Information and Abbreviations on TTCing!

Stina716 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-22-2006, 08:30 PM

Charting

Fertility charting allows you to predict ovulation, pinpoint your most fertile time in your cycle, and increase your chances of becoming pregnant. Looking at several physiological variables, a woman can learn to identify the days when she will most likely ovulate - the best time to conceive a baby.

Basal Body Temperature: The BBT method requires you to monitor your temperature every morning. Body temperature changes are due to the increase of progesterone in your system. At the onset of ovulation, your body temperature will rise between 0.4Â°F and 0.8Â°F. The physiological purpose of the temperature increase is to create a warmer, more fertile environment for the fertilized egg. This temperature increase will last from ovulation until your next period.

The Cervical Mucus Method: By examining changes in your cervical mucus - as well as the increase and decrease of mucus present - you can predict your fertility patterns and the general onset of ovulation. Observation must take place from the beginning of your cycle through ovulation. During menstruation, the presence of cervical fluid will be decreased. Prior to ovulation, cervical mucus will increase and become clear and slippery - indicating fertility

Cervical Position: This is an accurate way to detect O, but sometimes hard to decipher the results. Most women need a few months of practice before being able to interpret their own CP. The basics: Infertile mode is from AF to a few days before Oing. The cervix is low, hard (like the tip of your nose), and closed. As you near O day, it becomes higher, softer (like the softest part of your lips), and open (you may even be able to insert a fingertip â€“ donâ€™t worry, it doesnâ€™t hurt.). Again, within hours of Oing, it will move back to low, hard, and closed. Itâ€™s another way of confirming O before the next morningâ€™s temp spike.

Ovulating

Pre-Ovulation:"Day 1" of the menstrual cycle is the day bleeding begins. Bleeding - or "menstrual flow" - last about three to five days. By the seventh day of the cycle, eggs in the ovaries begin to ripen due to various hormonal changes. Between the seventh and the eleventh days, the lining of the uterus begins to thicken and it is possible to observe changes in the presence and consistency of cervical fluids. After the eleventh day, luteinizing hormone cause the egg that is most ripe to be released from the ovary and begin its travel down the fallopian tubes to the uterus. For women with a 28-day cycle, ovulation (the release of the egg) should take place on about the 14th Day - or the very middle - of the menstrual cycle.

Post-Ovulation: The period after ovulation is called the luteal phase, and it is marked by a slight, but clearly measurable, increase in body temperature. Following ovulation, the egg travels the fallopian tube toward the uterus. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm (conception), then " implantation" should take place in the uterus (if implantation takes place outside the womb, this is an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy can occur in several places - but the most common is in the fallopian tube). Pregnancy begins if "implantation" occurs. If the egg is not fertilized, it will "expire" in about 24 hours. Without fertilization, levels of certain hormones will decrease , causing the lining of the uterus to break down and shed - otherwise known as menstruation, or a woman's "period". The first day of bleeding is "Day 1" of the next menstrual cycle.

The first part of the cycle, from menstruation to ovulation, may vary from 14 to 20 days in length. The length of the pre-ovulation phase is often different from one woman to another - but it can also differ from month to month for an individual. It is during first part of the cycle that fertilization can occur. Of course, regular menstrual patterns can be altered by illness, insomnia, stress, physical exertion, and physical and emotional changes.

The luteal phase, or post-ovulation (from ovulation to menstruation), is generally the same length for most women - averaging about 14 days. As a rule, the egg is released 10 to 16 days before menstruation, or the start of the next menstrual cycle. If you have heard the term DPO on preconception chats, this refers to "days past ovulation". High sensitivity pregnancy tests can allow you to begin testing for pregnancy at around 7-10 days past ovulation.

Helpful TTC info!

~Having sex as close to O as possible will get you pg fastest.
~Having an orgasm before DH does increases your ewcm, allowing sperm to live longer.
~ Having an orgasm after DH increases the amount of sperm pulled into your uterus, rather than leak out. Your cervix actually dips down when you orgasm, and if semen is present, it dips into the pool of semen, sucking it into the cervix. This eliminates the hardest part of the journey or the sperm!
~There is no need to stay lying down for hours after having sex. Within 15 minutes all the sperm that are going to enter the uterus will have done so. Anything that comes out after that is just semen (not sperm).
~Sperm count is highest in the morning

Oh Girl!

Or Boy!

Basically, men produce two types of sperms, the X (female) and Y (male). According to Dr. Shettles' studies the y-sperms are smaller, weaker, but faster than their siblings x-sperms, which are bigger, stronger, but slower.
Based on this fact, there are several things you can do to "favor" the conception of boys or girls:
~ The most important aspect of all is timing of intercourse during the monthly cycle. The closer to ovulation you have sex, the better the chances to have a boy, because the y-sperms are faster and tend to get to the egg first. If you have sex 3 days or more before ovulation, the better your chances to conceive a girl, because the weaker y-sperms tend to die sooner and the x-sperms will be available in greater quantity whenever the egg is released. On the other hand, having sex from 2 days before ovulation, through a few days after ovulation, is better for conceiving a boy. Around the 2-day point -- 48 hours before ovulation -- seems to be the 50/50 mark.

Increase your CM

One at-home treatment for thickened cervical mucus is guaifenesin, the active ingredient in Robutussin cough syrup or its generic equivalent. Taking one to two tablespoons of this during the days preceding ovulation has helped some couples achieve pregnancy. It can loosen and thin the cervical mucus as it loosens and thins congestion in the respiratory tract.