Choosing a Fertility Days Calculator to Monitor Your Fertility Cycles: Seven Key CriteriaA fertility days calculator is a tool to chart your fertility cycles to monitor your fertility status and increase your chances to get pregnant. The Basics of Fertility Cycles There are four components essential to the proper functioning of a woman’s fertility cycle, which include:
*The brain *The ovaries *The fallopian tubes *The uterus The process starts when the pituitary gland in the brain secretes follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), which causes the follicles in the ovary to grow. Each follicle contains a single immature egg that, once triggered to grow and develop, generally culminates in ovulation once every menstrual cycle. The typical cycle is 28 days.
The Ovulatory Cycle: Days Five to Fourteen By day five of the cycle, a single follicle is identified on the right or left ovary. As the follicle grows, it releases estrogen, a hormone that causes the lining of the uterus called the endometrium to thicken in preparation for implantation of an embryo. Once the follicle grows to allow the release of an egg from the ovary at mid-cycle, the brain releases another hormone called luteinizing hormone (LH) to trigger ovulation. Within 36 hours after LH is released, the follicle releases the egg. As the egg is released, it is captured in the fallopian tube where it begins travels towards the uterus. The typical life span of an egg is 24 to 48 hours. Fertilization During intercourse or insemination, sperm is deposited in the vagina and travels through the cervix, uterus and into the fallopian tube where fertilization occurs. The typical life span of sperm is 72 hours. Over the next five days, the fertilized egg travels towards the uterus for implantation. During this time period, more hormones are released from the brain to allow implantation of the embryo and pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur in the two weeks following ovulation, hormonal levels begin to decline and the lining of the uterus is released, which results in the menstrual period over the next three to five days. To enhance your chances to get pregnant, it is important to identify your fertile days. A fertility days calculator allows you to track key signs of your cycle over a period of time such as basal body temperature (BBT), cervical fluid, cervical position and ovulation predictor tests (OPTs). Click here to learn more Fertility Chart Basics. Charting allows you to see patterns in your fertility cycles and to pinpoint the most fertile days for the timing of intercourse or insemination. Some sources recommend that intercourse or insemination occur 24 hours prior to ovulation and every 36 to 48 hours thereafter. It can also be useful for you to show your charts to your traditional or alternative health care practitioner (e.g., reproductive endocrinologist, acupuncturist) in the event that you need to seek assistance for infertility. Seven Key Criteria There are a number of free fertility charts available to measure your fertility. For example, I have found the tool available at www.fertilityfriend.com to be informative and easy to use. When searching for a fertility days calculator, it should meet seven key criteria: 1. A basic charting tool should be free – in other words, you should not have to make a purchase or subscribe to any website in order to use it. 2. You should be able to easily track all of your fertility signs (e.g., BBT, cervical fluid, cervical position, and OPTs) by using one tool. 3. The tracking tool should depict your fertility signs in a graph format. 4. The tool should be able to store multiple months of data electronically so that you (or your health care practitioner) can analyze your fertility cycles over time. 5. You should be able to extract your data (i.e., printing or download) at any time at no extra cost. 6. The tool should calculate your most fertile or best conception dates. 7. Free educational or training courses should be offered on how best to use the charting tool. If you keep these criteria in mind when looking for a fertility days calculator, you are well on your way to better understanding your cycles and maximizing your ability to conceive.
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