Predict Ovulation

It is important to understand what happens with each menstrual cycle to optimize your chances of pregnancy. With every menstrual cycle, hormones are secreted in a coordinated manner by the pituitary gland near the brain to stimualte the ovary to release the egg. This release of the egg from the ovary is called ovulation. The best time to become pregnant is around the time that the egg is released. It is now possible to predict in a fairly accurate manner, the timing of ovulation. Any one of the below mentioned ways would work, the ovulation kit being the most accurate.

Calendar method.

Keep a note of the day your period begins for several months. Ovulation usually occurs 14 days before the start of a mestrual period. This gives you an approximate estimate of the time to try to conceive.

Ovulation kits.

Ovulation kits, which are now widely available, can be used to predict ovulation accurately. These kits test the urine to identify ovulation. The kits vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer. For best results, carefully follow the instructions on the label.

There are other methods such as tracking the body temperature which rises slightly around the time of menstruation or the cervical mucus method that depends on noting an increase in clear slippery vaginal secretions at the time menstruation. But these are more cumbersome to use than the other two methods.

Do's for fertility:

• Have regular sex. This is just what most couples require to become pregnant. Have sex 2 to 3 times a week. For healthy couples who want to conceive there is no upper limit on the number of times that you can have sex!
• Concentrate on the time of ovulation. Having predicted the time of ovulation from the above methods, have daily intercourse around this period (plus or minus 2-3 days). For healthy males, the miniscule drop in sperm count with frequent sex (that picks up after a few days of abstinence) is of no practical concern.
• Take your vitamins. Folic acid is vital for foetal development. Start taking folic acid supplements for a few months before you plan to conceive.
• Follow healthy lifestyle. Pregnancy does test your health. So, you need a healthy start. Both the partners must control stress, eat a healthy diet and follow moderate physical activity to optimize fertility.

You can visit our doctors and get a medical screening while you are trying to conceive and get some useful tips on conception that you might have missed on your web search.