You can make your partner involved in charting your fertile days. At the end of the day, he asks you what to put on the chart. Although this may seem like an unimportant detail, it sets the stage for the communication necessary for this cooperative effort.
Sample Chart: Recording Mucus on the Sympto-thermal Chart
 |
| How To Do Fertility Charting |
Mucus should be observed throughout the day and the chart marked each evening. This allows changes to become apparent during the day.
Each day of a period or blood loss, including spotting, is marked with a P.
Each day when there is a dry sensation at the vulva and no visible mucus, is marked with a D.
Each day of sticky white/creamy mucus is marked with an M.
Each day of highly fertile wet or slippery, transparent, stretchy mucus is marked with an E
Example:
Days 1-5 Menstruation or Period (P)
Days 6-9 Dry, little or no mucus (D)
Days 10-12 Sticky, thick mucus (M)
Days 13-15 Egg white mucus, thin, elastic, slippery, stretchy, clear (most fertile time) (F)
Days 16-21 Sticky, thick mucus (M)
Days 22-28 Dry, little or no mucus (D)
This example is for a 28-day cycle only. You may have a completely different chart and your most fertile days would be different.
Remember that sometimes an ovulation can occur any time during the cycle, even at period time or around period time. Not often, but it can happen when a woman has sexual relationship during menstruation or around menstruation time and falls pregnant after that.
Many women who have difficulty falling pregnant (especially those who don't have sex that often) miss this time, assuming that their fertile time can only be in the middle of their cycle.
That's why it is important to do observation of your own body and know your own fertility signs. After three cycles of observing and charting, you will be familiar with your fertile mucus pattern.
You will be able to distinguish between wet and dry and between wet and slippery wet. Distinguishing between wet and slippery wet means that you can identity Peak Day.
Peak Day is the last day of any slippery mucus or slippery feeling in a pattern of five or six slippery days. It is identified the next day, when all slippery feeling has disappeared. Mark Peak Day.
Learning to identify Peak Day usually takes from one to three cycles of careful observing and charting.
If you do not feel confident of the accuracy of your mucus observations, or if the 98% statistic is not acceptable to you, please continue to observe and chart and abstain from all genital contact. Continue reading. You may increase the accuracy of fertility awareness by observing the changes in the cervix.
Helpful Hints for Mucus Observation
- Don't despair if, for the first few months, the mucus observation seems obscure. Keep checking it every time you go to the toilet.
- Wear loose underwear so you can more easily feel sensations from your genital area.
- Beware of mid-cycle spotting. Don't confuse it with a period.
- For the first few months it is better to record your observation daily (until you have a proper idea about your cycle).
- Recovery from taking the pill can cause abnormal mucus patterns, which may take several months to settle down.
- Be aware that the pattern can suddenly change. Then, a new pattern will begin. Be patient and learn to observe it.
 |
| How To Do Fertility Charting |
To find out more, you can check out How To Do Fertility Charting.
