Why you should chart your cycle for fertility and how
One of the best ways to understand your body better is to chart your cycle for fertility. It sounds more complicated than it is, I promise. Watch the video below or read on for the summary.
Why you should chart your cycle for fertility
+ It helps you to understand whether your hormones are balanced or not (if balanced your temps will follow a predictable pattern)
+ It can help you to see when and if you’re ovulating
+ You will be able to tell if you’re pregnant before needing a pregnancy test.
What you need to chart your cycle for fertility
How do you chart your cycle for fertility?
- Take your basal body temperature every morning before you do anything else. (Keep your thermometer beside the bed so you don’t have to get up to get it).
- Mark your temp on your chart along with other symptoms (cervical mucous, cramps, period, breast tenderness, etc)
What are the signs of a healthy cycle?
It might take a couple of months of charting before you start to see a pattern in your cycle. Just before ovulation you should see your temperature dip slightly before rising and staying up until your period arrives. (If it stays up for 20 days or longer this is usually a sign of pregnancy).
Other great signs of a healthy cycle include a couple of days of fertile cervical mucous around ovulation (clear, slippery, egg-white looking – yep charming I know, but if you want to have a baby I think you need to get used to discussion of bodily functions).
It can also be a sign of everything being well balanced to track your energy levels throughout the different phases of your cycle. During ovulation you should feel strong, energetic and social (if you don’t it’s likely a sign you’ve been over-doing it lately). Whereas during menstruation it’s completely normal to feel exhausted (FYI it’s really important to listen to this and take the rest you need). If you want to know more about the different phases of your cycle and working with them to improve fertility, check out my Yoga for fertility four part series. I’ll take you through a tailored practice for each of the different energies.
Do you chart your cycle? If you have questions about charting or your chart in particular, ask them in the comments below.