Tracking your fertility and ovulation (aka fertility awareness) can increase your chances of getting pregnant or help you avoid your most fertile days if you don’t. For more than a century, researchers have been working to advance fertility awareness methods (FAMs) and as a result, we have seen many improvements in ovulation and fertility monitoring. Today, we have more reliable methods, devices and apps to make identifying (or avoiding) our most fertile days much easier.
A brief history of fertility and ovulation tracking
The original discovery of an ovulation cycle was made in the 1920s by Dr. Kyusaku Ogino and Dr. Herman Knaus. This information was used as a way to naturally prevent pregnancy by avoiding your most fertile days and is still practiced today under the more common name – the ‘rhythm method’. In the 1950s, scientists began to focus on the role cervical mucus plays in determining your most fertile window. And the 1960s saw researchers combine multiple methods for even more accurate results. Although all of these methods were created with the idea of preventing unwanted pregnancy, we have learned to use this same information to increase your chances of getting pregnant when you are trying to conceive.
Advances in Fertility Monitoring Methods
We’ve come a long way from discovering the cycle length family planning method to determining how to track ovulation. Now that’s a lot fertility monitoring methods:
- Calendar Method- This method uses the typical length of your menstrual cycle and the date of your last period to predict when you are most likely to ovulate. Recording the average length of your cycle, its length luteal phase (usually 14 days) and the first date of your last period on a calendar, you can then predict when your fertile window is likely to fall. It is recommended that you use this method for 6 months to get an accurate representation of when you ovulate.
- Core Body Temperature Method- Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your body temperature when you first wake up in the morning. Your BBT changes during your menstrual cycle and is usually lowest before ovulation (between 96-98°F) and highest after ovulation occurs (between 97-99°F). The rise in temperature is associated with the rise in progesterone levels that occur with ovulation. By creating a chart that tracks your temperature each morning, you can detect changes in BBT that may signal ovulation. It is recommended that you use this method for at least 3 months to get an accurate representation of when you ovulate.
- Cervical Mucus Method- The cervical mucus method (aka Billings Ovulation Method®) tracks changes in the color, texture, and amount of cervical mucus you secrete during your menstrual cycle to determine when you ovulate. Cervical mucus has two jobs. to prevent things from entering your uterus during your non-fertile window and to help sperm travel to the uterus during your fertile window. By identifying when your mucus is in the “nourish and transport” phase, you can increase your chances of getting pregnant. The CDC estimates that this method has a 97% effectiveness rate.
- Symptomatic Method (STM)- It works by combining the first three methods listed (diary, BBT and cervical mucus). Because each of these methods relies on different indications, using a combination of all three has been shown to have a 99.6% efficiency rate
- Cervical Position Method- This method requires you to check the firmness, opening and position of your cervix throughout your cycle with your fingertip. At the beginning of your cycle, your cervix should be tight, closed and lower in your vagina when you touch it. Signs of ovulation with this method would be a softer cervix that is slightly open and sits higher, making it harder to touch when you get inside to check it out.
- Ovulation Predictor Kit- One of the most accurate methods is the easy home ovulation test (about 99% accuracy when used correctly). Similar to how a home pregnancy test measures the levels of HCG hormones in your urine, ovulation test strips measure the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in a urine sample. Many of these kits work using a control and test strip with colored lines that darken when LH levels rise and become lighter when LH levels fall. Some more advanced versions show a flashing smiley face on ovulation tests when you are most fertile.
- Saliva method Ferning- This method is named for the fern-like crystals that appear in the dried saliva sample during your fertile window. Saliva Fern Kit include a lens into which you place a drop of saliva. After five minutes, use the provided viewing scope to see if there are any fern-like crystals. You are most likely to ovulate during the 24-72 hour window after these crystals are detected. Its reliability rate falls around 85%.
Using technology to monitor fertility
Additionally, there are many free ovulation tracker apps and paid devices that can make tracking your cycle a breeze:
Applications:
- Premom Ovulation monitoring
- Flo Period Tracker & Calendar
- Ovia: Fertility, Cycle, Health, available on apple and Android
- Femometer Fertility monitoring
- Shine: Fertility, Ovulation Application
Appliances:
- Ava Fertility Tracker- Worn while you sleep, this device tracks 5 physiological signals to determine your 5 most fertile days each month.
- Inito Fertility Monitor – Provides real numerical values of fertility hormones detected in your urine.
- Apple Watch Series 8 or Apple Watch Ultra – Uses wrist temperature data to estimate likely ovulation day.
Ways to increase fertility
Your fertility is directly linked to your overall health. The best ways to increase your fertility are:
- Take Prenatal Vitamins: Ours Total Prenatal + DHA is a great choice whether you are planning, preparing or pregnant with 100% of the daily values of key nutrients for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
- Eat a balanced diet: Eating a healthy balanced diet is important for maintaining good health.
- Use Fertility Supplements: Strawberry Flavored Fertility Gummies is the first fertility gum supplement on the market. With Inositol, Folic Acid, B12 and more to help prepare your body for conception and support hormonal balance. Taking supplements like our gums or ours Fertility Support The capsules help strengthen the body’s ability to conceive and can increase your chances of getting pregnant.
- Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and hiking provides significant benefits to your overall health and fertility.
- Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking illegal drugs: All three are linked to reduced fertility.
Ovulation tracking is critical to identifying you fertility window. Understanding your most fertile days each month can help you maximize your efforts when trying to conceive. Thanks to the scientific and technological advances made through modern fertility research – determining your fertility window is now easier than ever.
If you are having trouble determining your ovulation cycle, or if you discover through these methods that you are not ovulating at all (aka anovulation), seeking the help of a fertility specialist can improve your pregnancy journey.
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