How to Conceive With Irregular Menstruation
Irregular menstruation presents a number of obstacles for anyone who is hoping to conceive. The key to conceiving is timing intercourse so that it corresponds with ovulation. Unfortunately, irregular menstruation provides no clear indication of when ovulation is likely to occur. Luckily, there are a few different methods which can be used to help you determine when your body is ovulating. The following three methods can be used by themselves or in combination with one another.
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Instructions
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Chart Your Basal Body Temperature
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Place your basal thermometer securely under your tongue each morning, beginning with the first day of your cycle. It is important to do this as soon as you wake up to achieve the most accurate results.
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Record the basal thermometer's results on your BBT (basal body temperature) chart. See link at bottom for a downloadable BBT chart.
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Look for a change in your cervical mucus each day. There is a place on your BBT chart to note this information. Fertile cervical mucus typically resembles egg whites while non-fertile cervical mucus tends to be creamier in appearance.
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Examine your BBT chart on a regular basis. Some women experience a slight temperature drop right before they ovulate. If you notice this, it's a good time for intercourse.
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Look for a spike in your temperature of 0.4 degrees which indicates that ovulation has occurred. Your temperature at this point should be higher than it has been during the earlier portion of your cycle.
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Plan to have intercourse during the time of your ovulation to conceive.
Use a Saliva Microscope
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Using your finger, swab some saliva from under your tongue and dab it on the lens of your saliva microscope. Make sure to test first thing in the morning as food and toothpaste can interfere with the results.
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Place saliva microscope in a secure place where it can dry for approximately five minutes.
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Look at the dried saliva through the microscope. A strong ferning pattern indicates that you are ovulating now or will be shortly. A weak ferning pattern indicates that ovulation will likely occur in the next few days. A pattern of dots indicates no ovulation. See link below for samples.
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Plan to have intercourse during the time of your ovulation to conceive.
Use Ovulation Test Strips
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Collect a urine sample between approximately 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. each day. It is important to avoid early morning testing as your body does not produce the luteinizing hormone, or LH, that ovulation test strips look for.
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Carefully dip your ovulation test strip into the urine sample in accordance with the test strip's directions.
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Wait approximately five minutes and examine the test strip. If the test strip signals ovulation is occurring, plan to have intercourse.
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Tips & Warnings
Even women with extremely regular cycles may find that it takes several months to become pregnant. Try to be as patient as you can without stressing about conception. Avoid overanalyzing the results of your BBT chart. Each month might appear slightly different than the previous, which may mean nothing at all.
If you have irregular cycles, make sure to speak with your doctor who can rule out potential health issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
