What is the Calendar Fertility Method?

Many women use the calendar fertility method when they are trying to become conceive. The ‘calendar fertility’ method uses a type of chart or calendar to track a woman’s menstrual cycle. The theory behind it is that every woman will usually ovulate about 14 days after their menstrual cycle begins. By tracking your cycle using the calendar fertility method, you are supposed to be able to determine when you are ovulating.

Most women have a menstrual cycle every 28 days. The cycle starts at day 1. Also, most women have an egg that will begin preparing for fertilization around day 7. At day 11, the uterus is preparing itself for a fertilized egg to be implanted. Day 14 should be the day that your hormones cause an egg to drop. This is what is known as Ovulation. After the dropping of the egg, it travels down to the uterus, waiting to meet up with a sperm. Knowing this, you can chart your cycle using the calendar fertility method. The idea is that when you suspect you are ovulating, it is the key time to try to conceive. Here is a breakdown of how to use a fertility calendar.

1. The very first day that you start your period is ‘Day 1.’ You mark this on your calendar.
2. Count forward to day 14, and mark this as the beginning of your ovulation.
3. The most likely time to become pregnant is around 12 to 24 hours after you have begun to ovulate. So, mark days 14, 15 and 16 as days to try and conceive.
4. A sperm can actually live for three days in a woman’s body, so it is possible to become pregnant if you have had sexual intercourse before you have started ovulation.
5. Mark days 12 and 13 as days to try and conceive also.
6. You should use the calendar fertility method every month, because as each woman is different, you may begin ovulation at a different time than ‘most’ women.

Some women will also check a few other things on their calendars to help them determine the optimal time to conceive. One way is by checking your Cervical Mucus. You may have noticed that every month at some point you will have a certain amount of discharge. It is usually a clear, sticky substance. This is your cervical mucus.

As your egg matures, you will experience more of this discharge than normal. If you incorporate the cervical mucus into your calendar fertility method, you will have a better chance of discovering when you are ovulating. Here’s how to chart your cervical mucus.

1. On days that you notice absolutely no discharge at all, mark ‘dry’ on your calendar.
2. On days that you notice a little bit of discharge, mark ‘medium’ on your calendar.
3. On days that you notice a lot of discharge, mark ‘wet’ on your calendar.
4. After several months, you will start to see a pattern with the amounts of discharge. Most likely, these will coincide with the ovulation dates on your fertility calendar. These days that there is a lot of discharge is when you are the most fertile, and it should be easier for you to become pregnant.

Using the calendar fertility method does not work for every woman, and it may take a while for you to discover the patterns of your body. You should try using the calendar fertility method for several cycles in order to utilize it to know when exactly is the best time for you to get pregnant. Good luck and remember to have fun in the process.

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