Warning! Warning! This may be a TMI zone! If you have no interest in reading about women’s issues and fertility then this post is not for you!

Ok…I warned you! Here goes…I am not an anal person when it comes to many aspects of my life (sometimes I wish I were), but when it comes to anything involving plans I go above and beyond. Before we even actively started trying to conceive I started to research the topic. I joined chat boards and took in as much information as I could. I started my journey for knowledge around September  of 08, so for over a year I have been chatting with women on different boards and taking it all in. I found learning about other people’s experiences could in turn help me with mine…so the journey began.

I never knew before how important it was for a woman to understand how her body works. I honestly never really thought about it much, but once you start paying attention, it’s amazing what you will notice. There is a book out there called Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I don’t actually own it myself, but I hear that it extremely helpful when you are looking to start TTC. After 3 months of trying with out success…I plan on reading it over my 2 month break.  Let’s start with the basics

The Woman’s Cycle

Every woman can have a different cycle length. The average is 28 days, but it can fall below that…or go as far as 50 days or more. Cycle Day (CD) 1 starts on the first day of your period. Simple enough, and you count the days onward till you get your period again. That’s how you figure out how long your cycle is. Keep in mind that it may not be the same each month…that’s when it gets a little tricky. There are sites out there like My Monthly Cycles and Fertility Friend   that allow you to track your cycles. I found them to be very helpful because it is very easy to forget what day it is and then…OOPPSSS SURPRISE! your period. And that just sucks. So this helps you at least keep track of when to expect your unwanted friend. (or wanted friend depending on the situation)

Ovulation: OPK…OP whaaa???

There is no absolute formula for when you Ovulate. Knowing when you ovulate doesn’t really matter until you are ready to start TTC…but it is key if you want to make a plan of attack. I never knew this before but you only have 12-36 hours after the egg is dropped for it to be fertilized. What a small window! All those unplanned pregnancies in the world happen during the exact moment that it should in order for that person to get pregnant. Kind of makes you believe in the saying “everything happens for a reason” huh?

I personally can feel when I ovulate. It was something I noticed when I started paying attention to my body. There is so much to know, and American Pregnancy site has a lot more info on this subject.

A quick note to those who don’t want to get pregnant? Sperm can technically live for 5 days! So if your idea of birth control is tracking your cycles be careful…you never know what’s waiting when it’s time to actually ovulate.

Fertility: Lots to Learn

I never EVER thought I would be the person that would want to know this info. I was the girl who thought when you wanted to get pregnant it just happened. I wish that was the case all the time…it’s just not. So on to plan B. Take control where I can. Hopefully it works in my favor. There is a lot to know, and over time I hope to share those things with you…just way too much for one post. So like I said…we start with the basics.

To find out what works for others, go on over to We Are That Family for Works For Me Wednesday