Back in school we learned that we needed a healthy balanced diet to get all the nutrients our bodies need to survive. Whether we liked it or not, the importance of physical activity was thrust upon us. We learned basic human biology and if you were lucky, you might have had a TV wheeled into the classroom to show some poor woman in childbirth!
What I don’t remember is any lesson that explained my menstrual cycle to me. Considering I went to an all-girls school, this really surprises me. As I recall, you learned about periods from your friends who might have had an elder sister to pass on some pearls of wisdom. It’s only when women embark on the trying to conceive journey, that they realise their knowledge of the menstrual cycle might be limited.
So, in this blog I just want to explore the subject in more detail as forewarned is forearmed. Let’s separate the fact from the fiction and get you pregnant quicker!
Fact
The menstrual cycle has four phases:
- Menstruation is when you have your period. The first day of your period is counted as DAY ONE of your cycle.
- The follicular phase is between your period and ovulation.
- Ovulation is the 24-hour window when your follicle releases an egg for fertilisation.
- The luteal phase occurs between ovulation and your period. This is when the body produces progesterone, and your core body temperature rises.
Fiction
Having a regular monthly period does NOT mean you are ovulating every month. A lot of women believe that if they have a regular period then they must be ovulating. This isn’t necessarily true.
Fact
Each women’s cycle is unique to you and that is why if you are trying to conceive, cycle tracking is key to a successful outcome! To get started try the OvuSense™ Ovulation Calculator. This will help you to understand your cycle and then determine which of their products will best help you to pinpoint your ovulation.
Fiction
Women who don’t have regular periods think they probably don’t ovulate. This is also untrue. Many women who suffer with irregular cycles can be ovulating.
Fact
The luteal phase can also be referred to as the two-week wait. This is the phase between ovulation and your next period or more hopefully confirmation of a pregnancy! This is not necessarily two weeks but shouldn’t be shorter than 9 days to allow implantation of a fertilised embryo.
Fiction
All women have a 28-day cycle. According to our healthcare partners at Vio Healthtech, manufacturers of the OvuSense™ range, less than 40% of their users have a 28-day cycle.
Fact
There is a limited fertile window to conceive. That window is unique to you and your cycle. As a rule of thumb ovulation occurs in the middle of your cycle, but that may be different each month if your cycle isn’t regular.
Ovulation occurs within a 24-hour window, but as male sperm can live for up to five days, you may fall pregnant in the days leading up to ovulation or afterwards. Therefore, it is important to pinpoint when your fertile window is each month.
Now we have a better understanding of the menstrual cycle, let’s just look at some of the ways you can track your cycle.
If you clicked on the link to the OvuSense™ Ovulation Calculator, then those simple questions will determine whether you have a regular cycle or an irregular cycle. This will determine the right product to help you pinpoint your ovulation date. All the OvuSense™ family of products use body temperature to determine your progesterone levels. Your temperature should be lower before you ovulate and higher afterwards.
OvuFirst™ is a temperature sensor worn on your arm or wrist each night. This data is then downloaded to the OvuSense™ App. This class II medical device is ideal if you have regular periods and a cycle length between 24-35 days.
OvuCore™ is a core body temperature sensor inserted into the vagina overnight. This takes accurate recordings of your core body temperature that is downloaded to the OvuSense™ App. This class II medical device gives a better prediction of ovulation for women with irregular periods and PCOS.
OvuSense™ Pro allows you to share your cycle patterns with your healthcare provider. The data can highlight to your healthcare provider any underlying fertility issues and then work out your treatment plan.
The OvuSense™ range of products have all been clinically tested with high accuracy results. To benefit from a Fertility Hub reader discount of 30%, please use code HUB30 at checkout.
Veronica Montgomery, Publisher, The Fertility Hub