Studies have shown that one in two couples could be trying for a baby at the wrong time1. So one of the easiest ways to increase your chances is to find when you’re most fertile. Your two most fertile days each cycle are the day of ovulation and the day before. You may also be fertile for a few days before ovulation, as your partner’s sperm can survive in your body for several days, so making love in those days before ovulation can also result in pregnancy.
How can I find out when I’m ovulating?
There’s a whole range of methods that you can use to work out when you are ovulating. Each one can be used on its own or in conjunction with the others. Some tell you when you have ovulated and some predict when you’re going to ovulate. The methods include
One of the most simple and accurate ways to find out when you’re ovulating is to use home ovulation tests such as Clearblue Ovulation Tests.
You use ovulation tests the same way you would use a home pregnancy test: you hold the absorbent sampler of a test stick in your urine stream and you see the result in a window on the test stick.
Clearblue Ovulation Tests will tell you the best 2 days to conceive - the day before ovulation and the day of ovulation. So, if you make love on these two days, you’ll be giving yourself the best chance of getting pregnant. Clearblue Ovulation Test kits are the only ones offering 7 test sticks and are therefore more effective at identifying your 2 most fertile days in one cycle than any other test kit.
The Clearblue Fertility Monitor almost doubles your chances of conceiving by identifying your maximum fertile window each cycle, typically up to 6 days. It not only shows your 2 Peak Fertility days, but can also inform most women of an extra 1-5 days of High Fertility before ovulation. As your partner’s sperm can survive in your body for several days, making love on those days can also result in pregnancy.
The Clearblue Fertility Monitor gives you comprehensive, personal information that is unique to you.
It counts the days and tells you which days to test.
It tells you when you’re having High and Peak Fertility days.
It even warns you when your period is due. This allows you to prepare for your next cycle, or, if you think your period is late, to test for pregnancy.
This method uses the fact that your basal body temperature rises by 0.2-0.4°C after ovulation. To use this method accurately, you have to take your BBT first thing every morning to build up a complete picture of your cycle.
Because it charts temperature rise after ovulation it can only be used to predict ovulation in the next cycle. That means you have to have a very regular cycle to be able to work out exactly when you will ovulate in the next cycle to make the most of your most fertile days.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that your body temperature can rise for a number of other reasons (including illness, drinking alcohol, hot drinks, movement and restless sleep), which can confuse matters. Also, in around 20% of women, ovulation doesn’t trigger a rise in body temperature.
If you have a regular cycle, you can try to predict ovulation by carefully recording the length of your menstrual cycle. You’ll need to record the length of your cycle for at least a couple of months to build up a full picture. If you have a very regular cycle, you can assume that you will ovulate between 12 and 16 days before your next period starts. However, the day you actually ovulate can vary by several days between cycles, even if you have a regular cycle.
During your cycle, the type and amount of cervical mucus — a secretion made by glands in your cervix — changes. It can be sticky or stretchy, white or cloudy. By making a note of these changes, you can predict when you will ovulate so you can make love on your most fertile days.
The main advantage of this method is that it gives you a better understanding of your body, making you more aware of the changes your body goes through during a cycle. However, it can take time to learn how to ‘read’ the changes, and your cervical mucus can be influenced by other factors, including infections, sex and some medication.
Some people think that your saliva changes according to the amount of the hormone oestrogen in your body, and there are kits available that can help you to monitor these changes. However, according to studies2 no link between saliva changes and oestrogen levels could be found, and it was concluded that this is an unreliable method of ovulation prediction. Saliva can also be affected by smoking, drinking alcohol and eating.
The Clearblue Fertility Monitor almost doubles your chances of conceiving by identifying your maximum fertile window each cycle, typically up to 6 days. It not only shows your 2 Peak Fertility days, but can also inform most women of an extra 1-5 days of High Fertility before ovulation. As your partner’s sperm can survive in your body for several days, making love on those days can also result in pregnancy.
If you have a regular cycle, you can try to predict ovulation by carefully recording the length of your menstrual cycle. You’ll need to record the length of your cycle for at least a couple of months to build up a full picture. If you have a very regular cycle, you can assume that you will ovulate between 12 and 16 days before your next period starts. However, the day you actually ovulate can vary by several days between cycles, even if you have a regular cycle.