Information on popular complementary and alternative medical topics

CHECKING YOUR FERTILITY

Since the egg can only survive for up to 24 hours and the sperm can live for seven days in alkaline mucus, there is only a short window of time each month in which you can conceive.

Some women only produce fertile mucus for a day or two a month so it is vital to know when it is happening. It is all too easy to have intercourse at the wrong time of the month or not frequently enough at the right time. Here’s how you can identify your crucial fertile period for yourself:

Warning

Note that you will not be able to use this test if you have thrush or some other vaginal discharge because it will not be possible to see the changes in your cervical mucus. Any such problems should be treated before you try for a baby.

•     After passing urine, blot your vaginal mucus with white toilet paper.

•     Lightly apply a finger to the mucus on the toilet paper and then pull gently away to test its ability to stretch.

•     If it feels slippery, like raw egg white, and can stretch between your thumb and first finger up to several inches before it breaks, then it is fertile mucus. If it is sticky or crumbly (a bit like ‘school glue’) then it is the more acid, infertile mucus. As the mucus changes to fertile mucus, this is a sign that ovulation is about to take place.

•     Meanwhile, your cervix is also changing. To feel these changes, empty your bladder and wash your hands. Then place your right index finger in your vagina until you can feel your cervix.

•     As your period ends, your cervix is located low in your vaginal canal and the opening is closed, giving the feeling of touching the tip of a nose or a small rubber ball. As ovulation approaches and oestrogen levels increase, the cervix moves higher into the vaginal opening, making it more difficult to reach. It also begins to soften and opens, resembling parted lips. This opening and rising helps the sperm to travel into the womb. After ovulation, the cervix lowers again and closes and is blocked with mucus to stop sperm entering.

The best way to take advantage of this window of time is to have intercourse on the first day when you feel wet vaginally and notice that the discharge is stretchy. Intercourse should continue every other day while the mucus stays wet and stretchy. Taking a break of 48 hours between intercourses allows time to maximize sperm volume. This is very important.

However, it is also important that this method or the use of ovulation kits (described below) does not take over your lives. For example, I know of a man who was phoned at work by his wife because she had found fertile mucus and wanted him to come home straight away! In situations like this, spontaneity can be lost, the man can feel that he is just viewed as a breeding stud, and both partners can lose the enjoyment of love-making.

*21/73/5*

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