Using A Calculator As Birth Control
Some people try to use ovulation calculators as a form of “natural birth control.” The idea is to limit sex to the predicted infertile days and abstain when the calculator says you’ll be fertile. However, as explained above, it’s not uncommon for cycles to vary, meaning your average infertile days one month might become your most fertile the days the next.
If you really dont want to get pregnant, don’t rely on an ovulation calculator as a means of birth control. Theres a significant risk you will accidentally have sex when youre fertile and get pregnant.
If you want to avoid pregnancy, you want to be absolutely sure youre not fertile, not mostly sure. An ovulation calculator that is only using dates and averages can’t tell you with certainty when and when you’re not fertile.
How To Calculate Your Ovulation Period
How to Calculate Your Ovulation Period
Know When to Get Pregnant
Ovulation occurs at a point in a womans menstrual cycle when mature egg is released from the ovary and travels down the fallopian tube ready to be fertilized if it meets a sperm cell.
Since ovulation is the time when it is possible to get pregnant, it is very important and helpful for you to know how to calculate it.
Firstly, how many days is your menstrual cycle? Is it 26days, 27days,28days,30days, 32days or 34 days*?
* Although, very rare, some menstruate in every 32 and 34 days.
For you toaccurately calculateof your ovulation, you will need to note down the first day of your last period as Day1 and the first day of your period for the following month. For instance if your last period comes on 18th March and stops on 22nd of March and another one comes on 14thApril, and stops on 18th of April and you also see another one on 11thof May, and stops on 15th of May and another one on June 7th, and stops on 11th of June and another one on July 4th, and stops on 8th of July and you also see another one on the last day of July. It simply means your cycle is 2 days!
Now that you are sure of your cycle then use the same method to calculate your ovulation period.
Note:
Now let us calculate ovulation base on the analysis above i.e March 18th to April 14th, April 14thto May 11th
Please the Calendar will soon follow.
Calculate The Length Of Your Menstrual Cycle
- Make a note of when your next period starts. This is the first day of your cycle.
- Then, make note of when your period comes again in the following month. This is the beginning of the next cycle.
- When you count the days in between, this gives you the length of your cycle.
Here’s an example:
- Period starts: January 1
- Next period starts: January 31
- Days in between : 30 days. The menstrual cycle length, therefore, is 30.
You might want to do this for more than one month, as menstrual cycles can vary in length from month to month. This will also help you determine if you have an irregular cycle, in which you may skip periods for a month or more at a time. An irregular cycle will make predicting ovulation more difficult.
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What Is The Cervical Mucus Method Of Determining Fertility
The cervical mucus method involves being aware of the changes in your cervical mucus throughout the month. The hormones that control the menstrual cycle also change the kind and amount of mucus you have before and during ovulation.
Right after your period, there are usually a few days when there is no mucus present or “dry days.” As the egg starts to mature, mucus increases in the vagina, appears at the vaginal opening, and is white or yellow and cloudy and sticky. The greatest amount of mucus appears just before ovulation. During these “wet days” it becomes clear and slippery, like raw egg whites. Sometimes it can be stretched apart.
This is when you are most fertile. About four days after the wet days begin the mucus changes again. There will be much less and it becomes sticky and cloudy. You might have a few more dry days before your period returns. Describe changes in your mucus on a calendar. Label the days, “Sticky,””Dry,” or “Wet.” You are most fertile at the first sign of wetness after your period or a day or two before wetness begins.
The cervical mucus method is less reliable for some women. Women who are breastfeeding, taking hormonal birth control , using feminine hygiene products, have vaginitis or sexually transmitted infections , or have had surgery on the cervix should not rely on this method.
Can You Get Pregnant Outside Your Fertile Window
Yes, you can get pregnant at any time during your cycle, even during your period. If youre trying to prevent pregnancy, this is important to know. If your goal is to achieve pregnancy, youll be more focused on the higher fertility days, but its good to remember that any intercourse could potentially result in pregnancy, especially if your cycles are irregular.
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Understanding Your Next Menstrual Cycle And Fertilization
If you are trying to get pregnant you need to understand how the menstrual cycle works. The process starts when the thick lining of your womb starts to break up due to the decrease in estrogen and progesterone levels.
Without a sufficient amount of these hormones, your body will shed the lining and it will start to prepare for your next menstrual cycle.
However, if a sperm does make contact with and fertilizes the egg, it will close all pores to prevent more sperms from getting in there. The fertilized egg will stay in the fallopian tube for 3-4 days and then move to the uterus and attach to its wall, staying there for the long haul of pregnancy.
Your body will produce human Chorionic Gonadotrophin or pregnancy hormone right away .
The body will continue to produce the required estrogen and progesterone hormones so that the womb lining will not be shed and the placenta can grow mature enough that it can support the pregnancy.
What Is The Fertile Window
Your fertile window is the time during your cycle that intercourse is more likely to end in conception. The fertile window depends on your cycle and your luteal phase length, therefore, its different for everyone. Using an average cycle length and luteal phase , your fertile window would be days 10 to 16 of your cycle.
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What Is The Difference Between Ovulation Days And Fertile Days
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As previously mentioned, an egg can survive for up to 24 hours, while sperm can remain active for as much as five days. That means you can get pregnant if you have sex somewhere around four to five days before the egg release. So, the fertility window is about six days in which you can conceive. If you have unprotected sexual intercourse, of course. The chances of getting pregnant outside of this fertility window are pretty low.
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Knowing the exact days when you are most likely to get pregnant gives you more opportunities to plan sex with your partner. This flexibility will significantly reduce the pressure you might be feeling.
What Are The Most Fertile Days After Your Period
You are most fertile the day before ovulation and the day of ovulation. According to Dr. Hanh Cotrell from IVF Michigan, “Your fertile window is about a week prior to anticipated ovulation.” So if you are trying to conceive, she recommends having sex every day to every other day during that week to give you the highest chance of pregnancy. You are not likely to get pregnant right after your period, although it can happen if you have an abnormally short menstrual cycle, in which ovulation could happen just a few days after your period ends.
Here’s an example of your most fertile days for a 30-day cycle:
- First day of period is January 1
- Next period will begin on January 31
- Ovulation will take place anywhere from January 17 to January 21 . These are your most fertile days.
- You can have sex up to 5 days before this period and still get pregnant.
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When Does Ovulation Happen
If your menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and your period arrives like clockwork, it’s likely that you’ll ovulate on day 14. That’s halfway through your cycle. Your fertile window begins on day 10. You’re more likely to get pregnant if you have sex at least every other day between days 10 and 14 of a 28-day cycle.
Ovulation Calculator: How Do You Calculate Your Ovulation Day
Calculating your ovulation day is a bit simpler, because ovulation only usually occurs on one day each month.
Assuming a luteal phase of 14 days, your ovulation day will be 14 days before your next expected period. For a 28-day cycle, your egg would be released on day 14.
If your luteal phase or cycle length are different than the average, plug your information into our accurate ovulation calculator to get your specific ovulation and fertility predictions.
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Ovulation Calendar For A Boy Or Girl
Wondering if you can conceive a girl or boy using an ovulation calendar? As it turns out, your babys sex may be partially determined by conception date. This idea, called the Shettles method, was first introduced by Landrum B. Shettles in the 1960s. Her book, How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby, coauthored David Rorvik, describes the theory in more detail.
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Ovulation Calendar for a Boy: Y-sperm supposedly travels quicker through the reproductive system and has a shorter life span. Therefore couples wanting a boy should have unprotected sex close to ovulation.
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Ovulation Calendar for a Girl: X-sperm moves slower and has a longer life span. If you have sex a couple of days before ovulation, the X-sperm will still be around when you ovulate, while the Y-sperm will die. This may increase your odds of having a girl.
How Long Does The Luteal Phase Need To Be To Get Pregnant
Your luteal phase length should be 12 to 16 days. It begins after ovulation and ends with the onset of your next period. During this time, progesterone rises and signals the growth and thickening of your uterine lining where the fertilized egg will implant itself and develop into a baby. If your luteal phase is shorter than 10 days, the fertilized egg will not be able to attach, and you will experience an early miscarriage.
For Women With Irregular Cycles
Keep in mind that women with irregular cycles may not be able to predict when ovulation happens because the length of their cycle varies month to month. It is possible for some women with irregular cycles to ovulate right after their period, though this is uncommon.
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How Do I Calculate My Ovulation Cycle
There are a couple of different ways to calculate your ovulation cycle, but three of the most common are the calendar method, the body temperature method, and the cervical mucus method. All of these require you to keep track of your periods and pay attention to little changes in your body each day, and often take a few months to start getting good results. Its also possible to buy commercial ovulation calculators or tests in some markets. None of these methods are foolproof, though. Each womans cycle is different, and calculating the precise moment of ovulation is often more of an educated guess even for those with extensive training in reproductive health.
Ovulation Basics
In healthy women, ovulation happens once a month when the ovaries release an egg into the uterus for fertilization and implantation. Although the actual egg release happens at one precise time, women are typically considered fertile for a couple of days on either side. Pregnancy is much more likely during this span, which makes calculating your ovulation cycle really important both if you are trying to get pregnant and if you are trying to avoid pregnancy. Eggs that are not fertilized disintegrate into the uterine lining and are flushed out of the body during the menstrual period, and there isnt another chance for a baby until the next month.
Length of Menstrual Cycle
What Is A Luteal Phase
The luteal phase is the second half of your menstrual cycle, beginning at ovulation and ending with a new period or pregnancy. This is when you have a huge surge of three important hormones:
- Follicle stimulating hormone: Is released into your bloodstream by the pituitary gland to stimulate ovarian follicles to secrete estrogen and produce a mature egg .
- Luteinizing hormone: Is also released into your bloodstream by the pituitary gland in response to rising estrogen levels. This important hormone triggers the ovarian follicle to release the egg for potential fertilization.
- Progesterone: While estrogen plummets with ovulation, progesterone begins its climb to help nourish and thicken your uterine lining for potential egg implantation. Your progesterone levels will continue to rise if you become pregnant, as it literally helps to pro-gest your fertilized egg.
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Understanding The Menstrual Cycle Properly
While you may already have a fair understanding of your own menstrual cycle, there are women who have cycle lengths that vary. Sometimes, your own cycle can be as short as 23 days on cycle and 28 or 30 days the next.
When a variation in menstrual cycle length occurs, it usually happens before you ovulate. This is referred to as the follicular phase which encompasses menstruation as well and ends when you ovulate . A woman generally ovulates between days 12-16 of their cycle which is the start of the luteal phase .
There is a multitude of reasons as to why your period could be altered, be it stress or medications, even weight gain/loss or travel. Unless you think you are pregnant, it could be a myriad of reasons that have your period coming irregularly.
Ovulation Calculator: How Do You Calculate Your Fertile Days
- To calculate your most fertile days, you must first calculate the average length of your cycle.
- Then, you will need to know your luteal phase to calculate the days around ovulation in which you will be the most fertile.
Assuming an average luteal phase of 14 days, your fertile days will be 13 to 18 days before your expected period. For a 28-day cycle, this would be days 10 to 16. Using an ovulation calculator can help you find your most fertile days more easily.
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