Women who are trying to conceive and finding that they are having difficulty often turn to fertility charts and calculators and basal body temperature charting in an effort to determine when they are most fertile and thus when they should be trying to conceive. Women who have just found this method may wonder how it works and why. The information contained herein is meant to help explain basal body temperature charts and how they relate to fertility.

Hormones and Conception

The first thing that a woman needs to understand is how conception, hormones and her monthly cycle work together to help produce and egg and thus be fertile. Initially, from the first day of menstruation up until ovulation (the follicular phase), estrogen is the hormone that is normally in charge. This hormone is responsible for creating the egg that hopefully is released and fertilized. The luteal phase, or second phase that runs from ovulation until the start of the next menstrual cycle, is controlled by progesterone and will remain controlled by it until the start of the next follicular phase. The role these two hormones play on the basal body temperature is the basis on which basis body temperature charts operate to help determine fertility phases.

The Importance of Basal Body Temperature in Fertility

Estrogen and progesterone both have a different effect on the body’s basal temperature. The basal temperature is the temperature when the body is at rest and is most often recorded immediately after waking. Estrogen is the main hormone released during the follicular phase and a woman’s basal temperature is cooler during this time.

During the luteal phase, the increase in basal temperature indicates that ovulation has occurred. Charting this for one or two months will help determine approximately when ovulation is occurring and will be more accurate than predictor kits that can be purchased. Having an idea of when ovulation occurs opens up a window just prior to and immediately after ovulation that is prime for conceiving.

How to Chart Basal Body Temperature

Charting basal body temperature is not difficult and simply a matter of making it a morning habit. The only thing that is needed is a basal thermometer which is simply a thermometer that is much more sensitive than the standard thermometer, and a notebook or calendar with pen. In today’s electronic age, many people choose to forego the pen and paper and chart their temperature using an online program or other electronic method. If this is the case, the electronic device should also be kept near the bed so that the temperature can be recorded before it is forgotten.

These should be kept on the nightstand or near the bed so that they are reminders to take the temperature before getting out of bed. Techies may prefer to record their temperature on their laptop or even smart phone and there are many programs available on the Internet designed just for basal body temperature recording. Basal body temperature should be taken at the same time every morning in order to get more accurate results on when it spikes.

Understanding the Results

It’s not enough to simply take the basal body temperature on a daily basis, an understanding of what the numbers mean is vital to knowing when is the best time to attempt to conceive. This

When the body ovulates, the basal temperature increases anywhere from .5 degrees to about 1.6 degrees, which is why a very sensitive thermometer is important. Fertility is at its peak between two and three days before and up to about 24 hours after ovulation. Using the temperature charts makes it possible to see when there are three days of increased temperature; however, this also makes it too late to have intercourse and achieve success. Therefore, intercourse should be as soon as a spike in temperature is noticed and in the next three to four days. This increases the odds of becoming pregnant.

An easier way to understand the results is to use an electronic program online as discussed earlier. These programs will not only help with charting, if they are used consistently, they will help provide a more accurate window by averaging the time over a period. These programs often have built-in graphing capabilities and other features that make them easy to use and save for future reference should the results be needed by a doctor or fertility specialist.

One other way that the odds of becoming pregnant can be increased is to combine the basal temperature chart with an ovulation prediction kit. If these do not achieve conception, the basal temperature chart should be taken to the doctor and a thorough examination performed to determine if there are other conditions preventing pregnancy. Basal body temperature is a proven method of finding out when fertility is at its peak; however, it may take several months to pinpoint just the right time. The good news is that in the case of conceiving, trial and error is not a chore.

There are many different symptoms of pregnancy that appear at different times in every woman and some not at all in some women. Most women think that the first thing they are going to notice is a missed menstrual cycle; however, it is possible for a woman to be pregnant and have a cycle. This makes it important to understand the many different symptoms that can point to being pregnant. It is important to know what the body may do when pregnant in order to confirm pregnancy and start taking care of the body in order to have a healthy, happy baby.

HCG

Human Chrorionic Gonadotrophin or HCG is the hormone that is produced by the woman’s body when she is pregnant. The presence of this hormone is typically in the body before the first symptom is experienced. However, because most of the symptoms of pregnancy are related to this hormone, it is possible to have symptoms before missing a period. Many other symptoms will develop over time and while it is uncommon for a woman not to know she is pregnant until delivery, it does occur. Some of the symptoms that may be experienced when pregnant include those listed below; however, every woman’s body is different and there could be symptoms that are not listed here.

Symptoms of Pregnancy

Many of the symptoms listed here may be experienced before a menstrual cycle is missed while others may develop after missing a cycle.

• Basal Body Temperature Elevation: Unless the woman is keeping a fertility calendar and monitoring body temperature, this symptom may go unnoticed. However, the basal body temperature does increase during ovulation and if it remains elevated for at least 18 days, there is a good chance that fertilization has occurred.
• Breast Tenderness: This is an early symptom that many woman experience before they actually miss a menstrual cycle. The hormones that are released when pregnant cause the breasts to become tender and sore. The area around the nipple, the areola, also becomes larger and darker. Breast tenderness can occur as soon as one week after conception.
• Nausea and/or Vomiting: The most common symptom of pregnancy and the most well-known symptom, nausea and vomiting can also occur before missing a menstrual cycle. Some women experience nausea and vomiting early in the morning while others may only experience it when exposed to certain foods or odors.
• Light Spotting: This is not the actual cycle, but an episode of light spotting that occurs before a missed cycle and is caused by the embryo attaching itself to the uterus. This can occur as early as six to twelve days after conceiving.
• Missed Period: This is, of course, the symptom that sends most women to the doctor or the pharmacy for a pregnancy test. The missed cycle may be early in pregnancy or in rare cases; there may be several cycles while pregnant.
• Fatigue: Unusual tiredness for no apparent reason. Low blood sugar, low blood pressure and an increase in progesterone have an effect on the body.
• Increased Urination: Many women go through periods of increased urination early in pregnancy and again at the end of the pregnancy. In the beginning this is due to the body needing more fluids during pregnancy and the many hormonal changes that are occurring. During the end of pregnancy this is due to pressure on the bladder from the baby.
• Weight Gain and/or Bloating: Women tend to know what their weight is and any sudden gain, particularly if it is primarily in the abdominal area, is noticeable. This, along with other symptoms that are present, leads many women to take a pregnancy test.
• Constipation: Hormonal changes that are occurring in the body can cause constipation that occurs even before a missed period.
• Personality/Mood Swings: Most women are accustomed to being moody and irritable during their period; however, the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy can also cause mood swings that are seemingly unaccounted for and yet a pregnancy test will reveal the reason. Many women mistake these mood swings for PMS and wait for other symptoms before they seek a pregnancy test.
• Heartburn: Heartburn tends to be a symptom of pregnancy that not every women experiences. This is in part due to hormonal changes in the body and in part to the fetus and its position.
• Headaches: Along with the other symptoms that can be a result of hormone changes are headaches. Women may not even realize that these headaches are a symptom of pregnancy and thus not find out they are pregnant until other symptoms are present.

These are just a few of the many different symptoms that can be present when the body is incubating an embryo. Every woman will have different symptoms and it is up to them to recognize that there is something different occurring and see a doctor to determine if they are pregnant.

Conceiving a child, for many people, is one of life’s greatest achievements and also one of life’s greatest responsibilities. These people want to plan the conception of their child so that they are ready financially and mentally to raise a child and so they employ the se of an ovulation calendar. Others may find that they have a difficult time conceiving and using planning tools such as ovulation calendars and calculators will help them know when they are the most fertile. Understanding these two and which one is most accurate is an important step in conceiving quickly.

One of the first things that people who are considering using an ovulation calendar or calculator will find is that there are different schools of thought on whether a one month or a three month calendar is more accurate, as accuracy is the key to conception. The following information is presented to assist in choosing between the two and moving forward with conceiving a baby.

An Overview of Ovulation Calendars

The concept behind and ovulation calendar or calculator is determining which days of the month a woman is most fertile. Fertility is based on ovulation or the releasing of the egg. During this time, becoming pregnant is much easier, if every other factor is in place. The peak period for fertility is the exact day that the ovaries release and egg and the lifespan of that egg, typically 12 to 24 hours.

Ovulation calendars are based on the menses cycle. There are several time frames during the month that are taken into account when determining fertility. These are:

• Cycle Length: This is the length of time that the woman is in menstruation. Practically all women have an idea of how long they are in menstruation; however, calendaring will give a much more accurate representation. This will also help get a better understanding of how often the body is menstruating as not every woman has a 28-day cycle, the length that is often considered the norm. Finding the cycle length is as simple as counting the days from the first day that a period starts up until the day before the next period starts. This is why a calendar is helpful in finding out how many days are in the cycle.
• The Luteal Phase: This phase is the actual number of days between ovulation and menses. In order to find out when this phase is, it is necessary to use either fertility charting or kits designed to predict fertility. Most women have a 12 to 16 day luteal phase. The good news is that this phase does not tend to vary – if the luteal phase one month is 13 days, then it will remain 13 days for every cycle.
• Regularity of Cycles: A regular cycle is important in predicting fertility. Regular cycles are those that do not vary by more than three days. Cycles that vary by five or more days should be considered irregular and more difficult when it comes to predicting fertility.

These three phase or numbers are the important numbers in determining ovulation. The key is having accuracy in these numbers. This is where the debate over a one-month calendar and a three-month calendar becomes evident.

Determining Ovulation

The numbers taken from the three phases are used to determine ovulation as follows. The length of the luteal phase is subtracted from the length of the cycle and two or three days are added before and after this to come up with the days that ovulation should be occurring. So, if a cycle is 28 days and the luteal phase is 13 days, ovulation should occur on day 15 and adding three days before would be day 10 and three days after would be day 16. This would mean that the most fertile period would be days 10 through 16. This does not mean the 10th day of the month, but the 10th day of the cycle, or ten days from day one of menses.

Understanding this makes it simple to see why a three-month calendar would be more accurate than a one-month calendar. One month is going to be a very narrow view of what the body is doing. This does not take into account that the body may not do the same thing every month; however, a three month calendar gives a much broader period and allows for an average that will be more accurate and accuracy is key to conception.

There are many online ovulation calculators and calendars that can be put to use in order to help find the most fertile time of the month for conception. These are available in both one and three month versions; the choice is a personal decision. However, if accuracy is the most important feature, then a three month calendar is the best choice.

Ovulation occurs once a month, offering healthy fertile couples who are in their twenties and thirties a twelve to twenty-four hour window in which they can conceive. Each monthly opportunity means they have about a twenty percent chance of pregnancy. As you grow older the percentage lowers.

While the egg is viable for twelve to twenty-four hours, the sperm can live for three to six days. This allows them to reach the fallopian tubes and hang out until the mature egg is released from the ovary. This means that you can have sex several days prior to ovulation and still get pregnant; however the ideal time for intercourse is the day you ovulate if you want to have a child.

Because the amount of time each month when you can get pregnant is so short, it is important for you to be able to tell when you are getting ready to ovulate or when ovulation has occurred.

Checking for Ovulation

There are several ways for a woman to check for ovulation. The first is to look at the calendar. This requires you to know how many days are in your menstrual cycle based on counting from the first day of your last period to the day before your period starts the next time. The average menstrual cycle is twenty-eight days, but it can be anywhere from twenty-three to thirty-five days long.

Some women will have varying menstrual cycles. For someone with a twenty-eight day cycle you will ovulate about half way through. If you are planning to get pregnant it is important to track this cycle. Besides, knowing the first day of your last menstrual cycle (LMP) will help the doctor estimate your due date!

There are online ovulation calendars available to help you figure out the window when ovulation should occur based on your cycle. These calendars work better for those with regular cycles, but it can give you a place to start. To use the online ovulation calendar you do need to know the first day of your last period and how many days you have in a typical menstrual cycle.

Use the calendar to know when you should check for other signs of ovulation. Other ways to check for ovulation include:

• Get to know your body signals and signs. Learn to listen to your body, about twenty percent of women can feel a twinge, a quick sharp pain, or a little lower abdominal cramping that is typically localized on either the right or left side, depending on which side is ovulating. This feeling is called mittelschmerz, which is German for “middle pain.”
• Check and chart your temperature. Use a basal body thermometer, designed just for this purpose, and take your temperature orally. Basal Body Temperature or BBT is then charted. The reading should occur after you’ve slept at least three hours, first thing in the morning before you sit up, talk, or get out of bed. As fluctuations in your hormone levels occur the temperature will change. Estrogen dominates during the first weeks of your cycle and once ovulation occurs, progesterone increases and your body temperature will rise. The BBT is at the lowest point right at ovulation and then it will go up about half a degree as soon as ovulation occurs. You will need to chart your basal body temperature for several months before you can predict your monthly ovulation.
• Part of knowing your body and predicting ovulation is to understand how your cervix changes to throughout the menstrual cycle. The cervix is the neck-like passage that goes between your uterus and vagina. The cervix has to open and stretch to make room for the baby’s head during birth. At the start of your menstrual cycle your cervix is positioned low, it is closed, and hard. At the approach of ovulation it softens, pulls up, and opens up a small amount. With practice some women can feel these changes. They are able to check their cervix by inserting one or two fingers. The website beautifulcervix.com has very graphic pictures of what a woman’s cervix looks like throughout the menstrual cycle. Check here for the photos. The changes can be noted on your basal temperature chart.
• You can also track the change in cervical mucus. As ovulation nears this discharge will become transparent to white in appearance, and is in fact often compared to egg whites. It will be a little slippery and will stretch between your fingers for an inch or two before it breaks. Changes in cervical mucus can also be noted on your fertility chart with basal body temperature and the position and condition of your cervix.
• There are now Ovulation Predictor Kits or OPKs that will help you tie down ovulation from twelve to twenty-four hours in advance. Much like pregnancy tests, you pee on a stick and the kit checks your hormone levels. For ovulation it is looking for LH levels or Luteinizing Hormone.
• You can also test your saliva for estrogen levels. This reusable test requires you to use an eyepiece to check for a microscopic pattern that somewhat resembles window frost.

There are other tests that check sweat for a chloride ion surge and other methods. Often women will combine several methods to figure out when they are ovulating. Such as first plotting possibilities on a calendar and then checking temperature, their cervix, saliva, or urine as the projected day approaches.

If you are an expectant parent you may be excited to learn the gender of the child you are anxiously awaiting. Some want to know the baby’s sex so they can paint the nursery appropriate colors, or register effectively for the upcoming baby shower. If you know the baby’s gender, you only have to come up with one name instead of figuring out two options.

It is important to note that you can only really learn the baby’s gender by having an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling test. These are medically invasive tests that your doctor won’t do without having a sound medical reason other than gender prediction. Ultrasounds are typically done to check on the baby’s and mother’s health at a few points during the pregnancy and if you want to know the baby’s sex you can get a semi-accurate view of whether it’s a boy or a girl. But there have been incidents where even with ultrasound the wrong gender is predicted.

There are tests you can buy online for gender prediction, some of these are blood tests that you send off and wait for results. Just be careful and do some research. These tests can cost up to several hundred dollars and over the years some of them have turned out to be scams.

So if you want to know your baby’s gender and can’t wait until around the eighteenth week of your pregnancy, which is the best time to tell the sex of the child…then we have a few tried and well…not so true gender prediction methods to entertain you while you wait.

Gender Prediction – Generations of Prophesy

Mothers, grandmother, great-grandmothers, and old maiden aunts have been offering their predictions since the dawn of time. You know how it goes, you’re pregnant, showing, and all of a sudden you are swamped with lots of prophetic insight you really didn’t ask for.

Jane down the block says you’re carrying the baby low so it must be a boy, Grandma X says you’re craving chocolate so it must be a girl, and Cousin Fred…who has nine children and has seen it all, says you should mix your early morning urine with Drano, as that is the only true test. Okay, just ugh.

Before you go screaming out into the traffic to get away from Cousin Fred, he does have a point, or thinks he does. There is an “old wives tale” that many people believed, and it uses Drano.

The Really Disgusting Drano Test

While mixing Drano and urine may sound remotely scientific, it really isn’t. Supposedly you use a glass container, because…well Drano will just eat through plastic. Besides, you have to see the results. You put in a little Drano, add a little urine, and then use your stop watch to see how long it takes for the mixture to turn brown. Oh, wait…you can’t do this test until your fourth month of pregnancy.

Actually don’t bother, while you are timing the color change, it’s important to note that nothing in your urine will interact with Drano in a manner that would predict your baby’s gender. And the fumes can’t be good for a pregnant woman, which is why the “directions” for this test specify that it should be done outside. It also warns that there will be a bubbling reaction accompanied by a highly caustic odor when the urine and Drano are mixed.

Okay, we’ve come this far you may as well know the rest…If this caustic odor causing mixture turns “brownish” in color within ten seconds, congratulations you’re having a boy! If it doesn’t darken or change color for ten to fifteen seconds…you are having a girl. Except that just like many traditional gender predictions, this one really doesn’t work.

Chocolate or Pickles, What if It’s Both?

A slightly less disgusting gender prediction is that if you crave sweets like chocolate, sticky buns, or the entire bakery case at the local donut shop, then you will have a girl. The reverse of this predicts that you will have a boy because you crave pickles, lemons, or that really bad sour candy that distorts your face.

Question – what if you crave the traditional pickles and ice cream? Does that mean you’re having twins? Not really, while this can be a little fun, the truth is that a craving is your body and minds way of telling you that you need…something. And scientists have proven that pregnant women really do experience cravings.

It is important to note that most food cravings are harmless; however there are some women who have had cravings for things like dirt and soap. If you have a non-food craving you need to talk to your doctor right away.

Summary

There are more, there are always more…Like the wedding ring that you dangle from a string over your belly. If it circles – girl, side-to-side motion means a boy. If you glow and look fantastic while you are pregnant…girl, no…boy. If you look like a hag…girl, no..boy. Well, there are two versions of this one so I guess you can take your pick.

Actually if you have a minute there is an easier way to do this. You can find a fun online quiz that uses many of the myths to help you determine gender right here.

The first month of pregnancy actually begins a few weeks before the sperm meets the egg and it is implanted in the uterus. This is because gestational age is used to measure your pregnancy and the timing for this begins on the first day of your last monthly period. The designation for this is LMP or Last Menstrual Period.

Figuring Gestational Age

Typically we think of pregnancy lasting for nine months. But since it is actually measured from the first day of a woman’s last period, which depending on how long her menstrual cycles last can actually be as much as four weeks before she becomes pregnant, the process can get a little confusing.

In gestational age a full-term pregnancy is typically forty weeks from LMP. This translates to about ten months. Often women can’t remember the exact date their period started, this is why gestational age is often determined by an ultrasound at the beginning of the pregnancy.

Pregnancy – First Month

Pregnancy, the signs and symptoms for the woman and development of the fetus, is separated and talked about according to trimesters. This is basically a period of three months or just a little longer than thirteen weeks each. The first month of pregnancy is therefore at the beginning of the first of three trimesters.

Several days of weeks one and two of this first month are generally taken up by the woman’s menstrual period. At the end of this time period she will ovulate, meaning that a developed egg is let go from the ovary to travel down the fallopian tube with the end goal being the woman’s uterus. Women’s menstrual cycles can vary in length but the average is twenty-eight days. The length of menstrual cycle will determine when you ovulate, which is typically ten to nineteen days from the first day of your period if you have a twenty-eight to thirty-two day cycle. A woman has a better chance of getting pregnant during the six days that lead up to ovulation.

During the third and fourth week of pregnancy the single-celled fertilized egg is busy dividing, creating more cells. It will typically take from three to four days from fertilization to reach the uterus. The fetus at this time may hover in the uterus for another few days before it implants or attaches to the uterine lining. This implantation typically happens about six days after fertilization and the process can take several days before it is complete. About half of all fertilized eggs will implant and grow. The other half will pass from the woman’s body during their next regular menstrual cycle before implantation occurs.

Fetus Development – First Month

For the first couple weeks of this first month there is no fetus. The woman’s body is preparing itself, and the egg and sperm have yet to come together. About two weeks after your period started, conception occurs. The doctor will determine your due date by counting forty weeks from the date your last period started, even though your weren’t pregnant at that time.

By the third week, fertilization has probably occurred. Once the sperm and egg combine it is called a zygote. This is a one-celled entity and if your ovaries released more than one egg you may have multiple zygotes within your fallopian tubes.

You can check pictures of fetal development by week here.

Zygotes will get twenty-three chromosomes from you and twenty-three from your partner, for a total of forty-six. These chromosomes have already configured the baby’s sex, and personal traits like color of hair and eyes. These chromosomes will also help determine other aspects like intelligence and personality to some extent.

Once formed, the zygote will move through the fallopian tube, headed towards the uterus. As it moves the single cell will divide and those cells will divide until it rapidly forms a small ball that is said to resemble a very small raspberry. Within this tiny cluster is an inner group of cells that will eventually form the embryo, the cell grouping on the outside of the ball with ultimately be transformed into membranes that will protect and feed the embryo if it implants in the uttering lining.

At about the fourth week this small zygote has reached the uterus and is called a blastocyst. It has fully separated into the two parts that will become embryo and membranes. If it comes in contact with the uterine wall it will burrow in, implanting itself for nourishment. At this time the placenta begins to form and will nourish the baby from now until the baby is born.

The fifth week of pregnancy is actually about the third week after conception. During this time the baby’s brain, heart, spinal column, and other organs will start to form. This is known as the start of the embryonic period. The embryo is now comprised of three layers which include:

• The ectoderm is the top layer and will eventually form the skin, eyes, inner ear, both the central and peripheral nervous system, and much of the connective tissues.
• The mesoderm or middle layer of cells will begin to form the baby’s heart, circulatory system, bones, muscles, most of the reproductive system, and the kidney’s.
• The endoderm is the inner layer of cells and responsible for forming a tube lined with mucus membranes that will ultimately form the baby’s lungs, bladder, and intestines.

At the end of this fifth week the fetus is about the size of a pen tip.

If you’ve noticed the abbreviation EWCM on your fertility chart at the doctors or been on any of the many fertility forums online, you may be wondering what this means. EWCM stands for Egg White Cervical Mucus. It is used to describe the appearance of cervical mucus during your most fertile time, after ovulation.

Your cervical mucus can begin to look like raw egg whites, clear to white and stringy, up to five days before you ovulate, although two to three days before is more common and it may be as little as one day. This mucus has a very important job; it provides the sperm food, protection, and an easy path to the egg for fertilization.

As an ideal environment for the sperm to swim, it also changes the more acidic environment of the vagina into a place where the sperm should thrive. The mucus is released by your body, triggered by the hormones that also cause the ovaries to release the egg. These changes come about in order to increase your chance of getting pregnant.

Other changes are triggered as well. Just before ovulation occurs your cervix will become softer, move up in your body a little higher and open just a bit. At this time your body creates as much as thirty times the amount of cervical mucus as it does otherwise. It will also transform from being a little sticky, to creamier, then a little watery, until it finally resembles egg whites. After ovulation the mucus will reduce, sometimes drying up almost completely, then transforming back to sticky. Some women will have their mucus become a little water and white just before menstruation occurs, however this does not signal that they can become pregnant during this time.

Checking Your Vaginal Area for Egg White Cervical Mucus

The website beautifulcervix.com has very graphic pictures of what a woman’s cervix looks like through menstruation and with all mucus types. Check here for the photos.

Because the appearance of EWCM signifies the ideal time for pregnancy, those who are trying to become pregnant need to learn how to track the changes to their cervical mucus and identify the ideal time for sexual intercourse.

Many women can check their underwear for this change, or will clean their hands and insert a finger into their vagina to collect the mucus. EWCM will be a little slippery and will stretch a few inches between fingers before breaking. The color will be transparent to white in color, looking like the raw egg whites it is named after. Because this mucus is a sign of your most fertile time of the month, having sex when EWCM is present may increase your chances of getting pregnant.

You don’t want to check for EWCM right before or after sex as arousal changes the appearance and consistency of vaginal discharge. After sex especially, as the look and form of semen can be confused with this discharge.

EWCM after Ovulation

If you notice Egg White Cervical Mucus after you should have ovulated there are a couple of possibilities. Estrogen is one of the hormones that cause EWCM to be produced. A week or so after ovulation estrogen may spike again, and while this increase isn’t as high as it is when you ovulate, it may be enough to cause EWCM looking mucus. Estrogen and Progesterone hormone levels also spike a bit in order to trigger the uterine walls to prepare for implantation, meaning you may also see a little EWCM looking mucus at this time as well. While EWCM occurring at these times is not typical, it isn’t unheard of.

Another reason for seeing EWCM after you think you’ve ovulated is that there may be a chance ovulation was delayed for some reason. Your body can get ready to ovulate, and then it is postponed for a number of factors, including illness and added stress. For this reason you should also look for other signs of fertility, including a clear thermal shift. If you are trying to get pregnant you should try to have sex anytime you detect Egg White Cervical Mucus.

Another cause of EWCM during infertile periods in called an anovulatory cycle. This is tracked when you have multiple periods of EWCM with no temperature change. Your body could be trying to ovulate, but isn’t. If you notice this occurring on your personal charts you may want to speak to your doctor.

Summary

Egg White Cervical Mucus is typically seen right before, during, and after ovulation when you are most fertile. This mucus is used by the sperm in order to easily swim and survive during the time it takes for it to reach and fertilize the egg. Women check for EWCM in order to conceive.

Women may normally have vaginal discharge all through their menstrual cycle. It is common to have about half a teaspoon of clear to white colored discharge each day. Depending on where you are at in your cycle, the discharge might be thick or thin. It typically has no odor.

Vaginal discharge is naturally occurring fluids combined with bacteria that the cells in the vagina shed. The change in amount, frequency, thickness, color, and even odor, occur naturally for many reasons including:

• Menstruation
•  Sexual Activity
• The use of birth control pills
• And during ovulation

During ovulation the vaginal discharge can range in color from white, to a yellow or even brown color. It can decrease or increase in amount.

Understanding Ovulation

A woman’s menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of the last period to the day before her next period. Typically this time frame is between twenty-three to thirty-five days with most women falling between twenty-eight to thirty-two days each cycle. For those who have a twenty-eight to thirty-two day cycle they can approximately count from the first day of the cycle, and between ten and nineteen days out will be the window for ovulation.

Ovulation occurs when the ovaries release a mature egg. This egg then moves down the fallopian tube. If you are trying to get pregnant, this is where you want the egg and sperm to meet for fertilization. If fertilized the egg continues to move until it reaches the uterus, implanting itself in the uterine or endometrial lining.

If the egg isn’t fertilized it doesn’t implant in the lining and starts to decompose. The egg is viable for fertilization for about forty-eight hours. If the egg doesn’t implant then eventually the lining is shed through menstruation.

Ovulation and Discharge

Vaginal discharge is greatly affected by a woman’s hormones. Ovulation causes a lot of hormonal changes within the body. The levels of two of these hormones, estrogen and progesterone, climb and fall throughout the ovulation process and actually create changes in the discharge before, during, and after ovulation. Common changes in vaginal discharge include:

• Having little to no discharge or slight sticky discharge is common right after your period has ended. Vaginal dryness can occur for a few days, which lessons the chance of you getting pregnant during this time.
• Having white, slippery discharge nearing ovulation is common, and in fact signals that ovulation is about to occur. As you get closer to ovulating the discharge will typically start to get whiter in color, be slick, and will come apart if you stretch it between two fingers.
• Having stretchy vaginal discharge at the point of ovulation is just what you need for optimum fertility. The discharge at this time is often compared to egg whites. It can be clear to white in color, and stretching it an inch or two between your fingers won’t break it. This cervical mucus actually will feed and protect the sperm for several days, helping it on its journey to fertilize the egg.
• Having a slight brown discharge or even spotty bleeding during ovulation might be due to implantation of the egg. About twenty percent of those who become pregnant have implantation bleeding.
• Having sticky discharge right after ovulating is common. Again your vagina may be dry as the amount of discharge slows down or stops.

Vaginal Discharge Information

Vaginal discharge and the above changes are very normal and every woman will go through some version of this. It is important to note that before ovulation the occurs amount of mucous your body produces will typically increase more than thirty times what is when you have finished ovulating.

There are some changes to your vaginal mucous discharge that if they occur, you should see your gynecologist immediately. The changes include:

• Green or yellow discharge with pain, discomfort, or irritation that occurs in the vaginal area during the time you would be ovulating or at any other time.
• Anytime you have a rash, sores, or tenderness in and around the vagina, you could have an infection.
• If your vaginal discharge resembles cottage cheese or curdled milk, you should talk to your doctor.
• If the discharge has a bad odor you should also take to your doctor.
• Thick, white discharge that makes you itch may signal a yeast infection. Speak to your doctor.

Right after you have a period your menstrual bleeding could change from red to brown. This is generally just old blood and should stop in a day or two.

Summary

Vaginal discharge or cervical mucous will change due to a normal hormonal process throughout your menstrual cycle. During ovulation this discharge will resemble egg whites. Appearing clear to white in color and being stringy. The discharge at this time is used by the sperm for nutrition and protection on its way to the egg.

The only true indication of pregnancy is to take a pregnancy test. There are many early symptoms that a woman may experience which can alert you for the need to take a pregnancy test. Because every woman reacts differently to pregnancy, these changes can go unnoticed or may be very pronounced indicators of conception.

Sometimes missing a period is the first hint that you could be pregnant. This is one of the most recognized of the early signs of pregnancy. Besides the fact that every woman reacts differently, even the same woman can have different symptoms from one pregnancy to another. Often early signs of pregnancy mimic pre-menstrual or post-menstrual symptoms. The only way to know for sure if you are pregnant is to take a pregnancy test.

Early Signs of Pregnancy

While one woman may be just a little tired, and another may wake every morning with nausea, the hormonal changes accompanying pregnancy will make changes in your body. Whether you notice these changes within days of conception or don’t recognize them for months may have to do with the severity of the changes or how attune you are to your body.

Common early pregnancy symptoms include:

• Fatigue – easily dismissed, the cause of this early sign is often written off to illness, work, or lack of sleep. Often once the woman finds out she is pregnant she will look back at the last few weeks and laugh at how this symptom should have been obvious to her. Fatigue will generally start about a week after conception. It occurs due to changing hormones and because the body uses energy to support the growing child.
• Tender Breasts – this is often dismissed as a common premenstrual symptom. Hormone changes will cause the breasts to become tender just a few weeks after conception. Sometimes the breasts will feel swollen and the areolas will get change to a darker color.
• Morning Sickness – is a symptom that can actually occur in the morning, at night, or any other time of the day. Sometimes a smell will precipitate the nausea. The severity of this symptom varies from woman-to-woman. Some aren’t sick at all, and some are debilitated by the nausea caused by changing hormones. Sometimes morning sickness is dismissed as food poisoning, the flu, or for some other reason. Typically if the woman is going to have morning sickness the nausea and vomiting will start about two weeks after conception and disappears sometime during the fourth month of pregnancy. But remember that there is no hard and fast rule.
• Frequent Urination – is an early sign that typically starts about six weeks after conception. This symptom of pregnancy will progressively get worse until you deliver the baby as the fetus takes up more room, putting pressure on your bladder.
• Food Cravings, Smells, and Food Avoidance – can be an early symptom of pregnancy. Woman often report that they couldn’t stand the smell of cooking meat, or coffee, or some other food before they realized they were pregnant. Or they had to eat chicken burritos every day for a week. This pregnancy symptom can evolve, and often will last in some form or another until after delivery. Don’t give in to non-food cravings like that for dirt, soap, or other items. Make sure to contact your doctor immediately if you have such a craving as it could indicate a problem or deficiency in your diet.
• Lightheadedness, Dizziness, and Fainting – can all be early symptoms of pregnancy. Sometimes these symptoms are caused by low blood sugar, often a result of not eating enough if you have nausea or vomiting due to pregnancy. As the pregnancy progresses you could be dizzy or lightheaded due to the uterus increasing in size and putting pressure on major arteries. This can cause your blood pressure to fall, making you faint or dizzy.
• Missed Period – while not all missing or late periods mean that you are pregnant, this is often one of the first recognized signs of pregnancy. Typically doctors will suggest that you wait to be tested for pregnancy until your have missed a period, although there are tests that will work before this has happened.

Summary

You may wonder if you are pregnant if you are tired, have tender breasts, are nauseous, or have missed a period. Typically those who wonder if they are pregnant because of early pregnancy symptoms will do so about ten days after ovulation and just a few days before they should have a period. The only way to know if you are pregnant or not—is to take a pregnancy test.

Typically your doctor will request that you miss a period before you take this test, but there are in home pregnancy tests, like First Response that will allow you to check for pregnancy a few days before a missed period. If you get a positive on these tests they are generally correct, if you get a negative you need to wait a few days and check again.

The Chinese Ovulation or Gender Calendar is believed to help determine the baby’s sex based on the mother’s age at conception and the month the baby was or is to be conceived. This calendar can be used if you are already pregnant, and haven’t yet had your ultrasound. Or if you want to get pregnant and want to influence the gender of the child you can plot the best days for preferred sex conception.

What is the Chinese Ovulation Calendar?

Purportedly the Chinese Ovulation or Gender Calendar was discovered as raw data after having been buried in a Chinese Royal Tomb for over seven centuries. The scientist who discovered this information near Peking created the calendar and the original data is kept at the Institute of Science in Peking.

It is believed that this ancient tool is an extension of Chinese medicine and its use for finding the best time to conceive a child so that it had optimal health and well-being. The gender selection options follow many of the same Chinese principles.

This ovulation calendar is intended to assist prospective parents in determining the gender of the child they are about to have. If not yet pregnant, the couple who wish to have a specific gender of child can supposedly use the chart to determine the best months to conceive their child.

Chinese Lunar Calendar

There is some debate about the accuracy of the Chinese ovulation calendar. Many who swear it works will tell you that a major problem in making the calculations is that the woman’s age and the month the baby is conceived (or should be conceived if you are trying to choose the baby’s sex pre-conception) need to be converted from the western or Georgian calendar into the Chinese lunar calendar. An example of why this would make a difference is to compare dates. On the Georgian calendar April 4, 1990 corresponds to Day 9 of the third Lunar Month of the same year.

The Chinese Lunar calendar indicates moon phases, tracking the days it takes the moon to complete a full phasic cycle. This number is 29 ½ days, which makes a lunar year eleven days shorter than the Georgian calendar or solar year. In the lunar calendar the difference in days is balanced out every 19th year once seven lunar leap months have been added throughout these years.

To further complicate the Georgian versus Lunar calendar issue when figuring age, in China a child born today is actually counted as one year old. Be very glad there are online tools that will help you figure out the differences.

In order to make the conversion from Georgian to Lunar ages there is a Lunar Age Calculator available online. Use this quick and easy tool before attempting to use the Chinese Ovulation Calendar.

There have been many instances where someone had the wrong results on the calendar using their Georgian ages and the month conceived, then found their Chinese Lunar age and redid the calculation to discover it had the right gender of the child.

Western Testing of Chinese Ovulation Calendar

There have been western studies on the accuracy of the Chinese Ovulation or Gender calendar. One was completed in the 1950s by a Czechoslovakian gynecologist in a fertility clinic. Dr. Eugen Jonas reported 98% accuracy in gender selection when the data behind the Chinese ovulation/gender calendar was utilized.

Summary

Using the Chinese Lunar Calendar to compute the mother’s age at conception and the month the baby is conceived in order to predict or effect gender has been utilized for decades. The data that went into creating this calendar came from data buried in a Chinese Royal Tomb for over seven hundred years. Using the Georgian Calendar to determine age and month at conception is believed to be one of the leading reasons the calendar gives the wrong results.

One personal test you can do is to take birth dates of those who you know their conception month, convert to the lunar calendar and see if the Chinese gender calendar gives the correct gender of the baby. See how often the results are correct versus incorrect. If you are already pregnant you can see if the calendar is correct by simply waiting a few months. If you want to utilize the calendar to influence a future baby’s sex, and then do some research.

Remember that there are no guarantees in life and be very happy with the child that you are given, regardless of its gender. So the question–is the Chinese Ovulation Calendar Myth or Reality?—can only be answered by you. If it works, well…there is reality, if it doesn’t…then myth.