Charting your fertility signals can be an easy way to predict -- or at least recognize -- when you are most fertile. This fertility chart can be downloaded and used while you TTC. Entire books have been written on the subject of tracking your fertility signals, however, and we recommend that you read at least one of them to fully understand how this method can help you achieve pregnancy. It probably isn't a good idea to use these charts to avoid pregnancy unless you are familiar with the methods. A great book on the subject is Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler.

Instructions:
Cycle day #1 is the first day of your menstrual cycle. You should begin charting on this day and continue through until the next period, when you will start a new chart.

Take your basal body temperature (your temperature at rest) first thing every morning with a glass thermometer that shows larger degree increments. Digital thermometers can be used, but may be less accurate. Take your temperature before you talk, eat or get out of bed, then circle the appropriate temp on your chart for that day.

Throughout the day, notice changes in your cervical fluid (or mucus) when you go to the bathroom. Check your vaginal opening with clean fingers (before you urinate) for signs of sticky, creamy or slippery fluid. You can also check with toilet paper, but your observations may be less accurate. Fertile fluid resembles egg whites while dry days may indicate that you are probably infertile. You can also check your cervical position and firmness and mark those changes on your chart. Ovulatory pain and vaginal sensations are other indicators of fertility and should be recorded.

Slippery and stretchy cervical fluid generally indicate that ovulation is about to happen or is happening. After you have already ovulated and are no longer fertile, you should have a temperature "spike" that rises above the temperatures taken during the pre-ovulatory phase. The temperatures stay high during the post-ovulatory phase until your next period, or longer if you are pregnant. This is how you make an estimate of when you will ovulate during your next cycle. Of course, every cycle is different, and predicting ovulation accurately really can't be achieved until after you've recorded numerous cycles in a row.

These charts are here to help you learn more about the changes in your body during your fertility cycle. By recording your fertility signals, you may be able to determine the best time to have sex, and you can work with your health care provider if it appears you are not ovulating or if you are having extremely irregular cycles. These charts are also wonderful for helping determine an accurate due date once you do achieve pregnancy.