How to Make An Ovulation Calendar

When trying to get pregnant, an ovulation calendar is a great tool to help you track when you are most likely to get pregnant or your fertile period. An ovulation calendar involves using a chart or calendar to track the days of your menstrual cycle. Then from the length of the longest and shortest cycles you can determine your most fertile period. It is based on the idea that women ovulate 14 days before menstruation begins.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Calendar

1. First, you will need to begin keeping track of your menstrual cycles. The first day of your period (the first day you bleed) is day 1 of your cycle. The last day of your cycle is the day before you start your period.

2. After tracking you cycles for a few months, add up the number of days in each cycle. While the average cycle lasts around 28 days, a typical cycle can range from 21 to 35 days long.

3. Now subtract 14 days from the length of your shortest and longest cycle. Example: Let’s say your shortest cycle was 24 days and your longest was 29. This gives us 10 (24-14) and 15 (29-14).

4. Based on the assumption that you ovulate 14 days before your next menstrual period we will say that you ovulate sometime between cycle day 10 and cycle day 15.

5. Since an egg can be fertilized for about 24 hours after it is released and sperm can survive inside a woman for 3-5 days (some studies suggest up to 7 days), you can begin having sex with the intent of conceiving from about cycle day 5 to cycle day 16. Having sex every other day within this time frame should be adequate to achieve pregnancy. Enjoy the ride!

Tips & Warnings

• A traditional ovulation calendar may not be as reliable for women with irregular or atypical cycles. See resources section for an article on creating an ovulation calendar when you have irregular cycles.

Resources

• How to Create An Ovulation Calendar For Irregular Menstrual Cycles

[sunshine11219]

on 12/6/2008 well written