Ovulation is the fertile time of your menstrual cycle. Each month many eggs mature inside the ovary and during ovulation one or more eggs are released.
Your body prepares in a number of ways for a fertilised egg. A follicle develops in the ovary, the uterine lining thickens and the follicle evolves into the corpus luteum. If fertilisation does not take place the corpus luteum fades away, progesterone rises and the uterine lining detaches. This results in menstruation and the start of another cycle. How does ovulation determine when I can get pregnant? In order to fall pregnant, you need to have sexual intercourse during the period around ovulation. If you know when you are ovulating you can increase your chances of falling pregnant. When am I most likely to conceive?
Likelihood of conception | Date of intercourse
| MAYBE BABY™ Reading | | Highly Likely: | If you have intercourse from 1 day before and up to 1 day after ovulation. | Ferns | | Likely: | If you have intercourse from 2 to 3 days before and up to 1 day after ovulation. | Combination of ferns and pebble | | Not Likely | If you have intercourse more than 4 days before ovulation or more than 1 day after ovulation. | Pebbles |
How can I tell when I'm ovulating and therefore most fertile?
In general the average cycle is 28 days with ovulation on day 14. However your body is unique and so is your cycle. The best way to determine your most fertile time is to chart your cycle and learn to spot the signs that ovulation is approaching or occurring.
By monitoring your saliva everyday with the MAYBE BABY™ microscope you can chart your body’s cycle. Based on this you will know when you are approaching ovulation, and ovulating.
Some women find that they see occasional ferning after ovulation. This relates to changes in the post-luteal phase and are not to be confused with ovulation. You can only ovulate once in a cycle and can ignore the other fernlike readings. Charting will help you identify the ovulation period and other patterns perculiar to your cycle. Always remember to chart with clean saliva.
The MAYBE BABY™ Fertility Chart can be downloaded here.
(In order to view MAYBE BABY™ Fertility Chart you will need Adobe Reader. This can be downloaded here.)
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