Increase In Basal Body Temperature
The basal body temperature is the temperature of your body when you take rest. As we know, the average body temperature of human beings is 98.6 the actual body temperature varies a little bit from that throughout the day. Based on our regular activities, our eating habits, hormonal changes, and sleeping habits, body temperature increases or fall.
As the research suggests, right after the ovulation day, the BBT increases in a range of 0.4 to 1 degree Celsius. Though the changes are tiny, still you can use an accurate thermometer and keep a track on your basal body temperature rise to detect the fertile days of the menstrual cycle.
Having Sex Every Day Is Better For Conception
The myth that more sex is equal to better chances of conception is not correct. While regular sex obviously grants people better odds of conceiving, as with everything in life, quality is better than quantity. One sperm cell is enough to ensure conception and each ejaculation contains thousands of sperm cells. Therefore, it is not the number of times that sex occurs, but the quality of the sperm that matters their mobility and the health of their DNA is what affects conception. Even ejaculating once is enough to conceive if it is timed right during the womans ovulation period and if the individual sperm cells are healthy swimmers.
When Does Menstruation Start
On average, a young woman in the U.S. has her first menstrual period at about age 12. This is generally 2 to 3 years after her breasts start to grow. This is also soon after she notices pubic and underarm hair. Stress, strenuous exercise, and diet can affect when a girl first has her period.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that a young woman consult her healthcare provider if she has not started to menstruate by the age of 15, or if she has not begun to develop breast buds, pubic hair, or underarm hair by the age of 13.
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Medicine For Menstrual Pain And Bleeding
Try a non-prescription medicine to help relieve your pain and bleeding. Start taking the recommended dose of pain reliever when symptoms begin or 1 day before your menstrual period starts. If you are trying to become pregnant, talk to your doctor before using any medicine. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen , reduce menstrual cramps, pain, and bleeding by lowering the level of the hormone prostaglandin.
- If NSAIDs do not relieve the pain, try acetaminophen, such as Tylenol.
- Take the medicine for as long as the symptoms would normally last if you did not take the medicine.
Be sure to follow all labels and directions. Do not take aspirin if you are younger than 18 because of the risk of Reye syndrome.
Tracking Your Fertile Window
Tracking of the fertile window helps you determine your fertility period and avoid unsafe sex. It may take several period cycles to understand the fertile window correctly. And, this works if your periods are regular and the length of the cycle is uniform. Also, it requires you to track your period with precision for months.
Here is how to track the fertile period.
- At least for 6 to 12 consecutive months, note down the day you begin your period and count the days of the cycle until you start your next period. .
- Then determine the shortest and longest number of menstrual cycle days. From this, you may now calculate the fertile window based on your average menstrual cycle.
- Subtract 18 from the length of the shortest cycle. This will give you the first fertile day of your average menstrual cycle. For example, if it was a 24-day cycle, day 6 is the first fertile day.
- Subtract 11 from the length of the longest cycle. It gives the last fertile day. For example, if it is a 32-day cycle, day 21 is the last fertile day.
- Therefore, the fertile period is between day six and day 21 when you need to avoid unprotected sex .
This method is also called the calendar method and is used by many.
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The Womans Orgasm Has No Effect On Conception
A womans orgasm during sex is, according to many experts, a very good thing. With the rhythmic contractions of the vaginal muscles, the uterus assists the sperms journey to the egg. It also increases the blood supply and hormone secretion in that area to increase the chances of a successful conception.
Three Phases Of The Menstrual Cycle
The phases of your menstrual cycle are triggered by hormonal changes.
Menstrual period
On Day 1 of your cycle, the thickened lining of the uterus begins to shed. You know this as menstrual bleeding from the vagina. A normal menstrual period can last 4 to 6 days.
Most of your menstrual blood loss happens during the first 3 days. This is also when you might have cramping pain in your pelvis, legs, and back. Cramps can range from mild to severe. The cramping is your uterus contracting, helping the endometrium shed. In general, any premenstrual symptoms that you’ve felt before your period will go away during these first days of your cycle.
Follicular phase
During the follicular phase, an egg follicle on an ovary gets ready to release an egg. Usually, one egg is released each cycle. This process can be short or long and plays the biggest role in how long your cycle is. At the same time, the uterus starts growing a new endometrium to prepare for pregnancy.
The last 5 days of the follicular phase, plus ovulation day, are your fertile window. This is when you are most likely to become pregnant if you have sex without using birth control.
Luteal phase
This phase starts on ovulation day, the day the egg is released from the egg follicle on the ovary. It can happen any time from Day 7 to Day 22 of a normal menstrual cycle. During ovulation, some women have less than a day of red spotting or lower pelvic pain or discomfort . These signs of ovulation are normal.
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When Is The Best Time To Conceive
A mans sperm can live in the woman’s reproductive tract for up to 7 days. Some research shows the best time to have sex to conceive is actually two to three days before ovulation. Your chances of getting pregnant actually drop pretty sharply after ovulation.
The truth is, your fertile window each month is actually pretty small – about eight to nine days total.
That said, theres a tiny chance you could get pregnant two days before your period. There is also a risk you could become pregnant during your period too. There’s no absolute ‘safe’ time although there are certainly times when your risk of conceiving is higher.
If you have irregular menstrual cycles, then it becomes difficult to predict when ovulation may occur and theres a chance you could ovulate earlier than you would expect during a regular cycle.
Period Breast Pain Vs Pregnancy Breast Pain: Whats The Difference
For many people, breast changes are among the earliest signs of pregnancy. Pregnancy influences the levels of estrogen and progesterone in your body. Estrogen enhances the growth of breast ducts, and progesterone supports the growth and formation of milk-producing tissue. Your breasts may feel swollen, sensitive, tender, or sore during early pregnancy because of these hormonal changes. Your breasts may also feel heavier and fuller. These changes usually occur one to two weeks after conception and may last until your progesterone levels settle.
Symptoms of PMS, such as breast pain, tenderness, and swelling, can happen during the second half of the menstrual cycle. The symptoms tend to be most severe just before your period starts. Your breasts may feel dense and bumpy, particularly in the outer region. Breast pain caused by your period may feel like a dull pain with a sense of heaviness and fullness. The pain usually gradually improves after your period.
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Check Your Basal Body Temperature
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to the signs that your body is ready to ovulate. Checking your basal body temperature is one way to do this.
The BBT is your temperature first thing in the morning. Just after you ovulate, it rises slightly — sometimes by less than a degree — and stays higher until your period starts. If you record your temperature every day, you can spot the subtle changes that mean one of your ovaries has released an egg.
To take your BBT, you need to:
Use a basal body thermometer. It’s more sensitive than a standard one and will show temperature changes down to a fraction of a degree. You can get them at many pharmacies for less than $20.
Continued
Take your temperature at the same time each morning. Always do it before you get out of bed. Even getting up to go to the bathroom can affect your body temperature. So can smoking, drinking, or getting a bad night’s sleep.
Remember, your BBT won’t tell you exactly when you’ve ovulated, and it may take a couple of months before you start to see a pattern. You’re most likely to get pregnant 2 or 3 days before your ovary releases an egg, and then another 12 to 24 hours after that. When your temperature has spiked for 3 days, your chances of conceiving drop.
Cervical Mucus Or Ovulation Method
The hormones that control the menstrual cycle also stimulate the cervix to produce mucus, which usually gets collected in your cervix and vagina. The quantity and consistency of the mucus change just before and during ovulation.
The time when the mucus becomes clearer and more slippery than it is at other times is when you are most fertile. Once the ovulation is complete, you may experience dry days where there is no or little discharge . You can learn to recognize these changes to predict the fertile and infertile days. However, this is also not a highly reliable method, as the levels of discharge vary based on hormonal changes.
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Calculating Your Menstrual Cycle
Normal menstrual cycle lengths can range between 21 and 35 days. In order to calculate the number of days in your cycle, youâll need to keep track of when you get your period for a while. Hereâs how it works.
Step 1: Mark the first day of your period in theâ¯calendar. The first day of your period is Day 1 of your menstrual cycle. Do this for a few months, and youâll be one step closer to figuring out the average time between your periods.
Step 2: Add up the number of days in each cycle after youâve marked your period on the calendar for a few months. Then, divide this number by the number of periods youâve had in this time. This will give you your average cycle length .
Step 3: Now that you have this number, figuring out when your next period is due should be as easy as pie. Starting on the first day of your last period, just count forward the average number of days between your periods that you calculated in Step 2. This will give you the projected start date of your next period. Voilà !
What Is A Safe Period
Safe period refers to the days when a woman has reduced chances of getting pregnant. So, if you do not want a baby and do not want to use contraceptives either, this is the time you should have sex with your partner.
Biologically speaking, this is the time whenthe egg is not present to be fertilised. If you have intercourse when there is no egg, you cannot get pregnant because this is the unfertile period in a menstrual cycle.
For most women, ovulation occurs approximately 14 days before the next menstruatal cycle starts. It is not easy to know exactly when you would start your next menstrual cycle . However, if your periods are mostly regular, it is easy to calculate the days of ovulation. To do this, you need to use the date of the previous menstrual cycle as a starting point. It is important to note that an egg can be fertilised only four days before ovulation and three days after ovulation. In other words, this is not the safe period, and so, you should avoid intercourse during this period.
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Fertility During The Rest Of The Month
Tips For Those Preventing Pregnancy
Have sex only on days that are considered safe. The safest time is six or more days before ovulation, where the chance that a woman will get pregnant is virtually zero. These are the days of your period and a few days after the period. So whilst you can technically pregnant three days after your period, it is less likely on this day of your cycle.
Especially if you are planning to have sex during your fertile period, always use protection. Contraceptives come in many forms and methods. Birth control pills aim to prevent unplanned pregnancy by releasing synthetic hormones that prevent ovulation. However, when dealing with contraceptives, it is important to find the one that is right for you, as not doing so can lead to hormonal imbalances and changes to your body or mood.
Tips For Those Trying To Conceive
Most of the time, it’s all about finding the perfect timing. It is important to engage in sexual intercourse right away when you confirm that you are indeed fertile or are currently on your fertile window .
If you do fall pregnant, implantation bleeding can occur 10 to 14 days after conception. This is completely normal and can be a sign of a fertilized egg attaching to the uterus lining.
The best way to know your chances of pregnancy is to know your own body, be aware of its cycles and make sure you are always in optimal health.
Kidadl Team
READ THE DISCLAIMER
Charting Basal Body Temperature
Keep these 4 rules in mind when charting your basal body temperature:
- First 5 days rule: For the most part, you can assume that you are infertile during the first five days of your menstrual cycle. This may not be accurate if you have had a cycle that was shorter than 25 days. To determine this, track your menstrual cycle for about six months.
- Dry day rule: You might be infertile on the day you dont observe any cervical fluid.
- Peak plus 4 rule: Your infertile period starts on the 4th evening after your most fertile cervical fluid . This is when your CF becomes infertile again, and there is a clear BBT shift.
- Temp plus 3 rule: You might be infertile on the evening of the 3rd day after your BBT shift.
Women with regular menstruating cycles have an 85% safety ratio for not getting pregnant. However, the success rate depends on how well you calculate the safe period and how religiously you follow it.
Once you figure out how to track the signs of fertility, you can safely indulge in unprotected sex during the infertile period. If you think you are at risk of being fertile, use protection or abstain.
It is important to remember that no method is fool-proof. While most of the methods are accurate and time-tested, hormonal ups and downs in a womans body can make your calculations go awry. Its best to follow the golden rule: when in doubt, assume youre fertile.
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