Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Monitor your body's signals
• Method 2 of 2: Using an ovulation chart
• Tips

Your menstrual cycle can be irregular for a variety of reasons; however, if you have an irregular cycle, it can be difficult to prepare for your period and predict when you will ovulate. This knowledge is especially important if you want to become pregnant. This "ovulation window" - the time frame within which an egg can be fertilized by sperm - is relatively short (12-14 hours) so it is important to know when you are ovulating so that you can plan for conception in the few days before this happens. Keep in mind that an irregular cycle can be a symptom of a medical problem that needs to be addressed before you can get pregnant (such as polycystic ovary syndrome, prediabetes, or thyroid disease), so see your doctor first if you want to get pregnant.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Monitor your body's signals

1. Check your body temperature. You can use your basal body temperature (BLT) to find out when you ovulate. You should take your temperature every morning for several months so that you can detect a reliable trend in your cycle.
   • Take your temperature as soon as you wake up and write it down on a calendar. Do this before you get out of bed and start your day, then it is most accurate.
   • Your BLT remains stable for the first half of your cycle, dropping as the progesterone levels in your body increase, indicating that ovulation is about to begin. Then your temperature rises half a degree when you really ovulate. The best time to have sex is two days before ovulation, just before your temperature rises. It takes a while for the sperm to reach the egg. If you have sex on the day of your ovulation, you only have a 5% chance of getting pregnant.
2. Monitor your vaginal discharge. Your vaginal discharge, which is made up of cervical mucus, can provide important clues about where you are in your cycle. Hormonal fluctuations change the consistency and color of your cervical mucus.
   • Fertile secretions are clear and thin, and have the consistency of egg white. When you ovulate you have this type of discharge.
   • The discharge you have for the rest of your cycle may be cloudy and white, and it may be thick or thin.
   • It is very normal to have some brown discharge right after your period. These are scraps of old blood that are cleaning up the vagina. You usually have less discharge when your period is just over.
3. Check your cervix. Your cervix, the tunnel between your vagina and uterus, changes throughout your menstrual cycle. You can tell whether you are ovulating from the texture and position of your cervix.
   • Feel your cervix every day with one or two fingers and write down your position and texture findings to detect a trend.
   • For the first part of your cycle, your cervix is ​​hard and low. As your body prepares for ovulation, the cervix softens, opens a little, and shortens to make it easier for sperm to reach the egg.
   • You may need to insert your fingers a few inches deep into your vagina before you feel your cervix. When you feel the ring-shaped opening at the end of your vagina with your fingertip, you have arrived at your cervix.
   • If you're not sure how to examine your cervix, read more here.
4. Check your hormone levels with an ovulation test. With an ovulation test you can check the level of the luteinizing hormone (LH). Your LH levels peak just before an egg is released, indicating your fertile moment.
   • An ovulation test is a kit that can be bought at a drug store and works just like a pregnancy test with a swab and urine to determine the LH value. The test is positive on the day before ovulation; therefore you will have to take several tests on the days around your ovulation so that you can identify the correct day.
   • Keeping a close eye on your cervix and vaginal discharge can help you determine when to take the ovulation tests. The ovulation test often includes a guide that tells you when to check your urine based on how irregular your menstrual cycle is.

Method 2 of 2: Using an ovulation chart

1. On the first day of your period, start with a chart. An ovulation chart is useful for combining the results of examining your vaginal discharge and body temperature so that you can discover a pattern in your cycle. Start on the first day of your menstrual cycle, even if it is irregular.
   • The first day of your period is day 1. If your cycle is irregular, your period will be 2-7 days every 21-35 days, with maybe some bleeding in between.
   • Count all the days of your cycle. If your period starts again, it will be the new day 1.
   • Keep track of how many days your cycle consists of a few months. Over time, try to find out if there is an average number of days.
2. Write your body temperature in the table every day. Write temperatures from 36ºC to 38ºC on the X axis and the days of your cycle on the Y axis.
   • Place a dot on the temperature that corresponds to your BBT for that day. This way you can see how your temperature fluctuates from day to day.
   • If you connect the dots you can more easily detect a trend.
   • There will be a drop and then a dramatic spike in your temperature, indicating the most fertile days of your cycle.
   • On this website you will find an example of an ovulation table.
3. Write your vaginal discharge on the table each day. Create easy-to-understand abbreviations to describe your separation. For example, D can stand for dryness just after your period, O for your period, W for white discharge, V for stretchy and clear fertile mucus.
   • Compare the descriptions of the secretion with observations from your previous cycles and see if the consistency of the secretion changes over an average range of data. This can give you a better idea of ​​how much the lengths of your irregular cycles vary.
4. Observe the averages in your ovulation tables to get a better idea of ​​when you are fertile. When you have an irregular cycle, it can be frustrating to find patterns that indicate when you are most fertile. Your ovulation chart helps you to visualize certain tendencies.
   • With an irregular cycle, it can be difficult to find an average, but you can at least make a better estimate.
5. Use the ovulation chart to keep track of the length of your cycles. A frustrating aspect of an irregular cycle is that you don't know exactly when you will have your period. You can use the ovulation chart to get a better idea of ​​the length of your cycle, based on previous cycles.
   • You can also see how long your period is on average, which will help you prepare for your period when it comes.

Tips

• The most effective time for intercourse is from six days before ovulation to the day of ovulation.
• After the egg is released, it usually survives another day, but sperm can live in the body for up to a week.