It might indicate a fertility problem but not necessarily a serious one.

First, you need to find out if you’re ovulating. The easiest, most practical way to do that is to take your temperature with a digital thermometer every morning and look for the sustained rise that indicates ovulation. Your temperature should remain high for about 12 to 16 days, until your period.

Cervical fluid. If you find that you’re not ovulating, you might want to consider making some lifestyle changes, as well as consulting a fertility specialist.

Achieving a healthy weight may be all you need to boost your chances of conception. If you’re very thin, for example, you may not have enough estrogen to ovulate. (Ovulation requires a minimum of about 18 percent body fat.) Obesity can create too much estrogen, which can also prevent ovulation by disrupting the hormonal feedback system that tells the egg follicles to mature.

Cervical fluid

Having intercourse on demand when you’re trying to get pregnant can be stressful, and that in itself can cause vaginal dryness. If your problem is lack of arousal fluid, rather than cervical fluid, you might want to try a product called Pre-Seed. This lubricant won’t take the place of fertile-quality cervical fluid, but it can make sex more comfortable without killing sperm the way other lubricants can.

Women taking the fertility drug Clomid to stimulate ovulation may experience a paradoxical side effect. The drug encourages egg development in the ovaries but can dry up the cervical fluid needed to transport the sperm through the cervix.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI), also called artificial insemination, bypasses this roadblock by inserting the sperm through the cervix into the uterus. It’s a simple, low-tech procedure that’s done in a doctor’s office. Don’t try and do it with a turkey baster at home, though! The sperm needs to be delicately inserted beyond your cervix into your uterus, something you can’t do yourself.

No matter what’s causing your dryness, drink lots of water and avoid antihistamines and cough and cold medicines that dry up mucous membranes to increase your body’s ability to produce wet cervical fluid.

Read more about

• Pregnancy after 40: Here’s what to know
• How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant?
• How to Keep the Romance Alive When Trying to Get Pregnant
• Your Preconception Checkup
• Getting pregnant in your 30s

Irregular periods. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days long, although a regular cycle is anywhere from 21 to 38 days. Sometimes, your cycle may be shorter or longer than usual. An occasional irregular period isn’t usually a cause for concern. But consistently irregular periods may be caused by certain health issues like thyroid problems or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If you do have irregular periods, your provider can help you figure out what’s going on.

IN THIS ARTICLE

• What causes an irregular period? 
• How to calculate ovulation with irregular periods 
• Signs of pregnancy when you have irregular periods 
• What to do about irregular periods 

Having an irregular period means that the length of time between the first day of your period and the first day of the next changes from cycle to cycle. It might come a few days earlier than expected or a few days late. A period that rarely arrives on schedule can throw you for a loop, especially if you’re trying to get pregnant.

Most of the time the menstrual cycle follows a pretty set schedule. Every month at roughly the same time, the ovaries release an egg. That’s called ovulation. If that egg isn’t fertilized, your hormones signal your body to shed the tissues lining your uterus and you get your period. You bleed for around five days, and then the whole cycle starts over again.

It’s like clockwork. Well, not always.

The average menstrual cycle is 28 days long, but it can range from 21 to 38 days. Some women have more unpredictable cycles that change in length from month to month. Not only does having an irregular period make it hard to know when it’s time to pick up a new box of tampons or pads, but it can make it more difficult to know when you could get pregnant.

If you’re wondering, “Why is my period irregular?” there are a few possible reasons.

What causes an irregular period?

Abnormal periods are the norm during the teen years when your body is still establishing its menstrual rhythm. It’s also common in your 40s and 50s as you inch closer to menopause.

If you’re not in either one of these age ranges here are some other reasons you may have irregular periods:

• Stress. You may notice that your periods get out of whack whenever you’re under a lot of stress. That’s because the stress hormone, cortisol, affects the release of estrogen and progesterone, which control your menstrual cycle.
• Birth control pills. Taking the “Pill” will make your menstrual cycle more regular while you’re on it. Once you go off birth control you can expect a little irregularity for a few months as your cycle gradually eases back into its previous rhythm.
• Weight loss or gain. Quick or dramatic weight swings – up or down – can throw off your menstrual cycles. Irregular or missed periods are one sign of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Hormonal changes that go along with weight gain or loss may be behind these menstrual changes.
• Problems with your ovaries. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) causes your ovaries to make too much of male hormones called androgens. This prevents your eggs from maturing, which leads to irregular periods. About 1 in 10 women with irregular periods have PCOS. In premature ovarian failure (POF) (also called primary ovarian insufficiency, or POI), your ovaries stop working before age 40 – years before you would typically start menopause. You ovulate less and less often over a few months or years before your periods stop altogether.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Painful or irregular periods can be a sign of PID, a bacterial infection of the reproductive organs.
• Hormone disorders. Irregular periods could be a sign that your hormones are out of balance. An overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism) thyroid gland and excess prolactin (hyperprolactinemia) can throw off your menstrual cycle.
• Endometriosis. When tissue that forms the lining of your uterus (endometrium) forms outside of the uterus, such as in the ovaries or fallopian tubes, you may have longer periods or shorter intervals between periods.

How to calculate ovulation with irregular periods

Using an ovulation calculator to figure out your most fertile days can help you predict when you’ll have the best odds of conceiving. But what if you have irregular periods and you ovulate at different times in each cycle? An ovulation calculator that works for irregular periods doesn’t really exist.

Instead, you may need to rely on other fertility tracking methods. One technique to try is measuring your basal body temperature (BBT). Your body temperature will rise slightly when you ovulate, giving you a window into the best time to have sex.

Or you can buy ovulation test strips. Using a bit of your urine or saliva, these strips can alert you to when ovulation is imminent.

Signs of pregnancy when you have irregular periods

A missed period is one of the most common ways that women know they’re pregnant. Once you conceive, your body releases hormones that basically shut down ovulation. But what if your period comes sporadically? One missed period can bring excitement – or panic – when you’re not actually pregnant.

Watch for these other signs of pregnancy when you have irregular periods:

• Extreme tiredness
• Morning sickness (or nausea and vomiting at any time of the day)
• A frequent need to urinate
• Swollen and sore breasts
• Light spotting
• Bloating
• Moodiness
• Cramping

Keep in mind that many of these symptoms happen for other reasons. You might feel extra tired if you haven’t been sleeping well or you have an infection, for example. The only way to know for sure is to take a pregnancy test.

What to do about irregular periods

Your periods might snap back into a normal rhythm eventually if the cause was something temporary, like work-related stress. In other cases, the way to treat irregular periods depends on their cause.

Taking hormonal forms of birth control like combination birth control pills or progestin-only pills can help to regulate your cycle, if you’re not planning a pregnancy. These are also treatments for PCOS.

Treating whatever other problem that caused your menstrual cycle to become irregular can also do the trick. For example, if you have an eating disorder, you may need counseling and nutritional therapy. For PID, antibiotics help you get rid of bacteria that caused the infection.

If you’re having irregular cycles, talk with your provider. It’s a good idea to track your cycle using an app or calendar so they can get a good idea of exactly what’s going on when you meet. They’ll suggest treatment options for any underlying health issues, which will in turn help regulate your cycles

Read more about

• Pregnancy after 40: Here’s what to know
• I’m not producing much cervical fluid. Could this signal a fertility problem?
• How to Keep the Romance Alive When Trying to Get Pregnant
• Your Preconception Checkup
• Getting pregnant in your 30s

Period late! A missed period is an early sign of pregnancy, but if your period is late and you’re not pregnant, you may wonder what’s going on. Stress, breastfeeding, certain medications, menopause, and some medical conditions can affect the hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle and cause a missed or late period. An occasional missed period isn’t usually cause for concern, but if you miss your period for 3 months in a row, have periods that are more than 35 days apart, or suddenly have irregular periods, talk with your healthcare provider.

IN THIS ARTICLE

• Reasons for a missed or late period 
• Medical terms for a missed period 
• What to do if your period is late 

Reasons for a missed or period late

There are many reasons why you might have a missed or late period, but they all have to do with hormones. Anything that affects your body’s production of the hormones that influence your cycle can result in a menstrual cycle that’s out of whack. These hormones include progesterone and estrogen (made by the ovaries) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin (made by the pituitary gland).

Common causes for a missed or late period include:

Pregnancy. A missed period is often the first sign of pregnancy. Your body will start producing human chorionic gonadotropic (hCG), yet another hormone, as soon as the fertilized egg implants itself in the lining of your uterus. A pregnancy test can pick up hCG in your urine when you’ve missed a period (and sometimes before). If you’re unsure of the results (or want confirmation), your healthcare provider can do a blood test.

Stress. Big and little stressors – from a switched schedule (day shift to night shift) or travel that disrupts your circadian rhythms, to an illness or major life event – can result in changes in hormone levels. These changes can cause you to ovulate off schedule or to not ovulate at all.

Breastfeeding. When you breastfeed, your body produces prolactin, which suppresses ovulation. In fact, some moms use exclusive breastfeeding as birth control, though it’s risky. Keep in mind that you can get pregnant before you have a period. Your first ovulation comes two weeks before your first period!

Medications. Certain birth control medications can affect your menstrual cycle.  Birth control pills keep your body from ovulating. (You may still have some bleeding, but bleeding when on birth control pills isn’t a true menstrual period linked with ovulation. It’s a result of the withdrawal from the hormones as you take the placebo pills.)

And if you’re on extended birth control pills, you’ll only get your period every 3 months, because they’re designed to cause withdrawal bleeding every 91 days. Other hormonal birth control, like the Depo-Provera shot (which suppresses ovulation) and hormone-containing IUDs, (which thin the uterine lining) can stop or delay your periods, too.

Other medications can also affect your cycle or cause it to stop. These include some types of psychiatric medications and cancer chemotherapy.

Being extremely underweight. Extreme weight loss, low calorie intake, excessive exercise, and/or being very underweight can inhibit the production of estrogen and slow the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which affects the timing of your period. A BMI of 18.5 or less can result in irregular menstrual cycles and may stop ovulation completely.

Your body stops ovulation and your periods because it thinks that you’re starving at this low weight and understands that this isn’t a great time to get pregnant. Keep in mind, though, that your cycle can restart at any time, so you still need to protect against pregnancy if you don’t want to conceive. In this case, changes in your menstrual cycle are a warning sign for your overall health. Seeing a physician to prevent long-term damage to your body is crucial.

Obesity. Being very overweight can cause your body to produce too much estrogen, leading to a loss of ovulation and menstrual periods. Like being extremely underweight, this is a warning sign for your overall health and should be addressed by your healthcare provider.

Menopause. The time when your body is transitioning to menopause is called perimenopause, and your period may come and go – or lengthen and shorten. That’s because the levels of estrogen in your body are rising and falling during this transition. Perimenopause can happen as early as mid-30s, though it’s more common in your 40s. The average age of menopause (defined as one year without a period) is 51, plus or minus 5 years. Irregular cycles can start a few years before your last period. If you enter menopause significantly early, it’s called primary ovarian insufficiency (early menopause). There are long-term health implications for early menopause, so talk with your healthcare prover about interventions.

Medical conditions. Health issues that cause hormonal imbalances can affect your menstrual cycle. These include:

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common cause of irregular periods. We don’t fully understand the condition yet, but it’s a communication problem between the brain, ovaries, and uterus that is probably caused by both genetic and environmental factors. PCOS is associated with diabetes and insulin resistance, excessive body hair, and/or acne.
• Thyroid problems can cause irregular periods, or they can cause your period to stop. Hypothyroidism happens when the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. And hyperthyroidism is when your thyroid is overactive and produces too much thyroid hormone.
• Pituitary tumors can secrete excessive prolactin and cause missed periods.
• Chronic diseases, such as uncontrolled celiac disease and diabetes, can affect menstruation (though this is rare).

Medical terms for a missed period

Amenorrhea is the medical name for not having a period. Here are the terms that a healthcare provider might use to define your missed periods:

• Primary amenorrhea means a girl or woman has not had any period by age 15.
• Secondary amenorrhea means that menstrual periods are absent for more than 3 to 6 months (3 months in someone who was previously having regular periods and 6 months in someone who was having irregular periods).  
• Oligomenorrhea means having infrequent periods (fewer than 6 to 8 periods per year).

What to do if your period is late

If you just missed it – say your period is 3 days late or 5 days late – take a pregnancy test.

If you’re not pregnant and your period is late, keep in mind that missing a period or having a late period occasionally isn’t usually something to worry about. But not having a period for an extended time or infrequently can be a sign of a health problem. And these can lead to other problems, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infertility, and osteoporosis.

See your healthcare provider if you:

• Don’t get a period for three months or more in a row
• Have fewer than 9 menstrual cycles each year
• Had regular periods but now have irregular periods
• Have a period that lasts more than 10 days
• Have periods that are more than 35 days apart. A typical cycle is 28 days, but some women have a normal range of 21 to 35 days.

If you missed your period because you’re pregnant, call your healthcare provider to make a prenatal appointment. In the meantime, use our due date calculator to find out when your baby may arrive.

Read more about

• Pregnancy after 40: Here’s what to know
• I’m not producing much cervical fluid. Could this signal a fertility problem?
• How to Keep the Romance Alive When Trying to Get Pregnant
• Your Preconception Checkup
• Getting pregnant in your 30s

Ovulation test strips can increase your chances of getting pregnant by letting you know when you’re about to ovulate. But there are two different types of tests, saliva-based and urine-based, which work differently and have different levels of accuracy. Which one you choose depends on what type of ovulation test results you want to get (and your budget!).

IN THIS ARTICLE

• What is an ovulation test kit? 
• How ovulation tests work 
• What does a positive ovulation test mean? 
• How accurate are ovulation test kits? 
• How to use ovulation kits 
• Where to get ovulation test kits 

What is an ovulation test kit?

An ovulation test strip, (or ovulation predictor kit, OPK) can help you identify the most fertile days during your monthly cycle – that is, the day or two leading up to ovulation when sex (or insemination) is most likely to lead to pregnancy. It can be a quick and easy way to predict when you’re about to ovulate.

Of course, you don’t have to schedule sex in order to get pregnant. Having sex every few days during the middle two weeks of your cycle will usually do the job. However, you may want to try to pinpoint your most fertile days if:

• You and your partner have hectic schedules or already have children, and it’s not feasible for you to have sex that often.
• You’re trying to get pregnant through insemination.
• You’ve had difficulty conceiving after a few months of trying, and think you might have irregular cycles that make it hard to find your fertile window.

How ovulation tests work

There are two kinds of ovulation prediction kits:

Urine-based OPKs

These test your urine for an increase in luteinizing hormone (LH). This usually happens within a day and a half before ovulation. There’s always a small amount of LH present in your blood and urine, but the level will go up by about two to five times in the days before ovulation. A test stick usually shows a positive result about 24 to 36 hours before your egg is released, so plan to have sex (or be inseminated) during that window if you want to maximize your chances of getting pregnant.

Salivary ferning kits

Salivary ferning kits help you tell when ovulation is imminent by showing changes in your saliva. As your estrogen levels rise in the days before ovulation, the salt content of your saliva increases. If you put a drop of saliva on a glass slide, the salt may dry and crystallize into a fern-like pattern that you may be able to see with a pocket-size portable microscope. The ferning pattern should indicate that you’ll ovulate in the next few days (though you may continue to see a ferning pattern up to two days after ovulation).

What does a positive ovulation test mean?

A positive result means that you’re likely to ovulate in the next 24 to 36 hours, so if you’re trying to conceive, try to have sex more frequently in the next several days (or schedule your insemination ASAP, if that’s the approach you’re taking).

A positive test result isn’t a guarantee, though, and all test kits have different parameters for displaying a positive result, so you should definitely make sure you’ve read the instructions for your individual kit and know how to interpret the results.

How accurate are ovulation test kits?

Urine-based LH tests are more accurate than salivary ferning kits, but they’re not foolproof. Follow the instructions on your kit carefully for the most accurate results. Make sure you use the test at the time of day recommended, and read the results within the timing window specified.

Also, keep in mind that because LH can surge with or without the release of an egg, the tests can’t tell you for sure whether you’ve ovulated.

Most importantly, don’t use these kits to try to avoid pregnancy, since you won’t know exactly when you’ve ovulated or when your fertile window has closed for that cycle.

Salivary ferning tests are less accurate than urine tests. Ferning may happen as early as six days before you ovulate as well as at other times in your menstrual cycle, particularly if you’re taking the fertility drug Clomid (clomiphene).

It may also be hard to recognize whether ferning has happened on the test slide. If you have poor eyesight, salivary ferning kits may not be the best method for you.

Taking Clomid or drugs containing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or LH can affect results for both salivary ferning and urine-based tests. Ask your provider whether you need to stop taking certain drugs before using these tests.

Finally, OPKs are not likely to be accurate for women who are nearing menopause or have polycystic ovary syndrome.

How to use ovulation kits

First and foremost, you should always read and follow the instructions that come with the kit you select. But whatever kind of kit you’re using, you’ll need to figure out which day of your cycle to start testing. Some kits suggest that you count back 18 days from the day you expect your next period. So if you have a 28-day cycle, start testing on day 10 (the 10th day after your period starts), and continue until you get a positive result.

As far as how to use the kit and how to read your test results, the steps will differ based on whether you’re using a urine-based or salivary ferning OPK.

Using a urine-based OPK

Urine-based OPKs supply five to 20 days’ worth of test sticks. Once a day, you hold a test stick in your urine stream or dip the end of the stick into urine you’ve collected in a cup. The colored bands or symbols that appear on the test stick indicate whether the LH surge is occurring.

Try to collect your urine at about the same time every day, but follow the instructions on your particular kit for best results.

Don’t drink a lot of liquid during the two hours before testing. Too much liquid dilutes your urine, which could make it more difficult to detect the surge.

Read the results within 10 minutes. A positive result won’t disappear, but some negative results may later display a faint second color band that would be misleading.

Using a salivary ferning OPK

Use a finger or lick the slide to put a little bit of your saliva on a slide. Do this first thing in the morning, before you’ve had anything to eat or drink. Make sure the sample is free of air bubbles.

Wait for the saliva to dry and then use the microscope to see whether there is any ferning. Compare your slide with examples in the instructions to tell how to identify ferning.

Where to get ovulation test kits

You can buy kits online as well as over-the-counter at most drugstores and supermarkets (they’re usually near the pregnancy tests).

The more challenging thing about getting a hold of ovulation test kits is affording them. Urine-based OPKs cost between $20 and $50 and contain between five and 20 test sticks. Most brands offer the same level of reliability, so pick the one that offers you the most test sticks for the least amount of money.

Once you detect your surge, you can stop testing for that cycle and save any unused test sticks for the following month (unless you conceive, of course).

Salivary ferning OPKs can be a better value. After the initial outlay of about $30 for the microscope, you should be able to test again and again. If it takes you a long time to conceive, you may have to replace the kit with a new one after about two years, depending on the brand.

Read more about

• Pregnancy after 40: Here’s what to know
• I’m not producing much cervical fluid. Could this signal a fertility problem?
• How to Keep the Romance Alive When Trying to Get Pregnant
• Your Preconception Checkup
• Why is my period late?

Ovulation Symptoms and Signs can include increased basal body temperature, mild cramps and more. Here’s what to expect — and how to use this information to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

IN THIS ARTICLE

• What is ovulation? 
• When do you ovulate? 
• How long does ovulation last? 
• Frequently Asked Questions

Recognizing the signs of ovulation is key when pregnancy is the goal. During each monthly cycle, healthy couples who aren’t using birth control typically have around a 25 to 30 percent chance of getting pregnant, though it can vary widely depending on the circumstances. That’s partly because you can only conceive around the time of ovulation — a small window each month (between 12 and 24 hours) when the egg is viable.

Doesn’t sound like much of an opening? Consider, then, that sperm can live for three to six days, meaning that even if you have sex a few days before ovulation, some sperm may still be around to greet the egg when it emerges. And remember: It only takes one sperm to make a baby.

Of course, having sex the day you ovulate would be ideal, since after that the window tends to close until the next cycle. So what ovulation symptoms should you look for to time it just right? Here are the signs of ovulation to pay close attention to when you’re trying to conceive. 

What is ovulation?

Ovulation is the release of a mature egg from one of the ovaries, which happens every month. A woman is most fertile around the time of ovulation.

Common signs of ovulation

Here are the ovulation symptoms to watch for. Note: Some women may experience all of these symptoms, while others may experience few, if any. 

• Changes in body temperature. During ovulation, your basal body temperature (BBT) rises slightly. You’re most fertile in the two days before your BBT increases. Charting your BBT using a special thermometer for a few months may help you better pinpoint your most fertile days.
• Changes in cervical mucus. Cervical mucus becomes clearer and thinner with a slippery consistency similar to that of egg whites. You might notice the change in consistency in your undies.
• Ovulation pain. You may feel a slight twinge of pain or mild cramps in your lower abdomen (this is called mittelschmerz).
• A libido boost. Your sex drive may increase right around the time your body’s about to ovulate.
• Changes in cervical positioning. Just before ovulation, your cervix may soften, open up and move up higher.
• Light spotting. You may notice some light spotting.
• Vulva changes. Your labia, or the outer part of your genitalia, may swell.
• Breast tenderness. Fluctuating hormones bring on achy breasts and sore nipples for some women.

When does ovulation occur?

Ovulation usually occurs halfway through your menstrual cycle, or around day 14 of the average 28-day cycle counting from the first day of one period to the first day of the next.

But as with everything pregnancy-related, there’s a wide range of normal here since cycles can last anywhere from 23 to 35 days, and even your own cycle and time of ovulation may vary slightly from month to month.

How long does ovulation last?

An egg can be fertilized for between 12 and 24 hours after ovulation. The specific length of time that it takes for the egg to be released by the ovary and picked up by the fallopian tube is variable but occurs 12 to 24 hours after a surge of the hormone LH as described below.

How to track ovulation

There are a number of ways to predict when you might start ovulating. Here’s how to prepare for ovulation and pinpoint the timing:

Chart your menstrual cycle

Keep a menstrual cycle calendar for a few months so you can get an idea of what’s normal for you — or use tools that can help you calculate ovulation. If your periods are irregular, you’ll need to be even more alert for other ovulation symptoms.

Listen to your body

Can you feel ovulation happening? If you’re like 20 percent of women, your body will send you a memo when it’s ovulating, in the form of a twinge of pain or a series of cramps in your lower abdominal area (usually localized to one side — the side you’re ovulating from). 

Called mittelschmerz — German for “middle pain” — this monthly reminder of fertility is thought to be the result of the maturation or release of an egg from an ovary. Pay close attention, and you may be more likely to get the message.

Track your basal body temperature

Your basal body temperature, or BBT, that is. Taken with a special thermometer, basal body temperature is the baseline reading you get first thing in the morning, after at least three to five hours of sleep and before you get out of bed, talk or even sit up. 

Your BBT changes throughout your cycle as fluctuations in hormone levels occur. During the first half of your cycle before ovulation, estrogen dominates.

During the second half after ovulation, there’s a surge in progesterone, which increases your body temperature as it gets your uterus ready for a fertilized, implantable egg. That means your temperature will be lower in the first half of the month than it is in the second half.

Confused? Here’s the bottom line: Your basal body temperature will reach its lowest point at ovulation and then rise immediately about a half a degree as soon as ovulation occurs. Keep in mind that charting your BBT for just one month will not enable you to predict the day you ovulate but rather give you evidence of ovulation after it’s happened. Tracking it over a few months, however, will help you see a pattern in your cycles, enabling you to predict when your fertile days are — and when to hop into bed accordingly.

Many women do find this approach a bit frustrating and it is important to know that studies have shown that the timing of ovulation does vary among women after the dip in temperature. Ovulation predictor kits are more precise.

Get to know your cervix

Ovulation isn’t an entirely hidden process, and there are some definite physical signs of ovulation. As your body senses the hormone shifts that indicate an egg is about to be released from the ovary, it begins prepping for incoming sperm to give the egg its best chance of being fertilized.

One detectable sign of ovulation is the position of the cervix itself. During the beginning of a cycle, your cervix — that neck-like passage between your vagina and uterus that has to stretch during birth to accommodate your baby’s head — is low, firm and closed. But as ovulation approaches, it pulls back up, softens a bit and opens just a little, to let the sperm through on their way to their target. 

Some women can easily feel these changes, while others have a tougher time. Check your cervix daily, using one or two fingers, and keep a record of your observations.

Pay attention to discharge

The other cervical ovulation symptom you can watch for is a change in mucus. Cervical mucus, which you’ll notice as discharge, carries the sperm to the egg deep inside you. 

After your period ends, you’ll have a dry spell, literally; you shouldn’t expect much, if any, cervical mucus. As the cycle proceeds, you’ll notice an increase in the amount of mucus, with an often white or cloudy appearance — and if you try to stretch it between your fingers, it’ll break apart.

As you get closer to ovulation, this mucus becomes even more copious, but now it’s thinner, clearer and has a slippery consistency similar to that of an egg white. If you try to stretch it between your fingers, you’ll be able to pull it into a string a few inches long before it breaks (how’s that for fun in the bathroom?). This egg white cervical mucus is yet another sign of impending ovulation.

After you ovulate, you may either become dry again or develop a thicker discharge. Put together with cervical position and BBT on a single chart, cervical mucus can be an extremely useful (if slightly messy) tool in pinpointing the day you’re most likely to ovulate — in plenty of time for you to do something about it. 

Some women do not produce much cervical mucus, particularly those who have had surgery on the cervix for abnormal PAP smears (such as a LEEP procedure).

Buy an ovulation predictor kit

Don’t want to mess around with mucus? You don’t have to. Many women use ovulation predictor kits, which identify the date of ovulation 12 to 24 hours in advance by looking at levels of luteinizing hormone, or LH, the last of the hormones to hit its peak before ovulation. 

All you have to do is pee on a stick and wait for the indicator to tell you whether you’re about to ovulate. These kits are more accurate than the use of apps which predict when you should be ovulating, but not necessarily when you are ovulating.

A less precise and rarely used approach is a saliva test, which measures estrogen levels in your saliva as ovulation nears. When you’re ovulating, a look at your saliva under the test’s eyepiece will reveal a microscopic pattern that resembles the leaves of a fern plant or frost on a window pane. Not all women get a good “fern,” but this test, which is reusable, can be cheaper than the kits.

There are also devices that detect the numerous salts (chloride, sodium, potassium) in a woman’s sweat, which change during different times of the month. Called the chloride ion surge, this shift happens even before the estrogen and the LH surge, so these tests give a woman a four-day warning of when she may be ovulating, versus the 12-to-24-hour notice that standard ovulation predictors provide. 

The saliva and chloride ion surge tests have not been well studied and tend to be used much less frequently.

Just remember: Patience and persistence are key when you’re trying to get pregnant, and there are no guarantees that you’ll definitely conceive even if you are ovulating. 

But it can’t hurt to keep an eye out for these common ovulation symptoms, then plan a candlelit dinner, draw a warm bubble bath or go on a romantic weekend getaway — whatever it takes to put you and your partner in the baby-making mood.

Good luck — and have fun trying!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the signs of ovulation?

Increase in sex drive, light spotting, and mild cramping are just a few signs you may be ovulating.

How do I know I’m ovulating?

There are a number of ways to determine when you’re ovulating:

• Chart your menstrual cycle
• Pay attention to any twinges of pain or lower abdominal cramps (called mittelschmerz)
• Track your basal body temperature
• Buy an ovulation predictor kit
• Pay attention to your cervical mucus

How many days during ovulation can you get pregnant?

You can only conceive around the time of ovulation — a small window each month (between 12 and 24 hours) when the egg is viable.

How long do you ovulate for?

An egg can be fertilized for between 12 and 24 hours after ovulation. Ovulation usually occurs halfway through your menstrual cycle, or around day 14 of the average 28-day cycle counting from the first day of one period to the first day of the next.

Read more about

• Pregnancy after 40: Here’s what to know
• How do ovulation test strips work?
• How to Keep the Romance Alive When Trying to Get Pregnant
• Your Preconception Checkup
• Why is my period late?

Pregnant while breastfeeding. Can you get pregnant while nursing? The short answer is yes, you can. But isn’t breastfeeding a form of birth control? Well, it’s true that breastfeeding can keep you from ovulating — but only if you nurse your baby exclusively (no formula) and follow a few other rules carefully. Even then, it’s not a good idea to rely on breastfeeding to prevent pregnancy.   

IN THIS ARTICLE

• Can you get pregnant while you’re breastfeeding? 
• Can I get pregnant if I’m breastfeeding and haven’t gotten my period yet? 
• Breastfeeding as birth control 
• Can breastfeeding interfere with my pregnancy if I do get pregnant? 

Can you get pregnant while you’re breastfeeding?

Yes, you can. So if you don’t want to have another baby just yet, your best bet is to use a reliable form of birth control as soon as you start having sex again after giving birth.

That said, it’s also true that you may not get your period and fertility back for several months (or even longer) after giving birth, especially if you’re exclusively breastfeeding your baby it depends on your hormones.

Can I get pregnant if I’m breastfeeding and haven’t gotten my period yet pregnant while breastfeeding?

Yes! You could start ovulating again at any time without knowing it. That means it’s possible to get pregnant before your period returns.

How? You’re fertile around the time you ovulate, and that happens before you get your period – typically about two weeks earlier. So don’t wait until you have a period to find a reliable birth control method.

Breastfeeding as birth control

Breast milk production delays the return of menstruation. Some women rely on this as a contraceptive technique. It’s called the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM).

But in order to use this method properly, you have to meet certain criteria:

• Your baby must be younger than 6 months old.
• You have to breastfeed at least every four hours during the day and every six hours at night.
• When using LAM, you can’t supplement breastfeeding with formula. (Pumping instead of nursing and feeding your baby solids also make LAM less effective.)

LAM is reported to be 98 percent effective when you meet these conditions exactly. But the rate of effectiveness drops as your baby gets older and your situation changes – like when your baby starts solids or nurses less as she starts sleeping through the night, for example.

Few women in the United States rely solely on LAM to prevent pregnancy, partly because there are so many other easy contraceptive methods available. Also, few women in this country nurse their babies around-the-clock for six months.

If you want to use breastfeeding for natural family planning, talk with your healthcare provider or a lactation consultant about LAM – ideally before your baby is born.

Can breastfeeding interfere with my pregnancy if I do get pregnant?

It’s generally considered safe to continue breastfeeding during pregnancy.

However, you may have some cramping when you nurse because it causes your body to produce small amounts of oxytocin (the hormone that causes contractions). In rare cases, it may be enough to cause preterm labor, so let your ob or midwife know if you think you’re having contractions.

Primarily, though, the important thing is to make sure you get enough calories to support both the baby in your belly and the one you’re nursing.

Also, consider waiting until your baby is at least a year old before you start trying to get pregnant again. Research suggests waiting one to two years after giving birth to conceive another child reduces the risk of pregnancy complications and other health problems.

Read more about

• Pregnancy after 40: Here’s what to know
• How do ovulation test strips work?
• 8 Ovulation Symptoms to Detect Your Most Fertile Days
• Your Preconception Checkup
• Why is my period late?

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period, and it increases slightly right after you ovulate. Using a special thermometer, you can track your basal body temperature over time to estimate when you’ll ovulate and figure out your most fertile days.

IN THIS ARTICLE

• What is basal body temperature? 
• How do I take my basal body temperature? Can I use a regular thermometer? 
• What is the normal basal body temperature? 
• What is cervical mucus? 
• Ovulation charts: Tools for tracking your BBT and cervical mucus 
• How to chart your basal body temperature and cervical mucus 
• What if charting doesn’t work for me? 

What is basal body temperature?

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period. It’s the temperature of your body when you’re at rest. Typically, BBT increases slightly right after you ovulate.

If you’re trying to get pregnant, you can track your basal body temperature to estimate when you’ll ovulate and determine the best days to have sex (or be inseminated). For greater accuracy, you can combine tracking your BBT with monitoring changes in your cervical mucus.

Keep in mind that your most fertile period is in the two to three days before the increase in BBT. So when you detect a temperature change, your optimal window for getting pregnant will likely have already passed. Nevertheless, if you have regular menstrual cycles and chart your BBT over time, this method may help you predict when you’ll be most fertile.

Charting your BBT can also help your healthcare provider pinpoint the cause of any fertility problems.

How do I take my basal body temperature? Can I use a regular thermometer?

To get an accurate reading, you need to use a basal thermometer, which is sensitive enough to measure minute changes in body temperature. You can buy glass or digital BBT thermometers in your pharmacy or online. Although some digital ones give readings to a hundredth of a degree, all you really need is one that will give a reading to one-tenth of a degree (thermometers that only give readings to two-tenths of a degree are not accurate enough).

To get your BBT, take your temperature when you first wake up in the morning – before you eat, drink, have sex, or even sit up in bed or put a foot on the floor. Try to take a reading at about the same time each morning, and record it on a BBT chart. If you don’t take your temperature immediately after waking up, your BBT chart will not be accurate.

What is the normal basal body temperature?

Before ovulation, your BBT may range from about 97.2 to 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit. But the day after you ovulate, you should see an uptick of 0.5 to 1.0 degree in your BBT, which should last until your next period.

You may notice your temperature occasionally spiking on other days, but if it doesn’t stay up, you probably haven’t ovulated yet.

Be aware that, in addition to ovulation, the following can also affect your BBT:

• Pregnancy: If you become pregnant, your basal body temperature will stay elevated throughout your pregnancy.
• Fever: Having a fever (if you get sick with the flu or another illness) will raise your overall body temperature, so your BBT won’t be reliable.
• Medications: Some medications, such as antibiotics or blood pressure medicines, can cause a rise in BBT.
• Disease: Thyroid disorders can cause your body’s temperature to increase.
• Exertion or heat: Exercise and hot weather can push your temperature up.

What is cervical mucus?

Cervical mucus is vaginal discharge produced by the cervix. Over the course of your menstrual cycle, the amount, color, and texture of your cervical mucus changes due to fluctuating hormone levels.

Checking your cervical mucus and keeping track of these changes can help you tell when you’re most fertile. Here’s what to watch for:

• Once your period stops, you may not have any discharge for a few days.
• Then you may notice a few days of cloudy, sticky discharge.
• In the few days leading up to ovulation, the amount of discharge increases and becomes thin, slippery, and stretchy (like egg whites). This consistency makes it easier for the sperm to travel through the cervix to the egg. These are your most fertile days.
• Just after ovulation, the amount of mucus decreases and becomes thicker.
• Then you may be dry for several days before your next period.

A good time to check your cervical mucus is when you go to the bathroom first thing in the morning, but you can check it any time of day. Sometimes you may be able to see cervical mucus on the toilet paper after you wipe. Other times you may need to insert a clean finger into your vagina (toward your cervix) to get enough mucus to examine.

Keep in mind that taking certain medications, having sex, using a lubricant, or douching can change the appearance of cervical mucus.

Ovulation charts: Tools for tracking your BBT and cervical mucus

This blank chart gives you a handy way to track your basal body temperature. You can also use it to track your cervical mucus. After charting your BBT for a few months, you’ll be able to see whether there’s a pattern to your cycle. If there is, you may be able to estimate when you’ll next ovulate.

Print out some copies of our blank chart, buy a basal thermometer, and you’re ready to start charting.

And if you want to see what a chart looks like when it’s completed, take a look at our filled-in sample chart.

When you look at the sample chart, remember that every woman’s cycle is different, and your personal chart may not look like the example or even be the same month to month.

How to chart your basal body temperature and cervical mucus

Ready to begin charting? Here’s how to do it:

1. On the first day you get your period, fill in the date and day of the week under cycle day 1. Continue noting the dates of your cycle until the first day of your next period.
2. Each morning when you wake up – before you drink, eat, have sex, or even sit up in bed – take your temperature with a basal thermometer. Put a dot next to the temperature that matches your thermometer reading for that day. (You can also note the time you took your temperature. Try to take it at about the same time each morning.) Connect the dots to see how your basal temperature fluctuates from day to day.
3. You can also check your cervical mucus each day if you wish. Record the type of discharge you find each day, according to the key at the bottom of the chart: P = period, D = dry, S = sticky, E = egg-white-like
4. Toward the end of your cycle, watch for a day when your BBT rose 0.5 to 1 degree F and stayed high. That day is usually the day you ovulated. It should correspond with the last day you noticed egg-white-like cervical mucus. The days when you notice egg-white-like mucus are your most fertile.
5. Track these symptoms for a few months to see if you notice an uptick in BBT and egg-white-like mucus at the same time each cycle. That will allow you to plan which days to have sex if you want to get pregnant.
6. For the best chance of conceiving, have sex at least every other day during your most fertile period.

What if charting doesn’t work for me?

If the idea of charting sounds stressful, or if you just can’t make it work, there are other ways to estimate when you’ll ovulate. For example, you can try using an ovulation predictor kit, which measures your hormone levels and indicates when you’re about to ovulate.

And if you have the flexibility to take a more low-key approach, you can just have sex about every other day during the middle two weeks of your cycle.

Read more about

• Pregnancy after 40: Here’s what to know
• How do ovulation test strips work?
• 8 Ovulation Symptoms to Detect Your Most Fertile Days
• Is it possible to get pregnant while breastfeeding?
• Why is my period late?