Determining Your Fertile Window

Male Fertility
Sperm production begins at puberty and continues throughout life.
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Female Fertility
Potentially fertile for approximately 5-7 days per cycle. Begins from puberty until menopause.

= Combined Fertility

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As you approach ovulation, your cervical fluid will generally progress from:

Along with observing any cervical fluid present, you may also notice throughout the day you feel a vaginal ‘sensation’ without even checking, such as feeling; dry, moist or wet. Record any sensation you feel in your chart also.

Point of Change

Start really paying attention from the beginning of your cycle, of your cervical fluid patterns. This way you can start to practice identifying the point of change — when your cervical fluid changes from nothing / an unchanging ‘tacky’ pattern with a dry sensation, to a creamy lotiony texture with a moist sensation.

Once the point of change has been observed your fertile window has opened.

The wetter your cervical fluid, the more fertile it is. Then after ovulation, your cervical fluid will begin to dry up.

Peak Day

The last day of cervical fluid or wet sensation that you experience before it disappears is your Peak Day; generally the point during your cycle in which you are most fertile.

The Peak Day is your LAST day of wetness, and not necessarily the day of the most wetness — so if you have lots of watery cervical fluid on one day, then a little watery cervical fluid the next day, and then sticky cervical fluid; the second day (with a little watery cervical fluid) would be your Peak Day because it’s the last day.

Coverline

To use your BBT to confirm that you’ve ovulated and are no longer fertile in a cycle, you’ll need a line — called a coverline — that separates your lower, preovulatory temperatures from your higher, postovulatory ones.

How To Draw A Coverline

After your period has finished, start looking for the highest temperature of the past 6 days.

First look for a rise in temperature (at least two tenths of a degree higher than any of your last 6 temperatures). Starting with this first low temp before the rise, count back six temps. Locate the highest of these six temperatures.

Draw a line one tenth of a degree above the temperature that is the highest of this cluster of six: this is your coverline.

Determining Prengnancy

The luteal phase typically lasts 12 – 16 days then a new cycle begins with your period. If you count 18 high temperatures after ovulation and above the coverline, then you’re probably pregnant!

It’s possible that you don’t conceive until a second egg is released 2 days after ovulation; add those two days plus 16 (the maximum length of the luteal phase unless you’re pregnant), and you get 18.

If a pregnancy is welcome news, charting your temperature will give you early notice (which is very special) before confirming with a home test or seeing a doctor.

If a pregnancy may not be welcome news, charting will give you the earliest notice — this is likely very helpful so you’re not rushed into whatever you choose.

If you ever find yourself in an unwanted situation, just know you have choices. Womenonweb.com offers a world-wide service to women that may not have access to safe options in their own country.