Your Ovulation Calendar

Fri, May 03

Today is the first day of your menstrual cycle. Your menstrual cycle begins on the first day that you have red bleeding, not spotting. To determine your cycle length you will need to record your menstrual periods on a calendar and then count from the first day of one cycle to the first day of the next cycle. During the first half of your cycle, known as the follicular phase of your cycle, estrogen and progesterone levels are low. Low levels of estrogen and progesterone are what signal your body to shed the lining of your uterus and begin menstruation.

Sat, May 04

The low estrogen levels at the start of your menstrual cycle, tell your pituitary gland to start releasing a hormone called GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone). GnRH is a hormone involved in the fertility cycle that stimulates the production of two other important hormones, FSH and LH. FSH, or follicle stimulating hormone, stimulates the follicles inside your ovaries to start preparing several eggs for ovulation. Each follicle is home to an egg. The eggs will stay inside the follicles growing and maturing until it is time for you to ovulate but, only one egg will be released during ovulation.

Sun, May 05

Your period may be coming to an end soon.  A typical menstrual period lasts for around 3-7 days.  The amount of bleeding and the length of time menstruation lasts varies from woman to woman.  For most women, the majority of bleeding occurs during the first three days of menstruation and is followed by light spotting.  If your period lasts longer than a week, if you have very heavy periods where you are soaking through a pad every 1-2 hours, if you have bleeding in between your periods, or if you have menstrual cramping that is disrupting your life, you may want to consult your doctor.

Mon, May 06

You may still be having some spotting from your period ending, but while this is happening your hormones are also trying to prepare your body for ovulation.   Follicles in your ovaries, with the help of FSH, are nurturing eggs for ovulation.  As the follicles mature, they produce estrogen.   Estrogen helps to build up the lining of your uterus.  It also causes changes in the cervix.  Under the influence of estrogen, the cervix softens, opens up, and secretes slippery cervical mucous that aids and nurtures the sperm as it travels to reach the egg.

Tue, May 07

The menstrual cycle is divided into three phases: the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase.  Right now you are in the first half of your cycle the follicular phase, which starts with menstruation and ends just before ovulation.  Something you may not know is that the length of the follicular phase of a woman’s cycle can vary from month to month and from woman to woman, but the luteal phase is pretty much the same length every month for every woman, give or take a day or two.  To determine how long your follicular phase and luteal phase is you can record your body temperatures on a fertility chart.

Wed, May 08

As your developing follicles release estrogen they tell your body that ovulation is approaching.  High estrogen levels, once they reach a certain point, will trigger your body to release a surge of another hormone called LH, or Luteinizing Hormone.  When LH surges it causes one of the follicles to release an egg, resulting in ovulation.  Now, even though several eggs develop during the follicular phase, only one of them will be released.  The follicle housing this egg is called the dominant follicle.  The dominant follicle represses the growth of the other follicles and the other follicles will disintegrate.

Thu, May 09

Using an ovulation prediction kit (or OPK) can increase your chances of getting pregnant by helping predict when ovulation is most likely to occur.  OPKs detect LH in your urine.  LH is always present in your body.  Just before you ovulate though, your LH levels will surge.  A positive result occurs when your LH levels rise above a certain threshold.  Unlike a home pregnancy test, two lines on an OPK does not indicate a positive result.  A positive result occurs only when the test line is darker than the control line.  You can expect to ovulate about 12-36 hours after you have a positive opk.

Fri, May 10

The gender of your baby is determined by your baby’s sperm.  Female sperm live longer but are slower moving.  Male sperm are faster but do not live as long.  To try to conceive a boy, intercourse close to ovulation is recommended.  For a girl, intercourse should be as far away from ovulation as possible but close enough that the sperm will survive.  Sperm can live for up to five days inside a woman’s body.  Your egg, on the other hand, only lives for a day or less.  Your fertile window is based on these factors.  It lasts for six days and includes the five days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation.

Sat, May 11

You may be noticing some signs of ovulation now including an increase in cervical mucous, ovulation pain, spotting, or moodiness.  Before you ovulate you may begin noticing mucous in the lining of your underwear.  Some women mistake this as a sign of infection, but it is perfectly normal and a good way to determine when you are most fertile.  Your cervical mucous will quickly dry up after you ovulate.  Try to continue having intercourse until your cervical fluid becomes dry and you no longer feel a wet sensation or until you are sure you have ovulated.  One way to confirm ovulation is with a bbt chart.

Sun, May 12

You should be ovulating soon.  If you want to maximize your chances of getting pregnant you should try to have intercourse as often as possible on the day before ovulation and the day of ovulation.  Since ovulation is sometimes tricky to predict, it is recommended that couples that are trying to get pregnant should have regular sex three times a week.  If you have regular sex you are more likely to have intercourse during your fertile window.  Some other tips for getting pregnant faster include having enjoyable sex, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and taking a prenatal vitamin.

Mon, May 13

According to your typical cycle length, you should be ovulating today.  This is also called your peak day.  The LH surge caused your egg to burst through the follicle in your ovary and it will begin to travel through your fallopian tube towards your uterus.  If your partner’s sperm has made its way to your fallopian tube, your egg may be fertilized today.  Even though you may have ovulated today, you can’t identify your peak day until after it has occurred.  Your peak day is the last day you will notice fertile cervical mucous.  Observing when your cervical mucous has changed from slippery to dry will help you to know if you have ovulated.

Tue, May 14

Once your egg bursts from the follicle that was housing it, what is left of the follicle becomes what is known as the corpus luteum.  The corpus luteum produces progesterone which is necessary for a healthy pregnancy.  If your egg is fertilized, the embryo will produce a hormone called hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin).  Without hCG the corpus luteum only survives for a short time, around 12-14 days.  Once it disintegrates, progesterone production drops and your next menstrual cycle will begin.  However, if the corpus luteum receives hCG, it will continue making progesterone until the placenta takes over progesterone production at around ten weeks gestation.

Wed, May 15

Fertilization takes place inside the fallopian tube.  If you conceived this cycle, your egg has already been fertilized.  Your fallopian tube is actually helping to transport your egg through your tube and into your uterus.  When you ovulate your fallopian tube rhythmically contracts.  These contractions help to push the egg along.  The fallopian tube also has little hair like projections called cilia.  The rhythmic contractions of your tube and the movement of the cilia inside your tube help to move your egg through your fallopian tube all the way down to your uterus for implantation.

Thu, May 16

The second part of your cycle, known as the luteal phase, started when you ovulated and ends when your next period arrives.  This is what a lot of ladies refer to as the two week wait.  The nickname came about because your luteal phase lasts for about two weeks.  Remember, the corpus luteum only lasts for about 12-14 days.  After 14 days your corpus luteum – which is supplying your body with progesterone – disintegrates.  When this happens, your progesterone levels drop and your next menstrual cycle begins.  If you see that your luteal phase seems to be longer than 14 days, you should take a pregnancy test because you might be pregnant!

Fri, May 17

As your corpus luteum prepares your body for pregnancy, it produces progesterone.  Progesterone does several things to support a healthy pregnancy.  It prepares the lining of your uterus for implantation by making it thicker and creates a nutrient rich environment to support the developing embryo.  It keeps your uterus from contracting and expelling the implanted embryo. Progesterone is what causes the cervix to thicken and form a mucous plug.  The mucous plug keeps bacteria from getting past the cervix and into the uterus.  Progesterone is also what causes your body temperature to rise during the second half of your cycle.

Sat, May 18

Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, is produced by a developing embryo soon after conception.  Its main purpose is to support the corpus luteum.  Without hCG, the corpus luteum will die and stop producing progesterone.  You may also know that hCG, sometimes referred to as the “pregnancy hormone”, is what modern pregnancy tests detect.  Even though hCG production starts shortly after conception, it won’t be detectable in your urine or even your blood for at least a few more days.  Your egg is still making its way into your uterus, but implantation could happen in the next couple days.

Sun, May 19

Are you noticing any symptoms of pregnancy?  Some women claim to notice signs of pregnancy very early on.  However, your egg has probably not implanted into your uterus just yet.  The symptoms you may be feeling like bloating, breast tenderness, moodiness, or fatigue may be the result of the rising progesterone levels in your body.  PMS symptoms are actually very similar to pregnancy symptoms so at this point, it is very hard to say if those symptoms you are noticing are the result of pregnancy or just a normal part of your menstrual cycle.

Mon, May 20

Your egg may be implanting into your uterus today.  Your egg has traveled all the way though your fallopian tube and has finally made its way to your uterus.  When implantation takes place the fertilized egg burrows into the lining of the uterus and attaches to it.  Some women notice cramping or slight bleeding when this happens.  This is called implantation bleeding or spotting.  Some women mistake implantation bleeding as an early arrival of their menstrual period.  Not all women will notice implantation bleeding but if you notice some spotting today, this could be why.

Tue, May 21

You probably can’t detect pregnancy with a home pregnancy test just yet.  Home pregnancy tests detect hCG which is present in your urine.  In order for hCG to be detected in your urine it has to be present in your body.  This does not happen until the egg implants into the lining of your uterus.  When implantation takes place, hCG is passed from your developing embryo into your blood stream.  Your kidneys filter your blood and then remove any waste or unwanted substances in the form of urine.  Once hCG makes its way into your urine, it can be detected on a home pregnancy test.

Wed, May 22

If your egg implanted into your uterus a couple days ago, you may be able to test positive on a home pregnancy test today.  Keep in mind that it is still very early.  Even if you have a negative blood test today, you might still be pregnant.   Blood tests are much more precise than a home pregnancy test.  They still detect for the same hormone, hCG, but they give you an exact number of hCG mIU/ml in your blood stream.  A home pregnancy test only tells you if you have hCG present; it doesn’t indicate how much hCG is present.

Thu, May 23

If you take a home pregnancy test today you may find that the result is very confusing.  When you have a positive result a few days before your period is even late, you may find the test result is a very faint line.  In most cases, if you followed the manufacturer’s instructions correctly, a faint line means that you are indeed pregnant.  Some of the tests on the market today detect hCG at levels as low as 20 mIU/ml.  If you are uncertain if your test results are accurate you can do a number of things:  take another test in a day or two, take a digital test, or call your doctor for a blood test.

Fri, May 24

If you are pregnant you may be wondering when your due date is.  Most doctors base your due date on your last menstrual period.  If for some reason a woman does not know when her last period is her doctor may use an ultrasound to calculate when her baby is due.  A pregnancy lasts for about 280 days.  This is around 40 weeks or 9 calendar months.  To determine when your baby will be due, use JM’s due date calculator.  Just enter the date of your last period and your typical cycle length and the calculator will tell you when you are due and some other interesting facts.  Use JM’s due date calculator to determine when your baby would be due.

Sat, May 25

If you have not had a positive pregnancy test yet, you may be feeling discouraged.  If this is your first cycle trying to conceive, don’t despair.  Each month you only have about a 25% chance of getting pregnant even if you do everything perfectly.   It may take several cycles of trying before you get pregnant.   It may take longer to get pregnant if you are older or have pre-existing medical conditions.  If you are not pregnant within a year, you should talk to your doctor.  However, if you are 35 or older, you should only wait six months before seeing your doctor.

Sun, May 26

Your period should be arriving today.  If your period does not arrive today there could be many reasons for this.  If you have a negative test even when your period is late, you could still be pregnant.  You may have miscalculated the date of ovulation.  If ovulation was delayed because of stress or other factors, your period would also be delayed.  If your period does not arrive in the next couple days, try taking another home pregnancy test.  If your period does not arrive in the next week, a phone call to your doctor may be in order.