Ovulation charts?

Question

While I consider myself to be a fast learner, and fairly well educated, I have to say that ovulation charting has me stumped. It seems that everything I read on the subject is so drawn-out and complicated. I understand that the process requires a lot of explaining, but I'm really just curious about the overview.

Does anyone have an easy-to-follow guide or reference? Anyone want to give me the low-down in 500 words or less? :)

Answer 1

So long as you don't plan on trying to _avoid_ pregnancy with a basic overview, you'll be okay. The general gist of charting is that you take your temperature first thing in the morning before you do _anything_ including kissing your partner, going to the bathroom, sitting up in bed - just reach over and grab the thermometer and take your temperature. Then you write down your temperature on a chart. Your chart starts on the first day of your menstrual cycle - which is the first day of red blood. When you ovulate, the ovary that produced the egg starts releasing a hormone called "Progesterone" that raises your body temperature and allows a fertilized egg to implant and pregnancy to begin. You can also chart the position of your cervix and the fluid that your cervix produces, which also changes over the course of the month - right before you ovulate you'll get a lot of clear, stretchy fluid that looks like raw egg white, and right _after_ you ovulate everything dries up. The cervical fluid is important because it is the sign that tells you ovulation is coming, the temperature tells you that it has happened - at which time it's too late to try to get pregnant, because the sperm really need to be there before you release the egg. It takes about 7 hours for the sperm to be ready to penetrate the egg - that getting ready process is called "sperm capacitation".

If you are planning to try to conceive with this method, good luck. But if you are planning to use this as natural birth control, I suggest you read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler before you do anything - because people who are careless with this method are called parents. :)

Answer 2

When I first started charting I was just like you and then one day it just hit me! Every woman ovulates differently and not the every 14 days everyone thinks. The key to charting is to know your luteal phase:

The luteal phase is the third phase of the menstrual cycle, and is the time span occurring after ovulation until the day before your next menstrual period begins. For many women with regular cycles, the luteal phase is generally from 10 to 16 days, with 14 days being the average length.... SO this means we are supposed to count backwards (from the day you expect you next period not from the first day of you last period)

I would suggest finding a good website to keep up with you ovulation. Good Luck!

Answer 3

like the most suitable answer i replaced into utilizing perchance infant, yet in accordance to that I under no circumstances ovulated, I under no circumstances said any ferns. After attempting for 5 months I used an o.ok.and fell that month. strong success.

Answer 4

Try using this website... I've used it... and am now 20 wks pregnant. :) It's fairly easy to follow. Just type in your date of last period, and it will tell you when to have sex to become pregnant. Plain and simple.