How you track ovulation using an ovulation calculator to help you get pregnant
Tracking ovulation while trying to conceive is very important in your fertility journey, as it helps you to understands how your body works. It is also useful in identifying our fertile window to plan sex to pregnancy in those days. If you’re trying to fall pregnant, learn how to find the timing of when you are most fertile.
Your cycle length is the number of days between the first day of bleeding of one period, and the first day of bleeding of the next. This can vary from 23 to 35 days, and 28 days is about average. If you have irregular menstrual cycles, calculating your ovulation date can be more difficult.
How to calculate your ovulation fertility window period?
To calculate your fertile window, you need to determine what day you ovulate. To do this, you need to know the length of your menstrual cycle (which tends to vary from 23 to 35 days).
The length of your menstrual cycle is the number of days from the first day of bleeding in your last period, to the first day of bleeding in your next. From this figure, subtract 14 days from the end of your current cycle to determine the approximate day you ovulate. Learn how to get pregnant with irregular periods naturally.
How do ovulation trackers work?
There are different types of trackers, but all of them detect the rise of Luteinising hormone (LH), which peaks 24-36 hours before the egg is released from the ovaries. Therefore, they show you the perfect time to have sex and hopefully get pregnant.
Tracking ovulation has many benefits on your fertility journey.
- It is much more accurate than measuring basal body temperature or checking your cervical mucus.
- It increases your chances to conceive as it tells you when you are about to ovulate.
- It helps to get to know what is normal for you, which is not always the textbook version.
- It is also useful when you are undergoing fertility treatment such as ovulation induction or intrauterine insemination.
Tracking ovulation with irregular periods
If you have irregular menstrual cycles, or your cycle length varies from month to month, it will be difficult to calculate your ovulation date. Usually, when we have a 28-day cycle, we start checking our monitor around day 8-9 of the cycle, which is approximately 5 days before the ovulation day. Finding out what day to start might be tricky if you have irregular periods as you don’t really know.
What doctors recommend in this case is to check which your shortest cycle in the last 6 months and think that your current cycle will be like that. I will show you how getting pregnant with irregular ovulation naturally is possible for you.
For example, suppose your shortest period was 21 days and the luteal phase (the period between ovulation and your next period) is about 14 days. In that case, that means that you might be ovulating around day 7. Therefore, you should start getting busy with your monitor around day 4 of the cycle to catch the surge and not miss the ovulation. If we started monitoring on day 8, we would’ve missed our surge, and therefore we would’ve thought we didn’t ovulate that month!
Factors that affect irregular periods after miscarriage
Some women experience irregular menstruation after miscarriage. The first menstrual period after a pregnancy loss can be different from a woman’s normal period, and it can also be quite delayed. It’s also common for women to notice some spotting for four or more weeks after a miscarriage, so it’s important to recognize what is a menstrual period, and what is intermittent bleeding.
Two factors in particular influence a woman’s period after she has a miscarriage.
- Hormone levels: In the beginning of pregnancy, the placenta starts producing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that helps the body support a fertilized egg. The purpose of hCG is to stimulate progesterone hormone secretion from the ovary. Progesterone helps maintain a pregnancy and prevents menstruation from occurring. After a miscarriage, hCG production declines because the placenta is no longer present, resulting in a decline in progesterone levels. Menstruation resumes once a woman’s hCG levels are back to zero.
- Length of gestation: If a woman experiences miscarriage early on in pregnancy, she’ll likely start menstruating again sooner than someone who miscarries later in pregnancy. The body needs a certain amount of time to heal depending on how far along the pregnancy was.
What is menstruation like after miscarriage?
Characteristics of menstruation can vary greatly from woman to woman after a miscarriage. The first period after a miscarriage is often heavier than what women normally experience. It also might cause noticeable cramping, and be slightly more clotted than usual. Some women, however, experience a first period after a miscarriage that is lighter than normal and cramp-free.
Why is tracking ovulation in irregular periods important when you are trying to conceive?
Because the more you know about our body, the better. It helps you to understand what it is normal for you, for example your cycle length, how long your luteal phase is. And with that information in mind you can identify when something is not right…
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of irregular periods or anovulation. However, many women with PCOS do ovulate. Lifestyle changes or medications help to recover menstrual cycles, and you will know by checking your monitor, which allows you to keep control of your treatments.
Ovulation Signs and Symptoms
- Your basal body temperature increases slightly, about 1/2 to 1 degree.
- Your cervical mucus or discharge may appear clearer, thinner, and slippery like raw egg whites.
- Your breast may become tender.
- Your cervix softens and opens.
- You may feel slight cramps or twinges in your lower abdomen.You may experience a mild spotting.
- You may experience an elevated sense of smell.
- You may experience little change in appetite or mood swings.
- Your sex drive may increase.