Natural Fertility Methods

Natural fertility methods are being used to help women achieve a pregnancy and chart her menstrual cycle.  This is a system of observing and recording the female body symptoms and determining when sexual fertility is at its greatest.  This is a simple system that can lead to increased chances of becoming pregnant and will help your doctor diagnose any difficulties that you may be having when you begin with this data.

After becoming familiar with natural fertility methods you’ll also be able to determine if you may be having infertility issues before waiting the requisite 6-12 months of unprotected sex without conception.  The natural fertility methods are a simple system that point to the only highly fertile time during a woman’s monthly cycle.  This time happens just before ovulation.

Natural fertility methods work by observing the body as it moves through the menstrual cycle.  There are several methods of determining fertility indicators which include basal body temperature, vaginal mucus, menstrual calendar and new urine testing for the LH surge.

Basal Body Temperature, or BBT, uses a basal body temperature thermometer, which is different from one used for a fever.  A woman’s temperature is taken before getting out of bed in the morning to mark the slight increase in temperature that is experienced just at ovulation.  The temperature is steady throughout the first half of the cycle and then rises just at ovulation. The progesterone release after ovulation causes the temperature to rise by about ½ of a degree Fahrenheit.   This confirms that an egg has already been released but doesn’t predict ovulation.

Oftentimes a chart comes with the thermometer so women can chart their temperature and use the information to interpret their cervical mucus.  It is helpful to make several copies of the chart to continue using it for several months.

A woman’s cervical mucus will change during the menstrual cycle and becoming aware of these changes will help to improve your chances of determining your most fertile times.  Using this natural fertility method allows you to predict when the cervical mucus is either resistant or will allow sperm to penetrate the cervix.  When the mucus is wet and slippery it is much easier for the sperm to get through than when it is drier and thick.

Each woman has different mucus characteristics so it is important to get to know your own body.  Interestingly there is also a particular odor or smell to the mucus at different times of the month as well.

You’ll only need to know the mucus that is at the vaginal mouth.  This can be observed when you are going to the bathroom and wipe after urinating.  It doesn’t require observing at a specific time of the day or just in the morning.  It is helpful to remember to observe each time you are in the bathroom so it becomes habit.  When the mucus changes from dry and thick to wet and slippery it indicates you are becoming fertile.

Chart all these observations with your temperature changes.  If you find that you don’t have a rise in temperature during several months and/or the cervical mucus isn’t changing you will want to make an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist.  You may be having difficulty with ovulation.

Your basal body temperature will also predict when your period will start.  From the first day of menstruation until ovulation the time can vary, but once ovulation has happened the time varies by only one or two days until the start of menstruation. The time from ovulation to menstruation is usually 14 days, at which time your temperature will drop.  If your temperature stays elevated for over 18 days you are pregnant!