Calculate the woman’s fertile days. Find out here how to calculate the fertile days and which tools such as apps and online calculators are available to you.
Calculate fertile days – how it works
A look at the pregnancy forums reveals how uncertain many women are when it comes to calculating the fertile days. If you would like to get pregnant faster or if you are interested in the possibilities of natural contraceptive methods, you will find the most important information here.
Reliability of the calculation methods
With all methods used to identify fertile days, it should be noted that none of the methods are very reliable. The female cycle is subject to too many influences to be able to reliably consider calculations as the sole contraceptive method.
Understand the female cycle
You probably already know the basic principles of the female cycle. If you would like to refresh your knowledge in order to be able to better understand the principles of the calculation methods, you can visualize the female cycle here using the video or a short description.
1) First day of the cycle until ovulation
The first day of the period is always calculated as the first day of the cycle. The uterus then prepares for a possible pregnancy by building up a mucous membrane in the inner wall of the uterus. This is where the fertilized egg should nest during pregnancy
2) Ovulation – ovulation
A few days before ovulation, estrogen and luteinizing hormone levels increase, so about 14 days before the menstrual period arrives, one of the two ovaries releases a follicle into the fallopian tubes, where it can be fertilized by sperm before implanting in the uterus.
3) The fertile days of women
Due to the relatively long life span of sperm, 5 days before ovulation and 2 days after it is considered fertile. In view of the large differences in sperm quality and many influencing factors in the female cycle, there can be significant shifts.
Illnesses, a slight fever, mental stress, and hormone fluctuations affect a woman’s menstrual cycle so much that none of the calculation methods are very reliable. However, if you wish to have children, you could certainly accelerate the onset of pregnancy.
4) Fertility (fertilization) phase
First, the hormone progesterone prevents the menstrual period and the mucous membrane from breaking down. If the hormone is missing, the rule starts again after about 14 days. When pregnancy occurs, the pregnancy hormone hCG ensures that the period does not start.
Methods for calculating the fertile days
Unfortunately, there is still no method to reliably identify the exact time of ovulation. In theory, you would have to be constantly under the ultrasound to do this. Even the doctor can only give approximate information. Here is an overview of all the methods and means known to us:
1) Online calculator
The simplest but also the most unreliable method of calculating a woman’s most fertile days is the online calculators, which use the first day of the cycle and the average cycle length to calculate the fertile days. Unfortunately, these widgets are completely unsuitable for prevention.
2) Temperature method (basal body temperature measurement)
A well-known method of recognizing fertile days is the temperature method or the so-called basal body temperature measurement, which should be carried out at the same time every day before getting up. The curve that is drawn shows you when you ovulated. Here is how the temperature method works exactly.
3) contraceptive computer
With the contraceptive computer, you can also use urine samples to calculate fertile days. At first glance, a computer seems to be a more reliable contraceptive method, but even with a computer, an average of 6 out of 100 women become pregnant within a year. Information on reliability from the manufacturer Persona.
4) Fertile days apps
Some apps definitely help to narrow down the fertile days. However, you should also leave data about your cycle here regularly so that your fertile days can be highlighted more precisely. A particularly practical and comprehensive “fertile days app” is the menstrual calendar. Here you can enter detailed information that can also be helpful in the next meeting with the gynecologist. Here is an overview and comparison of menstrual calendar apps.
5) Ovulation Tests
So-called ovulation sticks are available in pharmacies, which work in a similar way to pregnancy tests. The 2 most fertile days of the woman are determined with a urine sample. According to the manufacturer Clearblue, these are more reliable than the basalt temperature measurement.