While Ovatel is awesome for detecting your fertility window, the MyCycleDiary menstrual chart is your ovulation companion. It will tell you and your doctor everything you need to know about your cycle. This is very important not only for getting pregnant, but also for your overall health.

The MCD chart uses the information that your provide about each day of your menstrual cycle. This information paints a picture of each of your cycle so that you can see when and if you are ovulating, whether you are timing sex at the correct time in your cycle, and if your luteal phase is the right length to support a healthy pregnancy. The more you put in your chart, the better picture you will have of what is going on.

Three Cycles of Information

The best way to get a good picture of what is going on with your conception diary is to track your cycles for a consecutive three months. This will allow you to see if there are any inconsistencies with your cycle, if you are ovulation on time, and whether your cycle is over all healthy and conducive for conception.

When charting for the first three cycles you will want to make sure to add as much information as you can. The more information, the better. You will want to include the following on your MyCycleDiary chart:

• When your periods starts
• When your period ends
• Daily flow
• Cervical mucus
• Intercourse
• Any spotting
• Ovatel results
• Basal Body Temperature
• Urine ovulation predictor kits
• Cervical Placement

 Not everyone will want to put down all this information, but it is worth it in the long run. If after six months you are not pregnant, you can take this information to your physician for them to examine. They will be able to tell if you are ovulating or not and might be able to run tests to help determine the issue if there is one.

Using Ovatel with MCD for Confirmation

The best way to find out if you are ovulating and when is to use your MyCycleDiary along with your Ovatel. The scope will tell you prior to ovulation that you are fertile. This is known as your fertility window and will be about a five day span when using the Ovatel monitor. You will chart this information on MCD and after ovulation has occurred you should notice signs and symptoms that will confirm this for you.

One of the first signs that ovulation has occurred is a temperature jump. Once ovulation has occurred, the body begins to make progesterone. This causes a woman to feel an array of symptoms as well as her body temperature to rise slightly. Other signs to write down in your MyCycleDiary are change in cervical mucus, sore breasts, increase in urination frequency, headaches, and darkening of veins and areolas. Once you see three or more of these signs and symptoms and they last over three days in a row, you can conclude that ovulation has happened.

Many women today like to plan ahead for the children they want. This means that when you are on birth control, you will want to know what to expect when you come off of it. Each method has its own time frame where your fertility may wane and you are not as likely to become pregnant.

There are a few steps you can take right now; while still on birth control that can help you get ahead of the game. This will put you at an advantage when it comes time to actually try to conceive.

Menstrual Charting for Your Health

Menstrual charting offers you many healthy advantages, even on birth control. Tracking your cycles to see if they are normal is the key to learning about your fertility. MyCycleDiary is a chart that allows women to write down what happens during their cycle so that they can keep track and watch for subtle differences.

If you are on the pill, Nuva Ring, Patch, Depo Provera, or the Mirena IUD, you may not be having regular cycles or they may not be the same as you are when not on hormonal birth control. You can still track your cycle to be sure that it is normal for you when on the medication you are on. You should write down if you get break through bleeding or are on any medications that could lessen the effectiveness of your method of choice.

If you are using non-hormonal methods of birth control, you will be able to get a very clear picture to what is going on with your body. You not only will be able to see if there are changes that could mean something is going on, but you will also be able to detect ovulation. This will help you to get pregnant faster when you decide it is time.

Stopping Birth Control – The Waiting Game

Once you decide it is time to stop the birth control, you may find that your fertility does not come back immediately. This is where menstrual charting will really come in handy. Tracking your cycles will help you determine when and where in your cycle ovulation returns. This can vary depending on what type of birth control you were on. Pill, Patch, and Ring users can expect it to take 1-3 months on average, while Depo users can experience waits up to 18 months post last injection. Those who were not using any hormonal methods can expect no delay in ovulation.

Once off the birth control you will also want to see what your hormones are doing and be sure to time intercourse to your fertile window. Using an ovulation monitor such as Ovatel can help you know exactly when you are at your most fertile each cycle and help you get pregnant faster. Ovulation predictor strips are also useful to determine the time right before ovulation occurs. If you use these methods right after stopping your birth control, you will be able to get pregnant faster than those who have no idea when they are fertile or when their fertility returns.

For centuries we have been looking up to the Heavens for inspiration and science. It has been long proven that the Moon has a great influence on the human body in many ways. It also affects the menstruation cycles of women. At a specific time each lunar cycle, a woman will be more likely to release an egg than any other time.

The lunar cycle can be calculated by locating the sun and moon at the time of one’s birth. Once the Sun-Moon angle is known, as well as the Moon sign, then the lunar day can be noted. Most lunar fertility charts will give you a lunar fertility window to make the most of your conception opportunity.

Understanding Lunar and Biological Cycles

With most women using some form of hormonal birth control, very few women are naturally in sync with their lunar cycle. The best way to know if your lunar fertility window is the same, or different, than your biological cycle, is to use an ovulation prediction kit such as Ovatel.

If your cycles are not in sync, you do not have to worry. Many women will ovulate more than once per cycle – once during their lunar cycle and once during their biological. We have all heard of women getting pregnant on their periods or when they should have been infertile biologically. They were probably in their lunar fertility window.

It is the days up leading up to ovulation that make up the fertility window during a biological cycle, as well as your lunar cycle. The fertility window is when you should be timing intercourse to be sure that you have the most sperm ready and waiting for the egg.

Peak Fertility Months

Lunar fertility can tell women when they are most likely to get and stay pregnant. While there is always a chance that a woman can get pregnant if she is not using birth control, certain months are better than others. These are called peak fertility months.

During a peak fertility month, the lunar fertility window would also contain the same element of the Moon sign. The moon spends 2 ½ days, approximately, in each of the 12 Zodiac signs. When the Moon is in your moon sign or the other 2 signs of the Zodiac that are the same element, you are most fertile. This peak fertility month will offer the highest success rate of conception. Depending on the year, a woman can have between 3 to 6 peak fertility months each year. The amount and when they occur will change each year as well.

During the other lunar cycles there is still a chance of conception. It is just lower and less likely to happen. Some scholars will tell women to be careful during non-peak months, as there are higher miscarriage rates with these cycles when pregnancy does occur.

Lunar Fertility and Sex Determination

Couples all over the world try to sway to a particular gender. They try foods, sex timing, and all sorts of odd methods to sway one way or the other. The best that any of these methods has done is shift the odds of getting the right gender to 60/40. Lunar fertility can help couples with sex determination to a much higher degree. There is up to a 93% success rate when using lunar fertility to choose gender or predict it.

Each sign of the Zodiac is either masculine or feminine. When the lunar day falls in a male sign, you will have a boy. When it falls in a female sign, you will get a girl. This may sound odd, but many scientists have also proven that this is to be true. The egg’s membrane at the time of ovulation can either have a slight positive or negative charge, depending on the Moon’s location at ovulation. The membrane of each sperm will also have a charge to it. If the two charges of sperm and egg are the same, they will repel and the sperm will not be able to get in. If they are opposite, they will attract.

If the egg has a + charge than + or male, Y, bearing sperm will not be able to approach the egg. So the – or female (X) sperm will be drawn into the egg and a female child is the result. If the egg has a – charge than the + or male (X) sperm with be draw in and a male child will result. So, if fertilization occurs during a + moon phase, a boy is the most likely result. If fertilization happens during a – moon phase, a girl is the most likely outcome.

Getting ready to add a new baby into your life can sometimes seem overwhelming. There is so much to think about. You wonder if you have enough money, energy, and time for a new baby. You think about the diapers, clothes, and toys. Rarely do people think about preparing their body for a new arrival as well.

There are things that every woman needs to think about before she is dreaming of buying pink and blue. You will need to start preparing your body for pregnancy prior to trying. You also need to see where your body currently is, especially if you are throwing away the birth control.

Vitamins and Nutrients

Your body should be in the best health possible when you are trying to conceive. This starts with how you eat. You want to be eating healthy foods and be at a good weight prior to conception. If you are too thin or over weight you may find conception quite difficult. You will want to cut out high fat food and other unhealthy snacks. This will set you up for a healthy pregnancy.

When you are TTCing you want to treat your body as if you are already pregnant. This means staying away from toxic or dangerous substances, and taking a prenatal vitamin. The prenatal vitamin will make sure that you are getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need to have a healthy baby. This will include the right amount of folic acid, which is critical to proper brain development.

Preconception Appointment

Many couples today will leave nothing up to chance. A preconception checkup is one where you are checked out by your doctor to be sure that you are healthy enough to get and stay pregnant.

This appointment is where you will be asked both you and your partner’s medical history, what type of exercise you have, eating habits, birth control you are currently using, menstrual cycle history, past pregnancies, miscarriages, and abortions. All of these things will help the doctor decide if you are healthy enough to carry a child full term or not.

You will be able to expect to have your blood pressure checked to be sure it is not high, which can not only put you at risk now, but an even higher risk during pregnancy. A pelvic exam will be done to be sure that your reproductive organs are healthy and you have no physical anomalies that can stop you from carrying a child to term, such as fibroids, bicornate uterus, or endometriosis. You will get a Pap smear, blood work, and urine analysis. If you have a family history of genetic issues, then you and your partner could be asked to do genetic counseling to see what or if you have any risk factors.

Menstrual Charting and Cycle Tracking

It is very important to begin to track your menstrual cycles with menstrual charting. This will allow you to see how long each cycle is, whether you are ovulating or not, and if your cycles are normal. For those just getting off birth control, it can take months to regain your fertility with some methods. Tracking allows you to see when ovulation begins again, so you can time intercourse right.

Menstrual charting is very easy and takes little to no time each day. Using a fertility monitor, such as Ovatel, can help you know exactly when you are fertile each month. You can chart down all of your information each day and after 3 cycles you can bring it to your doctor to analyze if you are not already pregnant.

One of the best methods for figuring out your fertility window is fertility ferning. Ferning refers to the pattern seen through a fertility microscope, such as Ovatel. During a woman’s fertile period her saliva will show a pattern that resembles the leaves of a fern. This means she is close to ovulation and should begin to prepare to conceive.

Ferning has been around for a long time and is one of the most reliable ways to determine whether or not you are fertile and when.

The Science behind Ferning

There is actual science behind ferning. It is not just some magical thing that happens each month. Estrogen is the hormone behind the ferning event. As estrogen rises in the body, it helps to make a mature egg to be released at ovulation. These levels peak as the time gets closer to ovulation.

Your estrogen levels can be seen in the crystal pattern in dried saliva. As you near ovulation and are at your most fertile, you will be able to see the crystals very easily once the saliva dries on the scope. During the other times on your cycle you will not see this pattern at all. If you do or you see ferning more than once in your cycle, you could already be pregnant or have some hormone issues.

How to Read Your Ferning Scope

There is an art form when it comes to the ferning pattern that signifies your fertility window. You have to make sure that when you are using your Ovatel fertility monitor that you follow the directions to the letter. It will cut down on questions and second guessing yourself.

Once you have a sample of your saliva, place it on the scope, and allow it to dry. You should never dry it with a heat source, as this will ruin the sample and you will have to start all over again. The drying time is about 10 minutes with an average sample. You want to be sure to have enough saliva, but not too much so that it never dries. When you are ready to look through the scope, you need to be sure you have a good light source. If the light is too dim, you will not be able to see the crystals.

There is a chance that you are not in your fertile period, so if you do not see the ferning patter, do not worry. Simply keep using the scope each day until you see it. Depending on where you are in your cycle, this could be up to a couple weeks. Hang in there you will see the pattern. In addition, using the scope regularly will help you become an expert at it. Practice always makes perfect.

Once you do see the ferning pattern emerge, you will want to time intercourse so you can get pregnant. Your fertility window should last about 5 days and during this time you will want to have sex once per day to make sure there is enough sperm to do the job.

Pregnancy success relies on a whole lot of factors. Many of them you can help and do on your own, others you will need to do a bit of leg work. When you are trying to get pregnant you will want to act as if you already are. This means that you want to eat like you are pregnant – this means healthy, not more – relax like you are pregnant, and watch your activities as if you are pregnant.

There is more to it than just willing it to be. There are many things to know about your own body when you are planning for a baby. Often doctors will recommend a preconception checkup to discuss any medications you may need to go off of, weight you need to lose or gain, and any other important information.

Your Monthly Cycle – Charting Your Way to Conception

It is easy to say that you expect your period each month around the 13th or 21st, but actually knowing your cycle is a bit different. Planning a healthy pregnancy means you need to know when you will be fertile. The fertile window is approximately 12-16 days before your next menstrual period. Great. How are you supposed to know when that will be? Chart your cycle.

The first day of your cycle, or cycle day 1, is the first day of regular bleeding. Spotting is part of the end of your cycle, not the beginning of a new one. You would chart how long your period lasts, how heavy or light it is, and if you had any cramping with it. Once you are done, you would chart your cervical mucus to find out when you are in your fertile window.

Many women find that taking their temperature with a basal body thermometer each morning helps them to see when ovulation has occurred so they can track it in the future. Once you ovulate – or release an egg – your temperature will go up and stay up for the rest of your cycle. Once you see the spike you will know your fertile window is over.

Ovulation Prediction Kits – The Tools for Ease

For those who really want to know exactly when that egg will arrive, ovulation predictor kits can be just what the doctor ordered – literally. There are several types and each have their own benefits. Many women will choose to use a couple to be sure that they are each accurate.

Urine OPKs offer a fast way to see when one is ovulating. The tests will tell you between 12-48 hours prior to releasing the egg by turning positive for LH – Luteinizing Hormone. After your period you would begin to pee on a stick once per day with your second urine of the day. When the test line is as dark as or darker than the control line, the test is positive and you should have intercourse. Some tests simply give you’re a smiley face.

Another type of ovulation prediction kit is the Ovatel microscope. This tests the saliva each day any time you want to see if there are crystals. The crystals mean that you are fertile and should begin timing sex to catch that egg. The best part about Ovatel is you can use it over and over and have a longer fertility window to use. This ups your chances of conception greatly.

Fertility Food Tip:   Eat Nuts and Seeds for Healthy Fat!

Nuts and seeds are a fantastic fertility food. Why? Because they are high in protein and healthy fats, which help stabilize blood sugar levels, ease inflammation and boost fertility. Estrogen is made and stored in fat, so you definitely need fat, you just want to be sure to eat the healthy kind. Nuts and seeds also contain essential minerals and fiber, which is important for the health of the digestive system and lowering cholesterol. Good choices for seeds are pumpkin and sesame, which also contain zinc, and for nuts, almonds and walnuts.

By Cindy Bailey, author of The Fertile Kitchen™ Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Optimizing Your Fertility (www.fertilekitchen.com)

Okay! Everyone got their buzzers out? Do we have a pretty woman in a long sparkly dress ready to gesture to things? Is a cheering audience in place? Good, because today’s edition of Myths and Facts is about fertility. So make keep a scorecard, assure yourself you know the answer before you’ve read it, and then if you get it wrong—swear you knew the right answer all along anyways. (We all heard you.)

…and BEGIN!

 

• Mumps Will Make You Infertile

Although the mumps vaccine has been around for a while, some adolescents may still have developed it. Deep breath, ladies. If you had mumps as a child, your eggs are safe. However, if hubby had mumps, he might need to see his doctor about sperm analysis.

• Fertility Problems Begin at 35

True—and false. ““A women’s fertility peaks at about age 27 and drops off more rapidly after 35. It’s ok to wait but be forewarned that waiting holds its own consequences.” Says Dr. Peress.

Just because your possibilities are slimmer, doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get pregnant. Take this story for example.

• Ovulation Occurs on Day 14

Every woman is different, and so is their cycle. If we could time our cycles down to the minute, than no one would ever have to trash their favorite undies from surprise attacks from mother nature. Using a cycle diary and Ovatel can help you get more a definitive ETA on ovulation.

• A Woman Can Get Pregnant Only on One Day of Her Cycle

Ladies? Are you listening? We want you to remember this key phrase, alright? Five-Day-Fertile-Window. That’s—count em!—one, two, three, four, FIVE days in which you can get knocked-up.

“When a couple decides it’s time to try to conceive, the first step is to use a fertility monitor such as Ovatel. Once you have found your fertile window, which is the 5 days leading up to ovulation, couples should have intercourse once every 24 hours for the entire 5 day fertile window to try to conceive.” Says Dr. Peress, “If after 3 months you are unsuccessful, I recommend visiting your doctor with your MyCycleDiary chart to talk about testing for possible conditions that could be inhibiting conception.”
Bravo, ladies! You have all the right answers. Now somebody tell your husband that.