How to Track Your Cycle
Tracking your cycle can significantly speed up the trying to conceive process for you and your partner. Ultimately, you need the sperm and egg to meet in order to get pregnant, so knowing when you ovulate (when an egg is released from the ovary) and identifying your fertile window will ensure that you are having sex within your fertile window and maximize your chances of getting pregnant. Tracking your cycle will also help you understand more about your cycles and allow you to narrow down an issue if something isn't right.
It's important to note that cycles are not the same for everyone - a cycle anywhere from 24-35 days and ovulation any time before day 21 of your cycle is considered normal. It's important to track your cycle to better understand what's normal for your body - how long your cycles are, what day you ovulate, and how long your luteal phase is.
Period
Each menstrual cycle, the first day of your period marks Day 1 of your cycle. If you know the approximate day of ovulation (ex. Day 14), you can predict your fertile window (ex. Days 8-15) based on the first day of your period. If your cycles are regular, ovulation will typically occur around the same day of your cycle each month (approximately halfway through, usually before day 21 of your cycle).
Ovulation Test Strips
Ovulations test strips or ovulation tests can help you identify when you are approaching ovulation. These tests measure the amount of LH in your urine. Approximately 24-48 hours before ovulation, you will have an LH surge, or peak, indicating that you are approaching ovulation. Sperm can live up to 5 days, so you want to start having sex at least 5 days before your predicted ovulation day. Test using ovulation test strips once a day (around the same time of the day if you can) when not approaching ovulation, then two times per day when the test line starts to get darker.
These tests are a great resource but can be inaccurate especially with conditions such as PCOS, which is why tracking cervical fluid/position and BBT are necessary to confirm ovulation as well.
Cervical Fluid/Position
Monitoring your cervical fluid/position throughout the month can help you confirm your most fertile days. Monitor your cervical fluid by inserting a clean finger into your vagina and then checking the color and texture of the fluid on your fingers to study your cervical fluid . Cervical fluid will vary throughout the month based on where you are in your cycle. In an example 28-day cycle with ovulation on Day 14, the expected cervical fluid pattern would be similar to the following:
Dry/Sticky, like paste - Days 1-6
Creamy, like yogurt - Days 7-9
Wet & Clear - Days 10-12
Egg White, slippery and stretchy (most fertile) - Days 13-14
Dry - Days 14-28
For cervical position, it's best to get into a squatting position and inserting a clean finger into your vagina and feel for your cervix, which will typically be firm and circular compared to your vagina. In an example 28-day cycle with ovulation on Day 14, the expected cervical fluid pattern would be similar to the following:
Firm and Low - Not ovulation yet or you have already ovulated.
Soft, High and Open (most fertile) - Around Ovulation
It will likely take some practice to use the cervical fluid/position to determine your fertile window, however, this technique can be one of the most accurate in identifying your most fertile days. Fertile cervical fluid will maximize the chances of sperm meeting the egg. Start by testing daily to understand the changes in your cervical fluid/position throughout your cycle, then only as needed to identify your most fertile days.
Basal Body Thermometer (BBT)
You should take your resting BBT in the morning right when you wake up, before you get up for the day to ensure consistency in testing conditions. After ovulation, your BBT will rise approximately X degrees right after ovulation occurs, and will remain elevated until your period. Right before your period, your temperature will drop back down to pre-ovulation temperatures. BBT will only tell you once you have already ovulated, which is why ovulation tests strips and cervical fluid should be tracked as well. But it can confirm that you ovulated, and can be used to predict what day you may expect ovulation to occur in future cycles if your cycles are regular.
Tracking App
An App can help you predict your fertile window each month by inputting your period, ovulation test results, cervical fluid/position, BBT and any other symptoms. For tracking, I used the free version of Ovia Health combined with the Premom Ovulation Tracker app for BBT charting. Log your symptoms, your period, your cervical fluid/position and your BBT, and the apps will help predict your fertile window based on your inputs. If your periods are irregular or your ovulation is consistently occurring after day 21 of your cycle or not at all, bring this information to your OBGYN to initiate further testing and investigation into identifying the root cause.
For additional details on understanding your fertility and how to track your cycle when trying to conceive, I highly recommend reading Tori Wechsler's Taking Charge of Your Fertility.
