Fertility awareness or planning for fertility or natural family planning refers to the methods used in conjunction with the natural functioning of the body. Ultimately, you will know those specific days of the month when the likelihood of getting pregnant is at its highest. It is actually a collection of several methods. With the help of these methods, couples can either successfully achieve or postpone pregnancies. Since this is a natural method, the use of drugs, devices or any other medical interventions is not required. If this method is practiced accurately it can be very effective around 90%.
The methods included for fertility planning are basal body temperature method and the cervical mucus method. These methods are used together with the calendar and you gradually are able to be aware the period when your body is most fertile. The initial step is to getting familiar with the menstrual cycle. Based on this, the fertility pattern is identified according to a popular fertility clinic thibodaux gyn/ob based in Louisiana. For most women, the menstrual cycle is between 28 to 32 days. So you should keep a track of the date when your menstrual cycle begins. After one week the egg starts to get ready and at this stage can be easily fertilized by the sperm. Between the 11-21 days after the menstrual flow the ovulation will occur, i.e. the natural hormonal reaction that prepares the egg to be released.
When ovulation occurs, the egg gets transported to the uterus and it waits for fertilization for a limited time, which can be between 12-24 hours. When fertilization does not occur the egg is discarded, and this procedure is called menstruation. This period has to be tracked for at least 6 months or more. You will also need to pick the longest and shortest cycles. Next, your “most fertile” days is calculated by deducting 18 days from the shortest cycle. For women who had the shortest cycle for example 26 days, deducting 18 will give the number 8. This indicates the eighth day after your cycle you are most fertile. Similarly, the longest cycle is to be determined and deducted by 11. This will let you know the last day of your fertility period.
With the basal body temperature method, you need to take your temperatures early in the morning with the help of a basal thermometer. Continue doing this for a month. You will clearly be able to see the difference of temperatures during the ovulation and non-ovulation days. There are other factors that can affect body temperatures; therefore it is suggested to get at least 3 hours of sleep before getting the temperature. Read more on how to Boost fertility.