one day after it.
Now, the challenge is to know that ovulation day, how to detect it ? There are several methods, some are more accurate than others, we can combine them so that the measurement is more accurate. We will also carry them out for several months to better understand the pattern that our menstrual cycle follows. Objective : to get pregnant , we look forward to the arrival of our baby!
Index
THE BASAL TEMPERATURE
The basal temperature method is very accurate because we need to keep very close control of it. But while it is accurate in its measure, it will also take time to carry it out.
Basal temperature is the lowest temperature our body reaches when we are in a state of rest. To take it, we must put the thermometer on as soon as we wake up after having been sleeping at least 5 hours. We will do it without getting out of bed , every day at the same time, and keeping a control on a special table to measure basal temperature. This measure should begin on the first day of menstruation and continue throughout the month.
By doing this for at least 2 or 3 months, we will see how our body follows a basal temperature pattern throughout the menstrual cycle. The day after ovulation this temperature increases between 0.2 and 0.5 degrees Celsius , and the following days it remains higher than normal, until the next menstruation arrives. At that time it will drop back to its previous levels.
By knowing which day is the next after ovulation, we will be able to predict in the coming months when the fertile days begin: around 6 days before that temperature rise, that is, 5 days before the day of ovulation and the day after. Those are the days when we must have sex to get pregnant.
CERVICAL MUCUS
To use the method of cervical mucus analysis or billing, we can use a recording table similar to the basal temperature. In it we will point out the appearance and texture of this secretion every day.
Cervical mucus is produced in the cervix, and it varies due to hormonal changes that regulate the menstrual cycle. It is not the same as vaginal discharge , but we can examine it by inserting the index finger into the vagina, or passing a piece of toilet paper. We take the mucus sample with the index and thumb fingers, and when opening and closing them, like a tweezers, we will see the elasticity and consistency of the secretion.
After menstruation, we will have a few days of vaginal dryness under normal conditions (we can secrete discharge, but not cervical mucus). As the days go by, the mucus will appear, with a sticky consistency, and a feeling of moisture. The cervical mucus sample will break as soon as we open our fingers, indicating that it is inconsistent. Its color is yellowish or white.
On ovulation days, cervical mucus looks like egg white . It’s clear, thick, stretchy, and consistent. Thus, by separating the fingers, the mucus sample remains stretched. The last day this happens, which is the highest amount, is the day of ovulation. Later, the mucus becomes more fragile again, and there is again more dryness. Later the menstruation will come and everything is repeated.
OVULATION TESTS
Ovulation tests or tests are very similar to a pregnancy test or Predictor. What they do is measure the amount of a type of hormone in the body, and there are two types: the one that measures according to the amount of LH hormone or luteinizing hormone, and the one that measures the amount of estrogen.
The increase in luteinizing hormone causes the release of the ovum, that is, ovulation, so measuring its levels helps us to know when that moment will arrive. This measurement is taken on a urine sample, like pregnancy tests, so it must be done at the same time every day. The LH hormone surge occurs between 24 and 36 hours before ovulation.
The other tests are those that measure the amount of estrogen . These are used with saliva or vaginal discharge, not urine. The highest level of estrogen occurs just before there is a higher concentration of the LH hormone, so it is warning us that the fertile days begin. Saliva ovulation tests have the advantage that they are reusable, and they also give us more notice than LH tests. The only weak point is that the measurement of LH is more reliable than estrogen to know ovulation.
OVULATION CALCULATORS
This is an inaccurate method, but one that we can start if we have a regular menstrual cycle and we are in our first attempts to get pregnant. Approximately, the day of ovulation takes place in the middle of the cycle, counting from the first day of menstruation to the first day of the next. Thus, in a regular 28-day cycle , ovulation takes place on day 14. The fertile days will be about 5 days before, and the day after ovulation.
But it is not necessary to do the calculation by hand, you can find specific calculators to know the fertile days according to the type of cycle we have, such as the one we offer you at PregDream Padres .
BODY CHANGES
This measure can serve as a complement to any other of the previous ones. Every woman knows her body well, and knows that throughout the menstrual cycle there are days when it is different . Some of the signs that may be indicating that we are at the time of ovulation are:
– Abdominal pain, usually on the right side. Interestingly, this symptom has its own name: Mittelschmerz. It is due to the fluid that is released by the rupture of the follicle when the ovum is released.
– Breast hypersensitivity. Some pain or discomfort in the breasts.
– Mood swings , due to fluctuating hormonal levels.
– Increased sexual desire.
However, these signs vary from one woman to another , and it is more about being attentive to whether we have any new bodily sensations during the days that we sense that they are fertile.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.