Ovulation signs - say ahh

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Another way to check when you're ovulating is to take your temperature on a daily basis.
This is often referred to as BBT (Basal Body Temperature).

Ovulation signs - the test told me

A simple way to accurately pinpoint your ovulation is to take a test.

Also called an OPK - or Ovulation Predictor Kit. 

It looks exactly like a home pregnancy test.

The 'kit' bit is confusing as there's no special equipment!

Ovulation signs - mucus

So, you know the basics about why, when and how an egg is released.

This post shows you how to tell it's happened.

First things first.
The day you ovulate can change from cycle to cycle.
The more regular you are, the easier it is to tell.
If your periods vary greatly from month to month it's hard to pinpoint.

This is why it's useful to record ovulation signs or use a test.

Options:

Rummage in your drawers.
Not not those drawers, your knickers!
You may notice discharge on your pants or after going to the toilet on the tissue. Your partner may notice you're very wet at certain times of the month. This is cervical mucus.


We secrete mucus throughout our cycles. Depending on the type of mucus it serves different uses, including
1) prevent foreign bodies causing an infection.
2) prepare the womb for keeping a baby
3) give sperm a helping hand to make a baby

The rough pattern from start to end cycle is this:
After period - dry
Creamy
Lotion
Runny / Watery
Clear / slippery / stretchy / egg white.

This can vary - but egg white is what you're after for baby making
.
On the run up to your fertile period it may be runny / watery. When you ovulate or close before, it should resemble egg white (often referred to as ewcm), it's clear, stretchy and if placed between your fore finger and thumb should stretch without breaking.
This is the good stuff! It helps the sperm swim along more easily.

The vagina is usually hostile to sperm (sperm are foreign bodies after all) and is designed to kill them (aww, poor swimmers!). Think of ewcm as a red carpet with a special guide to show them the way serving champagne and canapes!

It also allows sperm to live longer - up to five days.

Once ovulation is over, your mucus will turn creamy or dry.

More about mucus

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/preconception/suspectingaproblem/mucusexpert/

Not sure what cervical mucus looks like?
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/photo_galleries/what-cervical-mucus-looks-like/

Ovulation signs - agony and ecstasy

Ovulation signs may leave you oohing and ahhing for different reasons!

How do you like your eggs.....?

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Fertilised please!

here's a breakdown of ovulation. This is the crucial bit of your cycle.

Baby girls are born with their entire collection of eggs. Whereas men continuously produce sperm throughout their lifetime.

Once puberty / menses start an egg is released each month, waiting to be fertilised. If it's not fertilised we lose it with our period,

When is an egg released?

• Roughly halfway through your cycle. 10 - 17 days before your next period.

How is it released?

• Prior to the egg release, your body produced large amounts of a chemical called LH (lutenising hormone). LH is always present in the body, but increases for a short period, to sends a message 'release the egg!'.

Where is it released?

• The egg is released from your ovary. You have two. One on each side of your body. The follicles containing eggs mature and the strongest egg pops out.

Where does it go?

• Floats up into the fallopian tubes, which are located just above your ovary.

What happens next?

• The egg hangs out, creating a 'come catch me' scent for sperm.

Here's the scary bit...

• The egg is only viable for 24 hours. Think of it like waiting for a date. 
• She (the egg) won't hang around too long. She's sent out the signals (scent) to encourage the sperm. 
• If the sperm is not there within 24 hours....too late! She's gone.

So spermies listen up....turn up on time....us ladies hate waiting!

I'll explain how you can tell the egg is about to drop.....

Body basics - All about Sperm.....

Picture from Conceive Plus website.

They are pretty darn fantastic.....

Sperm are continuously produced and it takes about 60 days for stocks to mature, however there is always a ready supply.

I guess there is a reason for men have a cheeky tug !


Each ejaculate contains about 200 million sperm...yet it only takes one to do the job!

Sperm can live for on average a day or two inside a womans body. Sometimes even up to five days, if the environment is friendly enough (egg white cervical mucus).

Advice for your fella:

• Take a men's supplement that includes zinc - this will improve the quality of his sperm.
• Avoid hot baths, resting his laptops on his crotch, wearing tight pants - these increase the temperature of his testes and diminish sperm quality. 
• Smoking, drugs, heavy alcohol use all ruin the sperm, making them slow, lazy, unable to swim in correct direction or with strange development e.g. two heads etc. Cut these out or down!

By the way, if you're a bloke reading this:
Your balls should be nice and cool....and no, you can't get away with asking your partner to blow on them for TTC purposes...nice try!

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-sperm-race/4od


http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6904551n&tag=mncol;lst;4

Body basics - Womens' Stuff

Our bodies are amazing...truly amazing! I now realise what Mrs Mac my biology teacher was banging on about in sex ed...I was too busy sniggering to pay attention at the time!

If you've forgotten, here's a breakdown of getting knocked up.

The Womans bits....

• The length of your monthly cycle is calculated from day 1 of your period, through to the day before  you start your next period.

• Our monthly cycles are divided into two halves.

1. The first half (Follicular Phase) starts from the first day of your period up to ovulation (when you pop an egg).
2. The second half (Luteal Phase) runs from day after ovulation to the day before your period.

During the  first half:

• Your body is gearing up to pop an egg.
• A message is sent to your ovaries to get that egg ripe and ready. 
• This message causes an increase in LH (lutenising hormone), which in turn causes your follicles to release a mature egg.
• Ovulation takes place roughly 10-16 days before your next period. So if you have a cycle of say 28 days, you could expect to ovulate somewhere between day 12 and day 18 of your cycle
• This egg is wafted up into your fallopian tubes, where it waits for or hopes to come across some sperm.

During the second half (also known as the 'two week wait' to find out if pregnant):

• The day you ovulate can change from month to month, but the length of your luteal phase usually remains the same.
• This is why, sometimes your period seems early or late - it's not. It arrived on time, but you ovulated earlier or later than usual.
• Your womb lining is nice and thick.
• Hopefully your egg is being fertilised, making it's way to the uterus and getting snuggled in.
• If it doesn't you'll have your period.
• If it does, you should get a Big Fat Positive (BFP) on your pregnancy test!