Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Ovulation

Now one of the biggest benefits of charting your BBT is know when you are about to ovulate. Ovulation is the key to getting pregnant, without it there is no hope for conceiving. By knowing when you are about to ovulate you will be able most likely to conceive.

The BBT is one way that you can find out when you are about to ovulate because when you notice your temperature spike or rise about ½ to 1 degree, it indicates that ovulation may have occurred. “Note that BBT charting does not "predict" when you ovulate within a discrete cycle; it only verifies ovulation approximately 24 to 48 hours afterwards. Hence, charting your BBT’s for just one month provides useful fertility information. However, only after a handful of months will your BBT and fertility data begin to become crystal clear and determinate patterns begin to emerge.” (http://www.ovulation-calculator.com/bbtpregnancy.htm).

Another option to “predict” ovulation is to use ovulation prediction kits. These are sticks that your pee on that measure LH levels (Luteinizing Hormone- the hormone that helps trigger ovulation). On average, you use these pee sticks between day 10 and 20 of your cycle.

“OPK's [ovulation predictor kits] are not read like HPT's [home pregnancy tests]. An OPK has a "control" line and a "test" line, just like an HPT. Unlike an HPT, however, the mere presence of a "test" line does not mean the test is positive. The test line must be as dark as, or darker than, the control line to be a positive result (meaning that a surge was detected, rather than the ordinary amount of LH usually found in your urine every day.) Be sure to read the instructions that come with your tests if there is any doubts! You may find it takes a "practice" cycle or two to learn what a positive looks like for YOU. You may also have clearer results with a different brand of test.” (http://www.peeonastick.com/opkfaq.html#2)

Here is a picture of what a positive OPK looks like:


On Friday I will continue to discuss some of the other ways and tools that can be used at home to predict ovulation.



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