Basal body temperature and cervical mucus

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Basal body temperature and cervical mucus

photo credits: infertility.about.com

If you're trying to get pregnant, it's helpful to know exactly when you're ovulating so you can time sex accordingly. Many women have had success using ovulation predictor kits, which are handy because they tip you off before you ovulate. But the natural (and free) way to get a sense of your ovulation cycle is to chart your basal body temperature (BBT) and monitor your cervical mucus (CM).

What is basal body temperature?

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period. The best time to take it is when you first wake up in the morning. Before you even get out of bed to brush your teeth or start your day, pop a basal thermometer into your mouth. (This kind of thermometer shows the very tiny degree changes that a regular one can't.) It's important to try to wake up and take this reading at about the same time each morning.

Basal thermometers are available at most drugstores and usually come with a chart for recording your temperature each day so that you can start to see your body's patterns.

Before ovulation, your BBT probably ranges from 97.2 to about 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit. But two or three days after you ovulate, hormonal changes cause a rise of 0.4 to 1.0 degree in your BBT, which lasts at least until your next period. (You may notice your temperature spiking on other days here and there, but unless it stays up, you probably haven't yet ovulated.) If you become pregnant, your temperature will stay elevated throughout your pregnancy.

Of course, since a BBT chart will only tell you that you've already ovulated, the first month of recording your temperature won't necessarily be very fruitful. But by charting your BBT for a few months, you'll be able to see whether there's a pattern to your cycle, which will enable you to predict ovulation the next time around – and the best days to have sex if you want to get pregnant.

Keep in mind that if you're sick or don't take your temperature immediately after waking up, any pattern that you find may be inaccurate.

In addition to helping you predict the day of ovulation, BBT charts can also shed some light on infertility issues. If certain phases of your cycle are short, you may have a hormonal imbalance, for example.

 What is cervical mucus?

There are many different types of vaginal discharge, one of which is cervical mucus. Over the course of your menstrual cycle, the amount, color, and texture of your cervical mucus will change, thanks to fluctuating hormone levels. Checking your cervical mucus and keeping track of these changes can help you figure out when you're ovulating.

Here's what to expect throughout your cycle. Beginning with your period, you'll of course have menstrual blood. When your period is over, you'll most likely be dry for several days. After that, you'll start to have cloudy-colored mucus that's roughly the consistency of sticky rice. You're not very likely to conceive on any of these days.

As you approach ovulation (typically a few days beforehand), the mucus will become clear and slippery, very much like raw egg white, and you'll have more of it. (You can remember that this type of mucus means it's baby-making time if you think of how its clear, slippery quality makes it easier for the sperm to travel to the egg.) The last day you see this egg-white consistency is the day that you're most fertile – usually the day before or the day of ovulation.

A good time to check your cervical mucus is when you first go to the bathroom in the morning. (If you're also taking your basal body temperature, be sure to do that first, before you get out of bed.)

Some women have enough cervical mucus discharge that they can check it by looking at the toilet paper after they wipe. Others need to collect some mucus with their finger. While sitting on the toilet, simply insert a clean index or middle finger into your vagina and reach toward your cervix. Get some of the liquid on your finger, if you can, so you can examine it.

Your most fertile period is about five days long: from three days before ovulation until one day after. You can start a little earlier, too, if you want – some women have gotten pregnant from sex that happened six days before they ovulated.

You're fertile during this whole stretch because sperm can survive for five or six days in your body, and your ovum (the egg released at ovulation) can survive for one day. Most experts recommend having sex at least every other day during your fertile period for the best chance of conceiving.

Courtesy of: http://www.babycenter.com/chart-basal-body-temperature-and-cervical-mucus?