Ovulation During Pregnancy - Set Up Your Ovulation Calendar

The best way to determine timing for conception is to know when you ovulate. To know that, it's good to know what happens during ovulation so you can begin to read the pregnancy signs of ovulation accurately.

What Happens During Ovulation

Ovulation is the most fertile time of your menstrual cycle, the time when the mature egg is released from the follicle that carried it from the ovary. Since the egg is only viable for a short period of time, about 24 hours or so, and sperm cells can live for two or three days at most, it is important to predict the timing of ovulation in order for conception to happen. Intercourse must take place during a period of two days prior to ovulation and 24 hours after in order to be within the correcting time parameters.

The Luteal Phase

To find that time when you are most fertile, determine the date your next period will start and count backward 12 to 16 days. This will give you an idea of when your fertile period is based on your luteal phase. With this information, you can create your own pregnancy calendar for ovulation. The luteal phase is that period of time dating from the day after ovulation until the day before your next period. Generally the luteal phase lasts ten to 16 days and is pretty consistent from cycle to cycle with an average period of about 14 days for most women. So, if your menstrual cycle is 28 days and your luteal phase is 14 days, then you subtract the luteal phase days from the menstrual cycle number and you find that you ovulate on the 14^th day of your cycle.

Predicting Ovulation

There are some common methods that help pregnancy ovulation prediction based on symptoms of ovulation in the body. Basal body temperature (BBT) requires you to take your temperature every morning while you are still in bed, right after waking. As progesterone increases in the system, the basal body temperature rises. When ovulation is just beginning, your temperature will rise half a degree to almost a whole degree Fahrenheit. This rise will remain from the point of ovulation through to the beginning of the next period. Cervical mucus will give you another key to ovulation. The increase and decrease in the amount of mucus along with determining the consistency of the mucus indicate fertility. When you are fertile, the amount of cervical mucus increases and is the consistency of raw egg whites. By noting when you experience these symptoms and by keeping a written record on a calendar of your menstrual cycles, you can develop an ovulation calendar that shows you the history of your menstrual cycles so you can predict when you will ovulate.

Ovulation Test Kits

Outside of watching for signs and symptoms of ovulation and creating an ovulation calendar, you can use a pregnancy test for ovulation, also known as a pregnancy ovulation predictor kit. These tests help pinpoint the surge of luteinizing hormone that is released just prior to ovulation. A positive result, which means there has been a surge of LH, is indicated by a specific comparison method, such as a color band that changes to a darker color than the control band when positive. These ovulation predictor kits and ovulation tests are quite accurate and take a lot of the guesswork out of knowing exactly when you ovulate.

Ovulation Calculators Take The Guesswork Out

A pregnancy ovulation calculator is available online at most pregnancy cites. It shows you what days you are fertile and generates an ovulation calendar that shows the time of your next ovulation. These calculators can also give you the due date for your cycle should you conceive during your fertile days. All that is required to use one of these pregnancy calculators for ovulation is to enter the day of your last period and the number of days of your cycle. Then, there's usually a button to click on and voila! You now know when you are most fertile.

Knowing your ovulation period and having the ability to calculate the due date of your ovulation can be a real blessing when it comes to getting pregnant.