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Last Updated:
Jan 3rd, 2010 - 00:09:53
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Question
I have been charting my temperature with NFP for close to a year now because my husband and I did not want to get pregnant right away, but now we are ready, and I just want to make sure I have it right instead of just dumb luck.
My temperature drops on the 6th day of my cycle and rises again around the 11th day. I understood it to be that
fertility was during the low temp times. Is that correct? All I hear lately is that ovulation is on the 14th day.
Thanks!
Kerri
Answer
Dear Kerri,
As menstruation ceases, temperatures can drop and mucus discharge begin as you enter your fertile days. Intercourse on these days prior to ovulation may result in pregnancy since sperm can live up to five or six days in the presence of fertile mucus until the egg is released.
To maximize the chances of conception, intercourse should take place close to the estimated time of ovulation. Your peak mucus day, and possibly a day or two before, would be your most fertile days. Check your cycle history to estimate peak day in the next cycle, and watch for the days of most fertile type mucus. Once your temperature has risen above the low temperature level, ovulation has most likely occurred, and you are entering an infertile phase.
Day 14 is oftened mentioned as the time of ovulation, only as an estimate, assuming a woman has a 28 day cycle with a 14 day luteal phase. Most women vary from this average and can more precisely identify fertile and infertile phases with modern methods of natural family planning.
And here is a bonus for you if you continue taking
your waking temperature: count the days of temperature
rise above the low temperature level, and if they
remain elevated for 21 days--you're almost certainly
pregnant!
Andrea and Ron Gronsky
This question was answered by Ron and Andrea Gronsky, a certified teaching couple for the Couple to Couple League, and members of CANFP.
They have been teaching the Sympto-Thermal Method of natural family planning in the San Francisco Bay Area for 16 years.
© Copyright 2005 by CANFP
The information on this page and web site is for informational purposes only,
and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis and treatment by a physician.
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