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Ovulation charts: What is it and how does it help in conceiving?

August 6th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

By Parent Wonder Editorial Team

Some women know exactly when they ovulate. Their periods come like clockwork, so they can assume that they ovulate around 14 days into their cycle. And then there’s the rest of us.

We have busy schedules and stressful lives. Being stressed and over weight or under weight can cause women to have fluctuating cycles. Many women have no idea when their periods will come because they have always had irregular menstruation.

Normal cycles can range too, with some women having normal cycles that come every 45 days or others who have shorter cycles and start a period every 21 days. Most of us don’t really worry about this irregularity, until it comes time to start trying to conceive. How can you predict your ovulation, if you can’t even predict your period?

Ovulation charts are good for people who like to live with a schedule and like to stick to it. In order to make an ovulation chart, all you will need is a basil thermometer. These are inexpensive and easy to find at any drug store. This thermometer shows minute changes in your body temperature. Begin taking your temperature daily from the first day of your period. Make sure to take your temperature right when you wake up in the morning, and try to take it around the same time everyday, as this will make for a more accurate reading.

Doctors also recommend that you check your cervical mucus everyday. When you ovulate you should notice a clear mucus and a sudden upswing in your temperature reading. By charting your temperature and mucus you can see a pattern of when you might ovulate each month. If your ovulations are widely varied each month, you can still start to tell when you might be fertile by learning to notice the changes in your body (mucus change, slight cramping). When you notice these changes and see the temperature rise on the basil thermometer, have intercourse!

If you have problems with noticing a temperature change or if your temperature is varied because you are often sick, there are ovulation kits to buy. These can be expensive and unpredictable. Doctors warn that even if you do ovulate, you must also have the clear mucus present to conceive. They suggest charting is much more accurate and less expensive.

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