Measuring and recording the Basal Body Temperature (BBT), plus observing and recording the Cervical Fluid/Mucus (CF or CM) and the position and texture of the cervix are the ways to keep an eye on fertility signs. Watch for the signs and you will get a good chance to get pregnant (read more on FertilityFriend).
To reach my cervix (same position, same time) I never tried. It's too uncomfortable, besides it took 3 or 4 tools to reach for the GP herself when she took the smear test. She said there is a bend, a curve in it. Fertile when it's open, high and soft), non-fertile when it's closed, low and hard.
But observing the cervical mucus is much easier. There is a pattern throughout a cycle: it is dry after the period, then gets sticky, creamy, watery and becoming eggwhite like at ovulation, and dries up again afterwards. When ovulation is approaching it increasing in quantity and becoming more clear and stretchy, and it is a good host for sperms. The eggwhite cervical fluid is the fertile one.
The lifespan of the egg after ovulation is just around 12 hours, not much huh! Fertilization must take place within this timeframe. A very short window! But sperm deposited prior to ovulation can survive for 3 to 5 days, hurrah! So baby making intercourse not to be limited to that 12 hour only but upto 5 days ;-)
On cycle day 10 and 11 my cervical mucus was sticky. I looked on the tissue for consistency, it was thread like. We made some Baby Dance (PM-AM-PM) on day 11 and day 12...
Looking at my temperature curve I thought the day 8 or day 10 is too early but the day 12 is sure. The automatically detected ovulation day is on day 19. Well, with the cervix position and texture and the cervical fluid could be more precise, now just looks for the temperature shift, but day 19 is too far I think. In the past months it was on day 14, day 18, day 11, day 13, and now on day 19. There is a long distance between 11 and 19. My period length varied from 25, 25, 25, 27, and 26 only. There is not much of a difference in the length, so it cannot be much difference in my ovulation days from month to month. The length of the follicular phase may vary but the luteal phase length is generally constant from cycle to cycle for the same woman. But clearly day 12 wasn't my ovulation day either as I am not pregnant.
To reach my cervix (same position, same time) I never tried. It's too uncomfortable, besides it took 3 or 4 tools to reach for the GP herself when she took the smear test. She said there is a bend, a curve in it. Fertile when it's open, high and soft), non-fertile when it's closed, low and hard.
But observing the cervical mucus is much easier. There is a pattern throughout a cycle: it is dry after the period, then gets sticky, creamy, watery and becoming eggwhite like at ovulation, and dries up again afterwards. When ovulation is approaching it increasing in quantity and becoming more clear and stretchy, and it is a good host for sperms. The eggwhite cervical fluid is the fertile one.
The lifespan of the egg after ovulation is just around 12 hours, not much huh! Fertilization must take place within this timeframe. A very short window! But sperm deposited prior to ovulation can survive for 3 to 5 days, hurrah! So baby making intercourse not to be limited to that 12 hour only but upto 5 days ;-)
On cycle day 10 and 11 my cervical mucus was sticky. I looked on the tissue for consistency, it was thread like. We made some Baby Dance (PM-AM-PM) on day 11 and day 12...
Looking at my temperature curve I thought the day 8 or day 10 is too early but the day 12 is sure. The automatically detected ovulation day is on day 19. Well, with the cervix position and texture and the cervical fluid could be more precise, now just looks for the temperature shift, but day 19 is too far I think. In the past months it was on day 14, day 18, day 11, day 13, and now on day 19. There is a long distance between 11 and 19. My period length varied from 25, 25, 25, 27, and 26 only. There is not much of a difference in the length, so it cannot be much difference in my ovulation days from month to month. The length of the follicular phase may vary but the luteal phase length is generally constant from cycle to cycle for the same woman. But clearly day 12 wasn't my ovulation day either as I am not pregnant.