Article: . If you are trying to figure out exactly when you start ovulating so you can become pregnant, taking your temperature daily can help since some women have a slightly higher temperature when they ovulate about 0.2 to 1F higher. Using a basal thermometer, take your temperature every morning before getting out of bed. Plot your temperature on a calendar for a month or two and look for a pattern. You are most fertile two to three days before ovulation begins, so count the days between the first day of your last cycle and the day your temperature increased. Use this number to figure out your likely next date of ovulation, and count back three days to find the best time to engage in intercourse. If your cycle is different from month-to-month, you may need to track for several months to find an average or a bigger pattern to know your likely date of ovulation. Be sure to use a thermometer specifically designed to find basal temperature, or your body's resting temperature. Also take it as soon as you wake up, before you begin moving around. Keep your thermometer on your nightstand to make it easy to reach from bed. Some women experience an increase in clear vaginal secretions, resembling raw egg whites, right before ovulation. It might be difficult to notice unless you are looking for it and comparing secretions every day. Mark dates on a calendar that you notice any secretions. Use one symbol or color for any you consider "normal," meaning frequently the same amount, color and texture, and any days you notice more or different secretions. If there is a day or two you when have higher secretion levels or they resemble egg whites, assume your date of ovulation is the next day or so after that. Use this information to decide when it is best to have sex over the coming month. Some women experience mild cramping when they ovulate. If you can't find your basal temperature, or don't show a pattern of increasing temperature around the same time every month, start charting any abdominal discomfort you feel. There may be a pattern here to show when you usually ovulate. For a month, mark every day on a calendar that you have any abdominal discomfort. Afterwards, look over the dates. If there were a couple days in the middle of your cycle during which you had mild cramping, this is likely when you ovulated. Use the number of days in-between your last period and cramping to determine the best days to have sex in the coming month. Available as an over-the-counter test, this kit helps you monitor your urine for an increase in hormones that occurs most often right before ovulation. As soon as you are alerted to an increase, have sex daily until the hormones decrease again. Pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg starts to grow and attaches to the lining of your uterus. This can happen six days after fertilization (or your date of ovulation) and may take up to four days to complete. The best time to start testing is a few days after your period would normally start. No matter the length of your menstrual cycle, do not start testing until you have missed your period. If you test any earlier you are more likely to get a false negative. A negative test doesn't mean you aren't capable of getting pregnant, or that an egg wasn't fertilized, just that it didn't finish attaching before your menstrual cycle progressed.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Take your basal body temperature Monitor any vaginal secretions. Notice mild abdominal cramping. Buy an ovulation kit. Test for pregnancy after you miss your period.