Your menstrual cycle can be irregular for a variety of reasons, but unfortunately it creates some discomfort as it doesn't allow you to prepare for your next period and be able to tell when you are ovulating. It is important to know when you have your childbearing period, especially if you are planning on having a baby. The "fertile window", the period during which the egg can be fertilized by spermatozoa, is relatively short (12-14 hours), so it is essential to be able to identify it so that conception can be planned a few days before it occurs.. Keep in mind that an irregular menstrual cycle can be a symptom of some other health problem, which should be addressed before thinking about having a baby (for example, polycystic ovary syndrome, prediabetes or some thyroid dysfunction); therefore it is advisable to visit the gynecologist before thinking about a pregnancy.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Tracking Physical Signals
Step 1. Measure your body basal temperature
This allows you to know when you are ovulating. You should measure it every morning for several months to get the most reliable and accurate data about your menstrual cycle.
- Take your basal temperature first thing in the morning and write it down on a small calendar you keep on your nightstand. To get the most accurate figure possible, you should measure it before you get out of bed and start preparing for the day.
- The basal temperature is stable during the first half of the days following menstruation, then drops when the level of progesterone rises, which indicates the beginning of the ovulation period, and then returns to rise by half a degree when you are in full ovulation. The best time to have successful sexual intercourse for pregnancy is in the two days before ovulation, just before the temperature rises. It takes some time for the sperm to reach the egg; if you have intercourse on the day of ovulation, you only have a 5% chance of getting pregnant.
Step 2. Check for vaginal mucus / discharge
The vagina normally releases cervical mucus discharge which is an important signal for determining which menstrual phase you are in. The fluctuation of hormones can cause a change in the color and consistency of these secretions.
- When you are fertile, the mucus is clear, fluid, and has the consistency of egg white. When you have this type of leak, it means you are ovulating.
- Losses at other times of the month tend to be more cloudy, white, and can be both fluid and denser.
- It is also not unusual to have brown leaks for a few days of the month. These are due to the fact that the vagina expels old blood, residue from previous menstruation.
Step 3. Check the cervix
The cervix, the tunnel between the vagina and the uterus, changes during the various phases of the month and its texture and position can let you know if you are ovulating.
- Insert a finger or two into your vagina each day to analyze it and write your observations about position and texture in a journal so you can start tracking changes.
- During the first part of the menstrual cycle the cervix is hard and low. When the body begins to prepare for the fertile phase, it becomes soft, opens slightly and shortens to allow the sperm to reach the egg.
- You will need to insert your fingers several inches before you can feel the cervix. When your fingertips reach a donut-shaped opening at the bottom of the vagina, you've found the cervix.
- If you're not sure how to do this, read this article.
Step 4. Measure your hormone level using an ovulation test
Such a kit allows you to detect the level of luteinizing hormone (LH), which rears up just before the ovaries release the egg, thus indicating the fertile time.
- This test (available for sale in pharmacies) works like a pregnancy test and analyzes a urine sample to determine the level of LH. The test is positive the day before ovulation, so you will need to do several in the days leading up to this time, so you know the exact day.
- Check your cervix and track your vaginal discharge pattern to know when it's time for ovulation tests. The ovulation kit also allows you to understand when it's time to check your urine based on the irregularity of your period.
Method 2 of 2: Use an Ovulation Calendar
Step 1. Mark the first day of your period on your calendar
This method can be used in conjunction with vaginal discharge analyzes and basal temperature results to help you learn more about your monthly cycle. Even if it is irregular, it is important to note the first day of menstruation.
- This day should be considered "day 1" in your prospectus. When your period is irregular, you may have your period every 21-35 days, for 2 or 7 days, or maybe just have some spotting.
- Keep track of every single day before your next period. When you start a new cycle, that becomes "day 1" again.
- Count the days that make up your cycle for at least a few months and try to understand if a certain average number of days emerges over time.
Step 2. Create a Basal Temperature Graph
Organize a temperature graph indicating on the X axis the degrees that can vary from 36 to 36, 6 ° C with increments of a tenth of a degree, while on the Y axis the days of the month must be reported.
- Put a dot on the measured temperature value where it crosses with the corresponding day. This way you can see changes in basal temperature day by day.
- Connect the dots together to track the trend and improve chart reading.
- You will notice a drop and then a sudden spike in temperature during the fertile phase, this fluctuation indicates the two most fertile days of the month.
- You can download a report to track your basal temperature from this site.
Step 3. Add the daily description of vaginal discharge in your report
Set up an easy way to describe them. For example, you can indicate with an A the days you do not have losses the first days after menstruation, M the days of the cycle itself, B if you have regular white losses, F if the losses are filamentous and clear which indicate the fertile days, and etc.
Compare the descriptions of vaginal discharge you noted with previous cycles and see if the discharge changes in consistency and appearance within a given average period of days. This way you can get a better idea of how your cycle can change, even if it is irregular
Step 4. Look at the averages that result from the ovulation graph to know more precisely when you enter your fertile days
With an irregular cycle it can be frustrating and difficult to find a standard pattern that indicates the days close to ovulation; this chart allows you to understand if some constant trends emerge.
If your period is not regular, it is certainly difficult to find an accurate average, but you can at least get a rough idea of the days close to ovulation
Step 5. Use the chart to track your fertile stages over the long term
A frustrating aspect of an irregular menstrual cycle is not being prepared for your next period, so such a chart also lets you know more precisely how long your monthly cycle lasts by averaging the previous periods.
From the graph you can also know the average length of your period, so that you are better prepared for the next cycle
Advice
- The most fertile time to conceive is the day of ovulation itself and the six days leading up to it.
- Once released, the egg can survive for a day on average, but the sperm can live up to a week inside the woman's body.
