Tools like ovulation calculators, calendars, and charts can help you figure out when you can ovulate. These tools are based on how long your period usually lasts and when you are most likely to ovulate. They can help you time sex to get pregnant. Also, if you are taking Clomid (clomiphene) or other fertility drugs, these tools can help you figure out when you are most likely to get pregnant.
Even though ovulation calculators are helpful, they are not 100% accurate. Other ways to find out when you ovulate, like ovulation test kits, are more accurate. But an ovulation calculator like the one below can give you a good idea of how likely you are to get pregnant.
How Ovulation Calculator Works
Most simple ovulation predictors only need to know when your last period started and how long your cycles are on average. Most calendars will tell you to use 28 days if you don’t know how long your regular cycle is. This is thought to be the average, but research shows that there are big differences between women. A “normal” period can last anywhere between 21 and 35 days.
Then, a 14-day luteal phase is usually assumed by the calculator. The time between ovulation and the first day of your next period is called the luteal phase. Like the length of a woman’s cycle, a “normal” luteal phase can be as short as 10 days or as long as 15.1 days. So, if your luteal phase tends to be on the shorter side, a basic ovulation calculator might give you a fertility window that is off by a few days. Based on this information, the ovulation calculator will tell you which days of your cycle you are most likely to be fertile, and it may even tell you when you are likely to ovulate.
Things to Consider Before Using Calculator
If you want to find out when you are most fertile in ways that are more accurate than ovulation calculators, try the following:
- Writing down your BBT (Basal Body Temperature)
- Keeping a close eye on your body’s ovulation symptoms
- Changes in the mucus in the cervix
- Using ovulation test kits (OPKs)
Symptoms of Ovulation
- Rise in BBT
- The mucus in the cervix has the consistency of egg whites.
- Breasts tenderness
- Mild twitches or cramps in the stomach
- Very light spots
- Heightened sense of smell
- Increase sex drive
- Mood swings and increased hunger
- Bloating
Tips to Getting Pregnant
- Find out when you will ovulate by using our calculator, an ovulation predictor kit, or by keeping track of your symptoms.
- Around the time you ovulate, you should have sex every other day.
- At least one month before you try to get pregnant, start taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid.
- Consult with your doctor and make sure that any health problems you already have are being taken care of. Getting up-to-date on vaccinations and going in for regular checkups and tests can lower the chance of problems during pregnancy.
- Care for yourself well. You should stop doing things like smoking that are bad for your health and start exercising regularly. A healthy diet full of nutrients can also help.
If you use an ovulation calculator or calendar, think of what it tells you as a suggestion, not as a fact. If your calendar tells you that you are likely to ovulate on a certain day, you should think of the week before and after that date as possible fertile days.