How to know when you ovulate?

1-BBT CHARTING

2-OPK

3-Cervical Mucous & Positioning 

1 

No two women are alike, that goes for their ovulation and menstrual cycles. A cycle can be from 21 days to 37 days and still be considered normal. Anything over that is irregular.

Ovulation doesn't always come 14 days after your menstrual period as suggested.

Ovulation calculator:

http://www.ovulation-calculator.net

Sample of Basal Body Temperature chart where ovulation came much later than 14 days:

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/16fa98

You can download and print of charts:

http://www.idreamofbaby.com/bbtchart.php

 Here is a picture of a typical cycle.

You can also compare your charts:

http://www.ovusoft.com/ourtcoyf/gallery/

Or track via online from either the DOWNLOAD software from the DOWNLOAD page.

http://www.fertilityfriend.com

http://www.babymed.com

2

Ovulation Predictor Kits

There are two types, Urine and saliva.

The urine tests you can buy them anywhere, they are intended to read the LH harmone that is released prior to ovulation. It is usually used in addition to bbt charting.

http://thefertilityshop.com/images/ovstrip.jpg

A few online sites to buy ovulation tests on:

http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/

http://www.testsforless.com/?keywords=ovulation+predictor+tests&source=overture

 They are pretty much self exclamatory in their purpose.

On what day of my cycle should I start testing?

Cycle Length	Start Day
21	5
22	5
23	6
24	7
25	8
26	9
27	10
28	11
29	12
30	13
31	14
32	15
33	16
34	17
35	18
36	19
37	20
38	21
39	22
40	23
41	24
42	25

 What time of day should I test?

The best time to test is 2 p.m., or as close as possible. Anytime between noon and 8 p.m. is fine, first morning urine is not recommended. The reason for this is that most women experience a surge in the morning, but it can take 4 hours for it to show up in your urine.

Make sure to test at about the same time every day.

I have a long cycle, how many days will I have to test?

It varies. The best thing to do is figure out the length of your shortest cycle in the past six months, and begin testing on the day mentioned in the chart above

How long after my LH surge should I ovulate?

Most people will ovulate 12-48 hours after the LH surge is detected, most common is 36 hours after the actual surge. One should get a bit more notice, 24-48 hours, by testing in the afternoon.

Test Same Color Positive Some Brands

Test Darker Positive All Brands

Faint Line Normal Result

50% Color Concern if Daily

35% Color Neg

65% Color Nearing

Positive

The Saliva Tests

Most women ovulate near the middle of their monthly menstrual cycle. The average cycle length for a woman is between 23 to 35 days. It is possible, however, to have a longer or shorter menstrual cycle. Sometimes it is even possible to have ovulation occur twice in one month, or to have a month where no ovulation occurs at all. Most doctors agree that ovulation usually happens 13 to 14 days before starting your period or monthly bleeding.

Each month, as a woman, your saliva goes through changes because of different hormones. One of these hormones is estrogen. Just prior to ovulation, estrogen levels increase and create a distinct pattern in your dried saliva that looks like frost on a window pane. This pattern is called ferning.

When you see these patterns you will know that ovulation is likely to occur in the next 24 to 72 hours. However you are able to see through using this method, your estrogen levels increase daily.

It is important to note that an estrogen surge or ovulation may not occur in all cycles.

Results will typically appear as shown in this image, however please note that the results have been enhanced in black. The unit you choose may also have a different color illumination.

WHERE TO BUY SALIVA TESTS:

http://www.mommysthinkin.com/ovulite_saliva_ovulation_predictor.htm

http://www.thefertilityshop.com/

http://babyhopesinternational.com/fertilitymicroscope.html

http://www.salivatestkits.com/ 

3 Cervical Positioning

Is the most unreliable unless you know exactly what you looking for,( bowel position can affect the position.)

Known as SHOW

When you are most fertile your cervix will SHOW:

SOFT
HIGH
OPEN
WET

Checking the cervical position takes some practice and if you choose to chart this particular sign, there are some smart guidelines you must follow in order to achieve the best results. First and foremost, wash your hands thoroughly before checking the cervix. A good time to check it would be after a bath or shower. It would probably be a good idea to keep your nails trimmed as well, so as not to nick the fragile tissue. There are different ways in which to check the cervical position. Sitting on the toilet or squatting or standing with one leg on the edge of the bathtub are good positions to be in. Gently insert one or two fingers into the vagina. Feel for the cervix - located in the upper front or top. It usually takes a month or so to see all the changes in the cervix during the cycle.

During the beginning of the cycle, the menstrual bleeding, the cervix is normally low and hard and slightly open to allow the blood flow out. It feels like the tip of your nose. I normally don't check it during menstruation, simply because of the mess. After the bleeding stops the cervix remains low and hard and the o's - the opening to the uterus - remains closed. This will change the closer to ovulation you approach. The cervix rises up to the top of the vagina and becomes softer and softer. At the height of ovulation the cervix feels more like your lips than your nose and the o's are open to allow sperm to enter in. Sometimes the cervix seems to disappear - which, of course, it has simply become so soft it blends in with the vagina walls and rises so high that the finger cannot touch it. This is known as SHOW - soft, high, open and wet.

The time frame for this to happen varies from woman to woman. Each woman is unique and must give herself several cycles to determine when events take place. Sometimes ovulation will start to happen and the cervix will rise and soften and then ovulation will be delayed for some reason. I have noticed that my own cervix seems to see-saw at different points - but in acquainting yourself with all your fertile signs - you learn how to recognize each one of them.

Once ovulation occurs the cervix drops to low and firm - once again feeling like the tip of your nose. And the o's become tightly closed. (The o's in a woman who has given birth vaginally will feel more open at all times because of the stretching that occurred at the birth of her baby.) This can happen right away after ovulation to several hours to several days. Again, each woman is unique and needs to find these things out over a several month time frame.

When pregnancy occurs, the cervix will rise up and become soft, yet the o's will remain tightly closed. This occurs at different times in different women. Some women may find that twelve days after ovulation their cervix will do this and is a probable pregnancy sign. Others won't experience this until well after the pregnancy has been confirmed.

When checking the cervix - use caution - always clean your hands and try not to do this too often - the cervix can sometimes become easily irritated. If you don't feel comfortable charting this sign, then don't do it. And give yourself a month or two to acquaint yourself with the different changes the cervix goes through during the cycle.

Some women actually use a spectulum to observe the cervix. 

more info:

http://www.suite101.com/external_link.cfm?elink=http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/bbt/bbtdownload.html

 http://www.suite101.com/external_link.cfm?elink=http://www.lifecyclesoft.com/

http://www.webwomb.com/cervical_position_frame_page.htm