Identify Your Fertility Window
Identify your fertility window A woman's fertile window doesn't just involve ovulation day but also the 5 days leading up to ovulation since this is how long sperm can be preserved. This makes the fertile window approximately 6 days. But identifying this window is not always as easy as it sounds.
Many women experience irregular cycles or do not observe some of the typical fertility signs. Identifying your fertile window begins with tracking your cycle if you are not already doing so.
Next, the two most common strategies for identifying this window are temperature tracking and cervical mucous observation. At the basic level, you track your basal body temperature (BBT) which is your temperature upon waking. This is usually somewhere between 97-97.7 degrees F before ovulation and will rise after you've ovulated approx. 2/10 of a degree or more. Temperature tracking only allows us to determine ovulation after it has happened, BUT can be helpful in predicting ovulation for future cycles. Cervical mucous observation is not quite as straight forward.
However, many experts believe this to be the gold standard for fertility tracking as it relates to the body's natural signs. Cervical mucous is actually pretty stellar!
Did you know:
1. It protects sperm for up to 5 days prior to ovulation adjusting to the perfect pH for sperm during this time-otherwise the vagina's acidic profile throughout the rest of the cycle is quite inhospitable to sperm
2. It is involved in helping sperm transport more efficiently
3. Has the ability to filter out abnormal sperm Both of these strategies can either be logged the old-fashioned way on a paper chart or there are many great apps out there that make this incredibly easy.
Check out some of the links below to view some great resources! And if you are looking for more, book your nutrition consult to normalize your cycle or improve your fertility.
BBT https://www.verywellfamily.com/best-basal-thermometers-5271465
Fertility Tracking Apps and Paper Charts https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/fertility-apps#A-quick-look-at-the-best-fertility-tracker-apps https://www.freeprintablemedicalforms.com/preview/Fertility_Chart
Wearable Devices and Tools https://www.healthline.com/health/fertility/fertility-monitor