ovulation prediction

"There are numerous methods of predicting ovulation and you can apply several (or all) concurrently - from fertility and bbt charting to using a saliva ovulation microscope and Lh urine ovulation tests..."

Predicting ovulation is central to successfully conceiving a baby. On average, it takes couples 6 months or more to conceive a baby, so predicting ovulation and charting your most fertile time of the month will help you increase your chances of becoming pregnant - sooner!

The iBabydust Ovulation Calendar

The iBabydust Ovulation Calendar is one tool to help you predict ovulation. To use the iBabydust.com Ovulation Calendar, click here.

Fertility Charting & Basal Body Temperature

Fertility charting requires that you understand the basic dynamic of your menstrual cycle. Once you understand your cycle, you can begin to predic ovulation by fertility charting. Fertility charting is the combination of several distinct predictive methods. These include:

Basal Body Temperature: The BBT method requires you to monitor your temperature every morning. Body temperature changes are due to the increase of progesterone in your system. At the onset of ovulation, your body temperature will rise between 0.4°F and 0.8°F. The physiological purpose of the temperature increase is to create a warmer, more fertile environment for the fertilized egg. This temperature increase will last from ovulation until your next period.

Cervical Mucus Exams: By examining changes in your cervical mucus - as well as the increase and decrease of mucus present - you can predict your fertility patterns and the general onset of ovulation. Observation must take place from the beginning of your cycle through ovulation. During menstruation, the presence of cervical fluid will be decreased. Prior to ovulation, cervical mucus will increase and become clear and slippery - indicating fertility.

Ovulation Testing - OPKs and Ovulation Microscopes: There are two primary ovulation testing methods: urine-based lh tests (OPKs) and ovulation microscopes (saliva ovulation testers). Lh urine ovulation tests detect the surge in luteinizing hormone that directly precedes ovulation. Ovulation microscopes allow you to determine when you are most fertile by alerting you to the increase in estrogen which takes place several days before ovulation.

The Calendar Method: The calendar method allows you to chart your fertility and recognize general patterns in fertile and infertile phases. The calendar method involves keeping a written record and helps you predict ovulation by understanding the history of your menstrual cycles.

Ovulation tests allow you to predict ovulation and anticipate the best time to have intercourse and conceive a baby. There are several different varieties of ovulation tests. Some women use one ovulation testing format, while other women combine different testing methods to best pinpoint fertility. Testing results are then written down on your fertility chart of ovulation calendar.

Varieties of Ovulation Tests

Saliva Ovulation Tests (or Ovulation Microscopes)
Lh Urine Tests (OPKs or Urine Ovulation Test Sticks)
Fertility Monitors

Saliva Ovulation Tests: A “personal ovulation microscope” allows you to predict fertility by observing the visual changes that take place in your saliva throughout your cycle. When a woman is about to ovulate, her saliva begins to form a distinct fern-like pattern (when viewed under a microscope) due to an increase in the level of estrogen present. This ferning pattern begins to appear around 3 days prior to ovulation.

With the ovulation microscopes, you simply apply saliva to a slide or lens and wait for the sample to dry. The sample is then viewed through a microscope allowing you to identify the fern-like pattern and predict ovulation. This ferning pattern can be easily identified when examined under the power of the microscope, helping you predict fertile or infertile times in your cycle.

Urine Ovulation Tests (LH Tests): Ovulation tests work by detecting luteinizing hormone (LH). Just preceding ovulation, women experience an "LH surge" - a sudden, dramatic, and brief rise in the level of luteinizing hormone. Ovulation tests detect the LH surge, allowing you to accurately predict when you will ovulate. A positive result on an ovulation test means that the woman will most likely become fertile over the next three days - with peak fertility at 36 hours following the LH surge.

The LH surge is brief; in order to detect the LH surge, a woman needs to test at the right time of the month. Once the LH surge has been detected, successful fertilization is most likely to take place one to three days following the LH surge - with peak fertility 36 hours after the LH surge (or positive result). Since this ovulation "window" only opens once per month (and the unfertilized egg has a short 24-hour life-span) predicting ovulation accurately is very helpful when trying to become pregnant.

Fertility Monitors: Urine-based fertility monitors work by detecting the levels of key hormones present in urine which can indicate ovulation. The most popular urine-based fertility monitors work by tracking the LH (Luteinizing Hormone) and Estrogen levels in urine through the use of fertility monitor test sticks.

To use the iBabydust.com Ovulation Calendar, click here.