How to Know Your Most Fertile Days

Knowing your most fertile days can make family planning more accurate. A woman is most fertile when she is ovulating. This occurs when an egg is released by her ovary. It will await fertilization for a brief period of time before menstruation begins. Menstruation is the act of shedding the lining of the uterus and the unfertilized egg. A woman who wishes to become pregnant would want to have intercourse during ovulation but if she were wanting to prevent pregnancy she would abstain during this time.

Things You'll Need

• Calendar

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Instructions

• 1

  Record your menstrual period dates on the calendar. When you first begin tracking ovulation you may have to wait several days or weeks before you can mark anything in the calendar.

• 2

  Mark the date your period begins on the calendar.

• 3

  Mark the date the period ends on the calendar.

• 4

  Expect ovulation to occur about 21 days after the first day of your last period. This is not always true but begin watching for a change in vaginal secretions around this date. An increase in volume of clear, slippery secretions that resemble egg whites is an indication that ovulation has begun.

• 5

  Mark the calendar the day the secretions begin, if applicable. If this symptom of ovulation does not occur, continue waiting for your period to begin.

• 6

  Mark the first day of your period on the calendar when it begins.

• 7

  Count the number of days from this day back to the date of your last period. If the number of days falls between 28 and 32 then you have an average menstrual cycle.

• 8

  Count 12 days from the first day of your period. Mark this day and the next four days as your ovulation period. These are your most fertile days, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

• 9

  Continue charting your period and ovulation on the calendar. It is best to track the dates for at least three months before considering the predictions to be accurate.