5 ways to predict your fertility window

Knowledge is power, and being equipped with the facts about your fertility is the best way to maximize your chances of conceiving and having a healthy baby, whether now or in the future. Therefore, you should speak to your doctor about pre-conception health and assess your fertility.

During natural fertility awareness week from 20-26 August, we encourage you to follow ways to predict fertile times in your cycle, which rely on:

1. Calendar predicts when ovulation will happen based on when ovulation occurred in past cycles.
2. Ovulation (Mucus) Method involves watching the changes in cervical mucus
3. Basal Body Temperature Method (BBT) depends on taking daily temperature readings to determine when ovulation is occurring.
4. Sympto-Thermal Method uses a combination of various methods that identify symptoms of ovulation. These include the mucus method, basal body temperature, cervix changes, and other symptoms such as breast tenderness, abdominal heaviness, slight lower abdominal pain, or slight bleeding (spotting). This method may work better for women with irregular or less distinct mucus changes.
5. Tracking cycles using a luteinizing hormone (LH) urine tests — LH spikes within 24 hours before ovulation and this hormone can be detected with at-home urine tests.

Don’t forget there are natural ways to increase your fertility:

• Maintain a healthy weight and watch what you eat.
• Drink enough water to stay hydrated.
• Avoid caffeine, tea and soft drinks and limit alcohol consumption.
• Manage stress, get enough rest and try relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga
• Quit smoking.
• Start taking daily multivitamin and folic acid.
• Keep up on your dental health especially gum disease.
• Avoid toxic chemicals and switch to use natural cleaning products for your home and chemical-free personal care products.