Trying to get pregnant?
Wondering where to start? Or why it hasn’t happened yet?
The key is knowing how to read your menstrual cycle.
Fertility apps may seem like an easy way to do this, but they are often far from accurate1. These apps are usually built by tech guys who set up an algorithm based on calendar dates and the ‘textbook’ cycle of 28 days. While this sounds logical, it’s actually pretty rare for any woman to have a perfect 28-day cycle and ovulate on day 14 as they would have you believe.
Falling pregnant successfully is not about following a generic app. It’s about taking the time to understand your own cycle and read your unique symptoms. This can make falling pregnant a lot easier – and quicker.
After all, your menstrual cycle isn’t just a monthly visitor. It’s your body’s way of preparing for something incredible each month: a pregnancy.
Understanding your anatomy
Just in case you can’t recall secondary school biology class, here’s a quick recap on female anatomy:
Ovaries: You were born with all of your eggs and they are stored in your ovaries. Just one egg is released into your reproductive tract each menstrual cycle in the hope to be fertilised. During the first part of your menstrual cycle your ovaries produce the hormone oestrogen and after ovulation, they produce progesterone.
Fallopian tubes: When the ovaries release an egg, it makes a journey through your fallopian tubes. Fertilisation occurs in the outer section (the ampulla). The fertilised egg then travels through the fallopian tubes to your uterus.
Uterus (womb): Your uterus is a pear-shaped organ designed to ‘house’ an embryo. It is lined with a spongy tissue called endometrium, which grows thicker every month in preparation for a fertilised egg. If this egg doesn’t arrive, the top layers of the endometrium are shed. This is your period.
Cervix: Your cervix is like the ‘door’ to your uterus. It creates a special kind of mucus that helps sperm travel up to your eggs if you are in a fertile phase, or by complete contrast produces a thick acidic impenetrable mucus if you are not.
Understanding your hormones
Hormones are often associated with mood swings and PMS – but there’s a lot more to these important chemicals.
Follicle-stimulating hormone: During the follicular phase (which occurs from the first day of your period until you ovulate), your pituitary gland in your brain produces follicle-stimulating hormone. FSH tells follicles to produce estrogen, which in turn signals to your ovaries to prepare an egg for release.
Estrogen: Estrogen is released by your ovarian follicles as they grow and develop. Estrogen also makes your cervical mucus more alkaline and ‘clear and stretchy’, so that sperm are better able to travel up to the egg. Fertility forums call this EWCM and it stands for “egg white cervical mucus”.
Luteinising hormone: When estrogen is high enough, luteinising hormone is released by the pituitary gland to trigger ovulation. This causes your follicles to change into the corpus luteum (a kind of temporary ‘gland’) which then produces progesterone.
Progesterone: Progesterone works with estrogen to stimulate the growth of the endometrium. It also causes your body temperature to rise – similar to how a hen sits on her eggs to keep them warm. The time between ovulation and the start of possible menstruation is called the luteal phase. If a fertilised egg doesn’t implant into the uterus, the corpus luteum withers away and you have a period instead. If a fertilised egg (called an zygo
So – how does all this info help you get pregnant?
Your “fertile window”
Knowing when your egg is most fertile can greatly increase your chances of getting pregnant.
Sperm has a lifespan of 2-5 days, and your egg has a lifespan of only 12-24 hours, it is important to know that you are coming up to ovulation so that you have sperm ready to meet the egg.
Prior to ovulation is the most important time to be having ‘baby-making sex’, it’s still worth a crack after ovulation but chances are if you are taking daily temperature readings 24 hours apart, you will probably miss your fertile window.
If you miss this chance, you’ll have to wait another month for your ‘window’ again. That’s also why a generic app won’t help you to pinpoint the exact time that’s right for you.
Want to know more? Follow my blog (link here) for the latest research on research on fertility apps and why I don’t recommend them when trying to conceive.
I’ll also explain things that are often missed by fertility apps – like how to recognise the subtle changes in your mucus and your temperature. These crucial details can help you pinpoint the exact dates of your ovulation – and sometimes, that’s all you need to get pregnant.
My natural fertility awareness sessions are an even better way to learn how to track your menstrual cycle. I’ll teach you everything from how to chart your phases and the best time to have sex for baby-making (and when you can have sex for the fun of it!).
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