Increasing Chances of Fertility

Evaluating Fertility
By Mel Ng

If you are planning a family and want to time your baby-making sex you are most likely to feel the need to assess your fertility in order to optimize chances of pregnancy so that you may know when to consult a doctor. Knowing how to evaluate your fertility goes a long way to allay concerns of couples wanting to start a family. Evaluating fertility provides a greater insight into matters like ovulation, the best time to conceive, and other fertility related issues like age and chances of pregnancy without treatment.

Both male and female fertility is dependent upon hormonal cycles which in turn determine when a woman can become pregnant and when males are most fertile. The female reproductive cycle is approximately 28 days and a three to six day variation is considered to be normal. Ovulation occurs on the fourteen days before the next menstrual period is due. A woman’s fertility is at its peak on the day of ovulation and lasts till the fourth day prior to the start of the next period.

The question that is on the minds of most couples who are desirous of starting a family is of how to ascertain the exact days of ovulation and whether it is occurring or not. There are quite a few ovulation calculators available with doctors as well as on the Internet that make it possible to ascertain fertility levels. What you need to do is to simply enter the first day of your last menstrual period and the calculator tells you the next ovulation date. Such calculators, however, do not work if your menstrual cycle is irregular and longer than 35 days or shorter than 21 days.

But there are other ways of ascertaining fertility. If you can track your cervical mucus, it can tell you with a fair degree of accuracy, whether you are ovulating or not. The cervical mucus is thin, profuse, clear and stretchy just before ovulation. After ovulation, the cervical mucus becomes thick, tacky, scanty and sticky. You can observe this change in the character of cervical mucus by seeing or feeling it.

You can also determine the occurrence of ovulation by using the Basal Body Temperature method. The body temperature varies during ovulation and after it. The hormone, progesterone, produced by the corpus luteum triggers off an increase in the body temperature after ovulation by 0.5 to 1.0 degrees. The Basal Body temperature method of assessing fertility is a simple procedure that requires you to note your oral temperature every morning before engaging in any activity. This is important because eating, drinking and even moving about change the body temperature and render the procedure ineffective. The basal thermometer allows you to measure the smallest increase in temperature as it has a least count that can measure up to a tenth of a degree. And therefore, if you record your basal body temperature on a chart on the onset of menstruation and note the temperature fluctuations throughout the period of the menstrual cycle, you can get a fair assessment of the timing of your ovulation. A rise of about 0.5 degrees in temperature on or about fourteen days in the cycle would suggest that ovulation has occurred.

Blood tests to determine ovulation are expensive and inconvenient. You can, however, opt for the ovulation predictor kits that are available in the market. These simple and affordable kits measure the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) surge that happens shortly before ovulation. Home urinary tests are accurate as much as the surge in LH is concerned but do not establish ovulation as a certainty.

In case you are having difficulty in conceiving, the most foolproof method of ascertaining fertile periods is to visit your doctor as they are fully equipped with the latest advances in technology for treatment. You should choose the doctor on the basis of your specific requirements for consultation. Family doctors or general practitioners are not fully trained to treat your reproductive system and are most likely to direct you to a specialist. Obstetricians or gynecologists are better trained for women’s health issues. A fertility specialist or reproductive endocrinologist is trained in the field of reproductive medicine, treatment of reproductive problems and for performing advanced reproductive techniques like in-vitro fertilization.

Fertility in men is mainly associated with their ability to produce sperm and transporting it out their body so as to enter the reproductive tract of the partner. Men can do this any time of the month but the quantity and quality of the sperm can be affected by stress, anxiety, and medical conditions like prostrate enlargement or infertility. Sterility is often mistaken for infertility in men and it should be noted that infertility does not mean a total inability to make your partner pregnant. With advancement in medical research, infertility is now defined with temporal and physical elements. You should assume infertility only if a concerted effort at conception has been made with unprotected intercourse and failed.

Fertility Facts Offers extensive articles and resources on fertility, infertility, fertility treatments, getting pregnant and pregnancy.

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Pregnancy and Basal Body Temperature

How Basal Body Temperature is Used for Fertility Predictions
By Kathy Gupton

If you are in the process of trying to have a child, but you find that at least 6 months have passed and nothing has happened, one of the first things that you can do to find out what might be going on is to chart your Basal Body Temperature (BBT). Many fertility doctors will actually want you to chart your BBT for about three months when you first start going to them so that they can see how your cycle typically runs.

Your BBT should be taken first thing every morning. You should keep the BBT thermometer next to your bed so that as soon as you wake up you can take your temperature and write it down on a chart. You can find free downloadable charts online. Typically your BBT is lower the first half of your cycle and higher at ovulation and during the second half of your cycle. It will drop once you are about to start menstruating.

The BBT chart lets you and your doctor know how about what time you ovulate each month. If you ovulate earlier or later than what is considered average or if your temperature doesn’t change at all during the month, it helps a doctor decide on the next course of action. This could include using drugs to stimulate ovulation or more in depth testing to see what else is going on.

Whether you are experiencing fertility problems or are just thinking about trying to have a child, charting your Basal Body Temperature can help you to learn about your body and your cycle and help you to determine your most fertile days. Charting your BBT in addition to using something like an ovulation predictor kit can help raise your chances of getting pregnant. It also creates valuable information to give to a fertility doctor should that be your next step.

For more fertility information visit http://www.familyhopes.com

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Fertility Calendar Online

Increase Fertility with the Fertility Calendar and Herbal Plants
By Jeanette Pollock

Is getting pregnant your ultimate dream this time? Have you gone through all sorts of stress-relieving activities but then you just cannot increase your fertility? Have you engaged in an unprotected sexual intercourse with your partner for over a year now but then there is still no news of your upcoming baby? Why don’t you increase your fertility with the help of the fertility calendar?

If you are facing several difficulties in getting pregnant, you are hence not alone. Such thing has long been a major dilemma for most women. The incapacity to get fertile is nonetheless a great risk to be faced by both men and women. Some failed marriages can trace their roots from one of the couple’s incapacity to bear a child. Being childless can open certain emptiness in a married couple’s life. It may sound clichéd but there is always a solution to every problem.

What is the fertility calendar?

What is there with the fertility calendar? How can you increase fertility with the fertility calendar? Basically, the fertility calendar predicts in which days you are most probably fertile so you can have a successful pregnancy. Experts recommend that you get into a sexual intercourse in your most fertile days. You must first be aware of your own cycle to get into the meat of your fertile days. The fertility calendar will make you see your fertile dates, the end of your menstrual cycle, your ovulation period, and the most probable due dates.

What can the fertility calendar do for you to increase your fertility?

By using the fertility calendar, you get to know a series of ways wherein you can put your own cycle into a chart. When you are aware of when your most fertile time is, you increase your chances of conceiving. The fertility calendar also allows you to conceive the gender of the baby of your choice. So if you do want a baby girl or a baby boy, start using the fertility calendar. How can this be possible? It is said that the sperm that contains the X-chromosomes are able to live longer and they swim a lot slower in contrast to the male Y-carrying sperm cell. Therefore, if you engaged into an intercourse at least 3 days before the ovulation, you may get a baby girl. But if you get into an intercourse a lot closer to the ovulation period, you get bigger chances of getting a baby boy.

Meanwhile, if you aim to delay your pregnancy because you wish to wait for a longer time before you get pregnant again, the fertility calendar will also guide you in your goal. Hence, unwanted pregnancies are also avoided by the use of the fertility calendars.

How can the herbs help you increase fertility?

Aside from the fertility calendars, you can always supplement your quest to increase fertility with the use of herbs. According to the customs, there are some herbal plants that pose a great influence on one’s fertility. Among of which are the red clover, wild carrot, liferoot, wild yam, and partridge berry. There are women who can attest to the magnificence brought about by their drinking of these herbs.

There is nothing wrong to try the customary practice of drinking the herbal plants as long as there are those who can attest to its wonders and safety. Meanwhile, some free fertility calendars are available in the internet. You simply have to download it and start tracking your own menstrual cycle and therefore learn to determine which your fertile days are.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of InfertilityDomain.com. Visit Jeanette's website to learn more about increasing fertility!

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Free Fertility Calendar

Know the Right Time for Conceiving with Free Fertility Calendar
By J Herrera

Getting pregnant is a common problem that affects lots of couples, men and women who have been married for years and even though they have been trying to conceive for a long time they still do not have their first baby and they fill kind of an empty in their lives. Probably it sounds like your case but now there is a simple and free solution that will help you with your problem, the free fertility calendar.

The free fertility calendar is used to chart the fertility cycle so couples will be able to know which days it is more likely she gets pregnant when they have sex, because this calendar helps to increase the chances of conceiving. Free fertility calendar calculates the probability of conception based on your ovulation time and other factors such as lifespan of the egg and sperm; and shows you the days that are most promising for conception. But there is even more, the free fertility calendar will also help you to decide the sex of your baby. Yes, you can be able to decide whether you want to have a little boy or a little girl, and according to this you will know the best days for trying to conceive any of them.

Nevertheless, there is the other side of the coin; this means couples with the opposite problem which is trying to avoid pregnancy, whether it is because they already have several kids or because they want to wait a long while before having their second or third kid. The free fertility calendar also helps you avoid pregnancy, as you surely must know, the natural way to avoid unwanted pregnancy is to abstain from unprotected intercourse during your fertile days. The most fertile time is the day of ovulation. Free fertility calendar calculates the unsafe days considering possible variations in your menstrual cycle, helping you avoid an unwanted pregnancy and enjoy the sex with your partner without having to worry for getting pregnant.

Whether is your case, if you are trying to get pregnant or if you want to avoid pregnancy, the free fertility calendar is very easy to use. You do not have to know anything about corpus luteum, progesterone levels, or terms like that, the free fertility calendar does all this work for you. All you need to know to begin using it is the length of your menstrual cycle and the date of your last period. Simply enter this little information and the calendar will do the rest!

So, why don’t you give it a shot? You will be amazed with the results, you’ll see.

J Herrera is a freelance writer for health topics.

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Menstrual Calendar

Menstrual Calendar: Charting the Signs of Fertility
By Marie Zenack

Charting the signs of your menstrual cycle is a good way to keep in touch with your body, your feelings, and your health. It is also a good way to predict your days of menstruation in advance, even if your menstrual cycles are irregular, and to know the most fertile times if you are hoping to conceive.

Cervical Mucus

The sign that is easiest to observe is the cervical mucus, since it is noticed in the course of daily activity. Fertile type mucus is produced by the cervix during the days when the ova are maturing and preparing for ovulation. This mucus is not only an indicator of fertility, it is essential for fertility. Cervical mucus nourishes the sperm, protects them from the natural acidity of the vagina, and guides them toward the ovum. Following is a simple way to observe and chart your fertile type mucus.

Pay attention to how you feel as you go about your daily activities. Just as you have learned to notice a certain wetness at menstruation, you will begin to notice a second wet time, but later in the cycle, and without bleeding. The second wet time is caused by your fertile type mucus.

Each time you go to the bathroom, wipe with toilet paper both before and after you use the toilet, noticing: a) the sensation you feel as you wipe with toilet paper, b) what is on the toilet paper. Chart what you see and what you feel in any way that makes sense to you.

1) Menstruation: mark the days of bleeding in some way, such as coloring the calendar day red.

2) Nothing: if you don't see or feel anything outside your vagina, you can leave the calendar blank on those days.

3) Something: but if you see or feel something - anything - such as pasty or sticky mucus, or a feeling of wetness - draw something, such as a raindrop, on these days.

4) Slippery something: If the pasty or sticky mucus turns to slippery mucus or a slippery feeling, color the raindrop dark to indicate the slippery wetness.

After a few slippery wet days, the mucus may disappear or return to sticky or pasty. When it does, begin to count the days until menstruation arrives. In a normal fertile cycle, the time between the last day of slippery mucus or slippery feeling and the next menstruation is between 11-16 days. You will become quite accurate about your predictions after you chart for about three cycles.

The mucus is your most fertile time, since fertile type is produced during the days leading up to and including ovulation. If you are trying to conceive, use the wet, slippery days for sexual relations. But don't try to use this information for birth control unless you seek out a qualified teacher of fertility awareness or natural family planning.

When the fertile mucus is present, we are under the influence of the hormone estrogen. We may feel courageous and loving. Men who bored us last week may suddenly appear interesting and attractive. Like Mother Earth in her rainy season, we are full of potential. We may also be interested in sexual activity. These emotions and reactions are caused by the hormone estrogen, which is getting us ready to have a baby, whether or not we want one! These hormonal swings are a predictable part of our cycle that must be safely navigated by all women in their reproductive years.

After ovulation, under the influence of the hormone progesterone, we may feel somewhat deflated compared to our wet, fertile time. Like Mother Earth in her dry time, we may feel quiet, with less energy. When menstrual bleeding begins, both estrogen and progesterone are at low levels. We may feel sensitive, solitary, or inward. Getting to know the feelings that go along with your hormonal cycle can give you a new and sensitive relationship with yourself.

Dark red menstruation for about three days probably indicates that hormones are high enough to build a good uterine lining and nourish a fetus in the event of conception. However, more than three days of menstruation can be exhausting. If your bleeding is excessive, try drinking raspberry leaf tea on a regular basis.

Three to five days of wet, slippery mucus 11-14 days before the next menstruation is a probable indicator of normal ovulation and a fertile cycle. Cycles are often 28-30 days from the first day of bleeding to the first day of the bleeding of the next menstruation. However, irregular cycles do not indicate infertility. If the time between the last day of slippery mucus and the next menstruation is 11-16 days, the cycle is probably fertile. Even if one cycle is not fertile, the next may well be fertile. Much depends on the stress we may be feeling. Keeping a chart allows us to keep all things in perspective, and feel our own harmony with all the cycles of nature.

Basal Body Temperature

If you are not sure you are ovulating, you can take your temperature. The body's resting temperature increases four-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit or two-tenths of a degree Centigrade under the influence of progesterone at ovulation. Observing this sign involves taking your temperature at the same time each morning before rising. (This is not as hard as it sounds. It takes less than two minutes and you can go back to sleep if you want.)

To observe your temperature rise, buy a BD brand digital basal thermometer. This brand will give you a consistent and accurate reading. Other high quality brands of digital basal thermometers are also probably accurate, but have not been tested for fertility awareness. Make sure the battery is good. (You can replace it.) An ordinary clinical thermometer is not accurate enough for fertility awareness. Nor is the "ear thermometer" (tympanic thermometer).

Take your temperature every day immediately upon waking, before 7:30 a.m. The body's rhythms (circadian rhythms) fluctuate over a 24-hour period. Your temperature is lowest in the early morning and highest in the afternoon. Fluctuations are greater after 7:30 a.m. If you go to bed before midnight and wake up before 7:30 a.m., you will get the clearest temperature readings.

If it is not convenient to take your temperature immediately upon waking, you may take it during light morning activity. For example, if you need to go to the bathroom, you may take your temperature while getting up and using the toilet. But be consistent about the circumstances under which you take your temperature. If you take it during light morning activity, take it that way every morning. Don't take it sometimes before getting up and at other times during light morning activity. If you have sexual relations, take your temperature before.

Many women find that the digital thermometers require such a short time to use that it is easy to take their temperature before getting up. Take your temperature by mouth. Under arm and ear temperatures are not accurate enough for family planning purposes. The thermometer will beep softly several times before beginning to beep slightly louder and repeatedly. Keep the thermometer under your tongue until the louder, repeated beeps begin. You can read and chart your temperature as soon as is convenient after taking it. Your thermometer has a recall button that allows you to read the last temperature taken. Be sure to wash your thermometer after each use.

Your Temperature Graph

Put a dot on a graph on the spot corresponding to each day's temperature. Join the temperature dots of consecutive days. If you do not take your temperature one day, do not join the dots across that day. Also write out the temperature numerically, to guard against errors in graphing.

Interpreting Your Chart

1) Breathe and relax. Study your chart.

2) Can you find six low temperatures during the fertile mucus days of your cycle? (You can chart your mucus and menstruation on the same graph paper.)

3) Draw a horizontal line at the highest of the six low temperatures. This is your low temperature line.

4) Draw another horizontal line four-tenths of a degree F. or two-tenths of a degree C. above your low temperature line. This is your full thermal shift line.

5) Can you find three high temperatures after the low temperatures? All of the high temperatures must be above the low temperature line. At least the third high temperature must be at or above the full thermal shift line.

6) This temperature pattern of low and high temperatures is called a biphasic pattern with a full thermal shift. A biphasic pattern with a full thermal shift confirms that you really did ovulate. A smaller, but sustained temperature rise also probably indicates ovulation.

If you are hoping to become pregnant, please pay close attention to nutrition. Look for unprocessed foods grown without chemicals. Exercise in moderation. Get plenty of rest. Avoid stress. Think happy thoughts. Pray for the child you desire, and begin sending your child love, now. Heal any hurtful feelings between you and your mate, and between you both and your parents. Your mate should avoid hot shower or baths and tight clothing, both of which lower sperm count.To increase your chances of conception, use the wet, slippery days for sexual relations.

If you have observed a biphasic pattern with a full thermal shift, and it is now 18 days since your last day of slippery, wet mucus, and menstruation has not arrived, you may feel confident that you have conceived.

Congratulations and blessings!

Marie Zenack is the author of an Ebook on how to get pregnant and how to avoid pregnancy with natural birth control. Marie is a teacher of fertility awareness.

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Deciphering the Fertility Calendar

Deciphering The Fertility Calendar
By Mel Ng

If you are one of the many couples around the world that are trying to conceive, I’m sure you’ve seen a fertility calendar. In fact, I know many couples that give up on the idea of having a baby upon looking at a fertility calendar. The truth of the matter is that there really is nothing to fear from the calendar alone and while it may be confusing at first, in time it will become your conception Bible and might possibly provide more details than many parents in the world today have about the moment of conception.

Trust me in this though. The fertility calendar may seem Greek at first, but in time it will become much easier to understand and you will find that it is your lifeline to who, what, when, and where when it comes to conceiving that precious bundle of joy you are dreaming of when you began seeking alternative solutions for conception. A fertility calendar is a device you use in order to raise your awareness of your body and your fertility.

The calendar enables you to keep track of the days when you are experiencing menstrual flow, the number of days, the duration and heaviness or lightness of your flow, your daily basal body temperature, and any other information you think is pertinent to your fertility quest. It is also a good place to make notes about questions you have for your doctor so that you do not forget them during your next visit. When used consistently, this calendar can also help you prevent future fertile days (this helps when planning romantic vacations).

In addition to the many other details your calendar can help you monitor it can also enable you to keep track of your intercourse each month, week, or day. There are different calendars and programs you can use online in order to properly track your progress, setbacks, normal ovulation times, and attempts to conceive during those times in addition to the outcome. You can also keep track of scheduled doctors appointments on this calendar while having all your information in one place together. This calendar is an excellent tool for your pregnancy pursuit.

It is important to remember, however, that the fertility calendar is a tool or a guide and not a guarantee that anything will result from your diligence. It takes months for many before there can even be effective predictions about ovulation or even your monthly flow if it is traditionally irregular. The calendar can however, assist you in finding out which irregularities you are experiencing, which may in turn help with an accurate diagnosis of conception inhibitors. The calendar is far more than a tool for helping predict the future as it is also helps you understand the way your body works.

Getting to know your body is the most important thing the fertility calendar provides. You’ll get a crash course in your body and how it works because (probably for the first time in your life) you are forced to pay attention to how your body works and understand what those events mean in the grand scheme of things—particularly when it comes to conception. The fertility calendar alone will not get you pregnant but it could very well be the tool that helps you and your doctor understand the why, when, and how of when you will actually conceive.

Fertility Facts Offers extensive articles and resources on fertility, infertility, fertility treatments, getting pregnant and pregnancy.

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Ovulation Calendar: Charting Your Way to Conception

Ovulation Calendar Charting Your Way to Conception
By Kitty Barker

The two methods of calculating your pregnancy are the American System and the Ovulation System. Today we are going to discuss the Ovulation Calendar. It seems that this system is used more frequently with more accuracy. The fact of the accuracy and of course the method is so easy to do it is no wonder that many people prefer the Ovulation Calendar.

The Ovulation Calendar is of course up to you to keep track in order to get a more perfect result. I am going to give you an example that I am sure will be very useful for you.

MONTH 1:

o 10/01/06 First day of your cycle

o 10/12/06 A little bit fertile

o 10/13/06 Fertile

o 10/14/06 VERY fertile

o 10/15/06 Time to ovulate

o A home pregnancy test may work now.

o 10/29/06 End of cycle

o 11/01/06 No period? Maybe you’re pregnant?

o 7/08/07 If you are, this is your approximate due date.

This is a very good example to use when you start your Ovulation Calendar. You may not be pregnant about 15 to 25 per cent of most women have a chance to get pregnant during their first cycle. About 50% of couples conceive during the first three months. The first six months about 75% of couples conceive. The first year about 90% of couples conceive giving birth to their beautiful baby.

The Ovulation Calendar is very important to couples and that is why I am going to present a version of the second month for your benefit. The average couple who has sex once per day provides the best chance of getting pregnant. When your partner ejaculates remain on your back with your hips elevated for 20-30 minutes this will optimize your chances of getting pregnant. Another good suggestion for you and your partner to remember is that the woman on top position is not great for pregnancy since ejaculate may flow out.

*MONTH 2:

o 10/29/06 First day of your cycle

o 11/9/06 A little bit fertile

o 11/10/ Fertile

o 11/11/06 Very Fertile

o 11/12/06 Time to ovulate

o 11/26/06 End of Cycle

o 11/29/06 No period? Maybe you’re pregnant!

o 08/05/07 If you are, this is your approximate due date.

You deserve to know how soon you have become pregnant. There are several tests on the market that can do just that. The EPT early pregnancy test is better than others on the market. EPT is a home pregnancy test that can tell you a lot sooner than ordinary pregnancy tests on the market today. When using the Ovulation Calendar let us suggest that you keep on hand the EPT early pregnancy test so you can test yourself at the proper times. We had suggested that about 50% of couples conceive within the first three months. In order to help you maintain your Ovulation Calendar we will continue with the third month for your benefit.

*Month 3:

o 11/26/06 First day of your cycle

o 12/07/06 A little bit fertile

o 12/08/06 Fertile

o 12/09/06 VERY fertile

o 12/10/06 Time to ovulate

o 12/24/06 End of cycle

o 12/27/06 No period? Maybe you’re pregnant!

o 09/02/07 If you are, this is your approximate due date.

When calculating your pregnancy and you discovered that you are now pregnant. The Ovulation System has it’s own way of calculating the due date. Conception is considered week 0, week 2 is positive pregnancy test should be taken, weeks 10-11 ends the first trimester, while week 24 ends the second trimester leaving week 38 your due date. The Ovulation Calendar is very important in calculating when you ovulate to know when you have conceived. The Ovulation Calendar is also good to keep after you know your pregnant in order to chart your due date. One of the most

An important thing in life is creation of new life. That is why a woman should be able to calculate when her baby will be born, when she should be ready to go to hospital for delivery, and most of all know what is going on inside her.

Author - Kitty Barker who often writes for and with Pregnancy Information where there is far more information, news and resources. She also writes for Pregnancy Weight Gain If that link is inactive, you can paste this link into your browser - http://pregnancy-and-baby-tips.com/

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