Fertility chart and physical signs
Fertility chart
Physical signs and symptoms
To conceive a baby, couples need to have sexual intercourse on the woman's fertile days of her menstrual cycle. To estimate when these fertile days are occurring, the woman needs to observe various physical and emotional changes that occur around the time she is releasing an egg each month, or ovulating. Ovulation can be detected by using a combination of observations, including counting the days of the menstrual cycle, taking your temperature and/or looking for specific physical signs such as daily changes in vaginal mucus. Some women use commercial
ovulation prediction kits as another tool to help with this process.
By keeping a daily record of your body's changes each month, you can be more aware of when you are most fertile and estimate the optimum time to try to conceive a baby. By actually
charting your menstrual cycles this also assists caregivers to more readily diagnose possible fertility problems (in relation to the woman's body) if a baby is not conceived after several months of trying, generally 6 to 12 months. A few couples chart their cycle with the aim of helping them conceive a boy or a girl. This is discussed in detail in
choosing the gender of your baby.
Some women chart their menstrual cycle for a few months before trying to conceive. This is possible if using non-medicated forms of contraceptives such as
condoms, a
diaphragm or an
intrauterine device (IUD), because these methods do not interfere with the normal menstrual cycle. However, you cannot chart your fertility cycle if you are using medicated methods of contraception such as
the Pill, the
minipill,
Depo Provera injections or
hormone implants, because the artificial hormones override the body's normal menstrual cycle and generally prevent ovulation. You can read more in
contraception.
Fertility chart
We have provided a fertility chart to download and print off so you can record your menstrual cycle. By using the following information you can start estimating your most fertile days each month. To download and print the fertility chart click on the link below:
birth.com.au fertility chart
Physical signs and symptoms
A woman's body experiences many physical and emotional changes as she moves through her menstrual cycle and prepares to release an egg to possibly conceive a baby. It is possible to observe these changes to help identify when you are most fertile. You may already be aware if some physical signs, especially if they are obvious. However, each woman's individual changes can be quite subtle and possibly not easily recognised.
The following information describes some common physical changes that can be used to monitor a woman's menstrual cycle. The aim of recording these daily changes is to identify the time of ovulation or releasing an egg for fertilisation. You can use our
fertility chart to record all your changes or you may choose to only observe one or two of them. We will first explain the various physical signs to look for and how you can do this, before describing how to use your observations to work out your most fertile time.
Taking your temperature
Checking vaginal mucus
Feeling your cervix
Taking your temperature. When a woman ovulates (or releases an egg) her temperature rises slightly and stays elevated for at least 10 days. Taking your temperature daily can reveal this pattern to show you when your body tends to do this. As a guide, ovulation usually occurs 14 days before the next period is due to arrive. Temperature taking does not PREDICT ovulation because the rise in temperature only occurs once the egg has been released. However, it does help confirm that you are actually ovulating and give you an idea of the timing in relation to the rest of your menstrual cycle.
The temperature used to monitor a woman's fertility is called Basal Body Temperature or BBT. This is defined as the temperature of a healthy person on waking each morning. To record your temperature changes accurately, you will need a thermometer that has readings of small temperature changes ie. 10 levels between each degree. For example 37.1 to 37.9
oCelsius or 98.1 to 98.9
oFahrenheit. Electronic thermometers are OK if you follow the manufacturer's instructions. Mercury thermometers need to be left in place for at least 3 minutes to record the correct temperature.
You need to take your temperature every morning, as soon as you wake and before you get out of bed (after at least 3 hours sleep). To make the reading more accurate you cannot eat, drink (or smoke) before taking your temperature. You can place the thermometer in your mouth (orally) or into your vagina. However, vaginal temperatures will always be a little higher than oral temperatures so if you start taking your temperature using one method (for example orally), you will need to continue taking it the same way every day for that month (until your next period arrives). Be aware that it is not the actual temperature in itself that is important, but how it changes each day over the menstrual cycle, .
Write your temperature each day on your fertility chart by drawing a small dot at the temperature level on the relevant day of your cycle (explained in
detecting the fertile days). You then connect-the-dots from day to day to show a lined pattern of your temperature over the month. When you ovulate, the temperature will often show a rise upwards in your line of connected dots, staying there for at least 10 days and then dropping a few days before a period arrives. If it stays elevated and no period arrives, you are probably pregnant.
Some factors can make your temperature higher or lower than it would normally be, distorting the pattern. This does not mean you are not ovulating, but it may be harder for you to detect when it is occurring. These can include:
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Being unwell. If you are ill and have a fever you will experience a temperature rise not related to ovulation. Although it is usually a significantly higher temperature if you are unwell, compared to the slight rise with ovulation. |
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Travelling, climate and time changes can all affect your normal body temperature. |
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Feeling unusually stressed can disrupt your body and perhaps your basal body temperature. |
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Doing shift work can interfere with your body's biorhythms and cyclical temperature changes over the day. |
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Having interrupted sleep. You need at least a good 3 hours of sleep prior to taking your basal body temperature. |
You can still keep taking your temperature when these factors are happening for you, but you need to make allowances for them when interpreting your
fertility chart. Make a note of them in the "cond. affecting temp." column if and when they occur. You can use your own lettered code, such as 's' for sick, or 't' for travelling.
NOTE: Be aware that it may take a few menstrual cycles before a typical pattern is obvious and ovulation can be estimated in an accurate way.
Checking vaginal mucus. As a woman's body prepares to release an egg her vaginal mucus normally goes through some recognisable changes. Many women rely solely on this physical sign to detect when they are ovulating and time their sexual intercourse accordingly.
Mucus changes are helpful if you have irregular periods, or when breastfeeding and waiting for periods to return. However, they may be difficult to identify when you are sexually active and not using condoms because fertile mucus can be confused with semen left after intercourse (about 24 hours after having sex). Some couples use condoms for one or more menstrual cycles (or parts of the cycle) to help read vaginal mucus changes more accurately, so that semen doesn't confuse the picture. Others alternate their mucus reading days. For example, read their mucus one afternoon, have sex that evening, miss reading their mucus the next day and then read their mucus the following day and so on.
If you have a vaginal infection such as
thrush or
Gardnerella (or a sexually transmitted infection), these will alter your vaginal discharge making it more difficult to interpret. Make notes about these on your chart on the relevant days.
You need to check your vaginal mucus on the days you are not bleeding (having a period). This can be done by placing your fingers at the opening of your vagina or looking for mucus or discharge on your underwear or on toilet paper after wiping yourself.
Features of the mucus you need to consider include:
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What colour it is? Is it whitish or yellowish, cloudy or clear or bloodstained? |
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What it feels like. Is it pasty, thick, tacky or sticky? Is it flaky or crumbly or is it thin, wet and slippery (like raw egg white)? |
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How much there is. Is there a lot of mucus or hardly anything? |
Observing your mucus daily can help you to compare differences and identify the various stages of your menstrual cycle, as well as your most fertile days. Try to check your mucus at around the same time each day usually in the afternoons or early evenings (or prior to sexual intercourse). Record your daily findings on your
fertility chart. You may prefer to use your own words if the ones we suggest do not really describe your mucus well.
Feeling your cervix. Some women also feel their cervix each day to detect changes during their cycle and ovulation. This is particularly useful for women who do not have obvious mucus changes or who only produce small amounts of mucus. Breastfeeding women can also use this sign to to detect when they may be starting their first menstrual cycle after the birth.
You do not need to feel your cervix when menstruating. If you feel uncomfortable or nervous about checking your cervix, or you have cultural reasons for not wanting to do this, it is not absolutely necessary, so don't feel that you have to.
Women who have used a
diaphragm or an
intrauterine device for contraception are probably used to feeling their cervix. However, if you have never felt your cervix before, then it may take a little getting used to. Try getting into a comfortable position first to help you relax. You can check your cervix while sitting on the toilet, or standing with one leg up on the side of the bath or lying down on your back with your knees slightly bent and your feet resting flat on the bed or couch, or as you kneel or squat.
If you want to feel your cervix, first wash and dry your hands. Then gently insert one of your fingers in your vagina (usually the middle one is the best because it is the longest) and slowly move it upwards and slightly backwards in the direction of your tailbone. You may need to insert your entire finger (depending on the time of your cycle) until you come to a smooth lump or bump. This is your cervix. It usually feels similar to the tip of your nose. In the middle of the lump there is a small opening, which is the entrance to the womb. This may feel like a small dimple, or an opening large enough to surround your fingertip.
When feeling your cervix on a daily basis you will start to notice changes at different times of the menstrual cycle. The first few days may not reveal much because you have nothing to compare it with. It usually takes a little while before you get to know how your cervix feels at different stages of your cycle. When feeling your cervix take note of whether it is:
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Lower or higher. |
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Firmer or softer. |
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More open or closed. |
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Slightly moist or wetter. |
Write down what you feel on your
fertility chart each day.
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