Making and Following a Fertility Calendar

Trying for a baby is an exciting new step to take in your life! Magnolia Place is beyond excited for your growing family and would be honored to be a fierce advocate in helping in your family planning. Our Magnolia Place team obgyn Greenville NC specializes in family planning and fertility services. With years of experience, we have found that one of the most helpful strategies when working through the steps to achieve pregnancy is by knowing your body’s form and function well and using a fertility calendar. Fertility calendars track your menstrual cycle and keep you notified of the days in which you are most fertile, ovulating, least fertile, and more. Beyond acting as a family planning tool, the fertility calendar is a great way to track your daily menstrual symptoms, mood, energy levels, and much more.  Dr. Rowe likes to call this stage of your life, preconception boot camp and by keeping a diary of your daily life, efforts and concerns, this provides a window for she and the Magnolia Place team to offer insight to remove any obstacles that could be blocking progress.  Read on to learn how to create and manage your own fertility calendar from Greenville, NC’s leading fertility doctor.

Preparation for Fertility Calendar Method

Fertility calendars are most effective for those with regular menstrual cycles. While you can begin to track your menstrual cycle at any time, our leaders in women’s health Magnolia Place Greenville obgyn group recommends keeping track of your menstrual cycles for up to six months in advance to help establish a strong baseline for your true monthly cycle.  If you know your pattern, it helps simplify the process when it comes to actively trying to conceive.  Most women have a cycle between 21-35 days and therefore the ovulation window is different for everyone.  With knowing your baseline, you can closely estimate your ovulation period in most cases by counting back 14 days from the day you will expect your next period to start. Your fertile window typically lasts for the five days leading to your ovulation date. While you will be fertile throughout the six-day timeframe, our Magnolia Place Greenville obgyn team recommends focusing on the last three days of your fertile window when you will be the most fertile.

How to use the fertility calendar method:

Once you have tracked enough cycles to feel confident, you are ready to begin the calendar method with the help of your fertility doctor at Magnolia Place! Here is how to use the fertility calendar method to track fertility:

1. On the calendar, mark the first day of your most recent period. This is day one of your fertility calendar.
2. Then, mark the first date of your next period.
3. Count the number of days between each cycle. This is how many days your menstrual cycle consists of. While the average cycle length is 28 days, this number may vary depending on your health condition, birth control, and other factors.

That’s the complete process of establishing your fertility calendar! From here, your fertility doctor at Magnolia Place will assist you in calculating the days in which you are most fertile. We’ll show you how:

1. Find the shortest cycle within your log of previous menstrual cycles.
2. Subtract 18 from the total number of days within that cycle.
3. With that total, count to that number starting with the first day of your current cycle, and make a special note of the date that the number falls on. This is your first fertile day during your current cycle!

The calendar method is a safe and affordable method of tracking your fertility! Do you have questions regarding family planning and using the fertility calendar method? No worries! Our team of Greenville obgyn experts is here to support you along your family planning journey. With the help of your fertility doctor and family planning specialists at Magnolia Place, experience a new level of care during this exciting stage in your life!

Although there is value in approaching your cycles tactically, utilizing an overly technical lens when evaluating your fertility schedule may seem troublesome. The last thing that we want is for your fertility health to feel like additional work to you and your partner.

Dr. Rowe loves to recommend that you think of your cycle as a first half and last half. During the last half of your menstrual cycle, feel free to be intimate every other day, and you will find that ovulatory window. Sperm live in the vagina for about 24 hours. Therefore, the opportunity will strike when following this timeline. Additional considerations present themselves in growing your family if there is a concern for infertility. Do not get bogged down in the details and distracted from the excitement and joy of this process. We at Magnolia Place aim to preserve your sanity and help you if you are concerned.

Magnolia Place | Greenville OBGYN Family Planning Professionals

Magnolia Place strives to treat each patient that enters our doors like family. Whether you are trying for a baby, researching your fertility options, or simply searching for a new Greenville obgyn provider, we are here to be a safe haven that prioritizes women’s wellness. Our team dedicates each day to providing valuable resources both inside and outside of our office. To learn more about your health, options, and more, visit our website.