The average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days. But there are women whose cycles are as short as 21 days, and as long as 35, who do not have any fertility problems as a result. Most women have periods that last from three to five days, though they can also last up to a week. If your menstrual periods arrive at the same intervals all the time, regardless of the amount of days your cycle lasts, they are regular menstrual periods.

Having regular menstrual periods during which you ovulate should mean that you are able to conceive within six months to a year if you have intercourse during your fertile period – in the absence of other medical factors, of course. But if the post-ovulatory stage of your cycle, the luteal phase, is too short (shorter than 10 days) or too long (longer than 17 days), it could affect your chances of developing a healthy pregnancy. Hormonal factors can contribute to any fertilized egg being “washed away” by a period in this case. This is called luteal phase defect or LPD.

Hormonal birth control usage can affect the length and pattern of  a cycle, and when you just come off off the pill, for instance, it can take a while for your cycle to return to normal. But if you did not just stop using the pill, and still have an irregular menstrual cycle, that comes and goes as it pleases, you should consider seeing a doctor to check for any reproductive health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

If you have been prescribed medications containing hCG, such as Pregnyl for example, they take a while to leave your body. For most women, the time needed for hCG to totally clear from their systems is 12 to 14 days. While it is possible to take a home pregnancy test before that time, the chance of getting a false positive result is extremely high if you do decide to take your chances. Bearing that in mind, there is no reason you should not take a pregnancy test at around 12 days.

Having said that, the time needed for hCG to leave your body also depends on the amounts that you have taken. It is estimated that the lose dosage of 2,500 IU only takes seven days to leave the body completely, while 10,000 IU injections would take at least 14 days.

The conclusion? Waiting to take a pregnancy test can benefit everyone. Not taking a pregnancy test before a missed period always increases the chances that the result indicated by the test is going to be accurate. If you have taken hCG, this is even more true. While it is difficult to wait and be patient, for women who have used medications containing this hormone, the odds of getting a false positive test are so high that waiting simply makes more sense.

What does cervical mucus look like after ovulation has ended, then? How do you know that your luteal phase has commenced if studying only cervical mucus? The process of monitoring your cervical mucus sounds quite complicated and scientific, doesn’t it? But once you know what signals you are looking for, it really is not all that hard.

The difference between fertile cervical mucus, and mucus during your luteal phase, is very obvious. While cervical mucus is stretchy, transparent, and fluid during your ovulation, it is totally white, very thick, and high on volume after ovulation has ended. This type of cervical mucus does not allow semen to travel through to your uterus, and sperm is not able to survive in this vaginal environment either. You will notice thick, white, and non-stretchy mucus until the onset of your menstrual period, after which the whole cycle will start from scratch again.

Everyone’s cycles vary somewhat, and the luteal phase can be longer and shorter with each cycle. But when the luteal phase is consistently too short to allow eggs to implant properly, it severely affects a woman’s chances of getting pregnant. What can be done to solve this problem, improve a woman’s chances of getting pregnant and staying pregnant? How to increase the luteal phase?

The first thing to try, and probably the least invasive, is taking a Vitamin B6 supplement. Many women report that their luteal phase increased after starting Vitamin B6 supplements – often one or two days in the first month, but up to a week for subsequent cycles. The exact reason why Vitamin B6 lengthens the luteal phase is unknown, but most experts agree that it is closely linked to lowering levels of the hormone prolactin in the body.

Vitamin C and all-in-one prenatal vitamins have also been known to increase the length of some women’s luteal phases, so you could try either a combination of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, or just take a prenatal vitamin. You can gradually increase the dose of Vitamin B6 to 200 mg a day, if need be.

Acupuncture, and herbal supplements like fenugreek, dong quai, and red clover, can also play a role in lengthening the luteal phase. These are powerful methods, but they need to be used with caution, as they are dangerous when administered by people without sufficient knowledge. Unfortunately, due to the unregulated nature of alternative medicine, there is a lot of quackery in this field. If you have decided to undergo acupuncture or try herbal medications, I’d recommend you choose your practitioner carefully, and only on the basis of personal recommendations.

Failing those methods, progesterone creams might help resolve a Luteal Phase Defect. Many progesterone creams are available over the counter, though it is probably best to discuss the use of such creams with a doctor before starting. Progesterone creams do just what their name suggests – they increase progesterone levels that are so essential in the luteal phase, through direct application to the skin.  It is best to vary the location where you apply a progesterone cream. Neck, arms, thighs and chest are the best areas for progesterone cream application.

Finally, there is the fertility drug Clomid. While this popular drug is mainly known for its ovulation-stimulation properties, Clomid can also be used to correct a Luteal Phase Defect in some women. Deciding to use Clomid (after careful consultation with your healthcare provider) is a big step, and not without risks and side effects. But at the same time, Clomid has helped many thousands of women achieve their dreams of motherhood.

After the ovulation, during second half of the cycle aka luteal phase progesterone takes over. Progesterone dominates until the beginning of your menstrual period.

How is charting basal body temperature connected with hormones and ovulation?

The explanation can be fairly easy, if we try to simplify. Imagine estrogen being a cool hormone and progesterone as a warm hormone. When translated to BBT chart, this means your basal body temperature is slightly lower in the follicular phase (your body temperature is cooler because estrogen – the cool hormone is ruling) and as soon as you notice a jump in basal body temperature, the jump indicates you have ovulated. The increase happened because the progesterone, a warm hormone, took over, and it made your basal body temperature slightly higher.

You need a thermometer and a BBT chart

You definitely need a thermometer.  I prefer a digital, because it is important to notice small changes (to a 0.10 degrees) but any will do.

And you need a chart. You can either use one in a digital form and save it on your computer, or if you prefer, you can simply use a pencil and a piece of paper and draw it yourself – whatever you prefer.

When to measure basal body temperature?

Best and actually the only time for charting basal body temperature is the morning: before getting up, before you go to the bathroom, before brushing teeth etc. Measure your basal body temperature first thing in the morning and always at the same time and your BBT chart will accurate.

What are the ranges of basal body temperature?

Typically the ranges in BBT are minimal. Additionally, to some degree there is a wide range of normal temperatures, and it is very possible to notice your BBT being higher one day and lower the other.  However, BBT before ovulation will range from 97.0 to 97.6.

Additionally, there is a general rule applied when charting BBT prior and after ovulation: when woman ovulates, her BBT rises for 0.2 degrees and stays elevated for at least 3 days comparing to the temperature from the previous 6 days. Than leads to conclusion basal body temperature measured after the ovulation is approximately 97.7 and above.

The magic pill that could treat period symptoms such as upset stomachs, mood swings, ovary pain etc. could be taken ahead of a woman’s period and it could prevent the pain. As an alternative, it could be taken when required, easing pain when the pain hits.

Scientists say the pill is very likely to be prescription only and that it could be out on the market in about 4 years. The inventions of the pill are of course sure the pill will work better than any of the drugs or treatments currently available, such as strong painkillers to relaxation techniques and hot water bottles.

Currently a large trial is under way and the results will be known later this year. So far preliminary tests were made on small group of women with painful periods, and the results were promising: they showed the pill is to be safe and without any side effects.

The pill works by reducing levels of vasopressin, the hormone controlling the movement of the womb’s muscles. The pain is namely caused by the womb contracting during a period, and the pill suppresses the movement of the womb’s muscles by controlling and reducing levels of vasopressin.

If trials that are about to follow fulfill the promise a company behind the pill, Vantia, could have massive annual income.

In my opinion the birth control pill fertility rates and results were reassuring enough to prove birth control pills do not cause infertility:

-    More than 21% of women from the study group became pregnant within the first month after stopping birth control (while the normal control rate on monthly basis is 20-25%, which means this group achieved perfectly normal fertility rate despite the use of birth control pills)

-    More than 50% of women were pregnant within the first 3 months after stopping birth control.

-    More than 80% of women were pregnant within the first year after stopping birth control

In my opinion, the main reason for a myth that birth control pills cause infertility related problem lies in the fact that birth control pills regulate menstrual cycles: they make the natural cycle of appear normal despite the fact woman might have very regular periods regardless any problems that may exist in woman’s reproductive system. Birth control pills might just hide these problems, but they are not the cause for problems! This is the main reason when woman gets off birth control pill, her periods become irregular and underlying problems that weren’t visible earlier become apparent. However, birth control pills are not the ones to blame for causing these underlying problems – but they are to blame for covering these problems.

However, at this point I believe it is again important to bring out that women should be careful! Despite the fact they are using birth control pills – they are only preventing possible pregnancy. As you most definitely know, this leads to a conclusion, women on birth control pills only are still exposed to sexual transmitted diseases.

The true answer to a question “Do birth control pills cause infertility” is NO, they don’t. There were several studies made in recent years and not even one study showed proof that birth control pills have an adverse effect on fertility.

There is an American study available that was presented at clinical meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Researches were observing women who discontinued birth control pills because they were trying to become pregnant, and they were observing parameters such as the time it took for these women to conceive, the age of women trying to conceive, the type of hormones that birth control pills contained and the length of time these women took birth control pills before trying to conceive.

This birth control pill fertility statistics in study represents perfectly normal fertility rate. These pregnancy statistics are practically the same for women who had never taken birth control pills. Approximately 20% of women became pregnant in first month, approximately 50% in first 3 months, and 80% in first year.

Additionally, according to this study length of birth control pills also does not cause infertility or at least lower fertility rates. For example, of those women who had taken birth control pills for two years or less, 79.3% had become pregnant within first year of stopping birth control pills, compared with 81% of women who had used birth control pills for more than 2 years. This is another proof length of length of contraception.

Regarding the type of the pill and hormones contained: all pills contained the same type of estrogen and there was also no difference in the pregnancy rates based on the type of progesterone contained in the birth control pills.

According to this study we say with certainty that correlation between birth control pills and infertility is a myth.

• Healthy egg production
• Healthy sperm production
• Unblocked fallopian tubes which allow sperm to reach the egg
• Ability of sperm to fertilize the egg
• Ability of a fertilized egg to properly implant in the uterine wall
• High quality of the embryo

Infertility male factor information points to many different things which could prevent pregnancy in couples trying to conceive.  However, with proper testing and treatment, male infertility can be treated and overcome.  The chances of conception for the average couple is about 25% per each menstrual cycle and for most it happens within 12 months of trying.

Infertility affects an average of 12% of couples of childbearing age, and infertility issues are not just limited to a woman.  There can be instances where the male can be the sole reason behind infertility and until testing is done, knowing how to treat it will remain a mystery.  However, more than 20% of couples have no identifiable cause for infertility even after undergoing extensive medical testing.

Infertility male factor can be related to several different causes, including the following:

• Genital infection or prostatitis
• Testicular torsion (twisting) or trauma (injury)
• History of early or delayed puberty
• Toxic substance exposure
• Heavy alcohol consumption
• Drug addiction
• Cigarette smoking
• Exposing the genitals to high temperatures
• Prescription drugs for psoriasis or ulcers
• Undescended testicles
• Mumps after puberty
• Hernia repair
• DES taken by mother during pregnancy

Some of the problems relating to male infertility for couples trying to conceive can be treated by medication or surgical methods, others cannot.  Undergoing medical testing and following the advice of a fertility specialist will help relieve or alleviate the issues relating to male infertility.  Some couples will be able to conceive naturally and for some, the assistance of reproductive medicine will be needed in order to conceive a baby of their own.

There are several methods that can successfully predict ovulation, some with more certainty than the others.

Ovulation prediction kits are very precise and work by detecting pre-ovulation hormone LH in woman’s body. They are very popular because they can be simply performed at home and because they predict ovulation with great accuracy.  

Change in cervical mucus is another indicator woman is ovulating since the amount of cervical mucus increases at its texture changes. Cervical mucus reflects the rising level of estrogen and woman is considered most fertile when mucus becomes stretchy and slippery, many times women compare it to egg white.

When woman enters the most fertile days of the menstrual cycle her body temperature slightly rises, in average from 0.5 to 1.6 degrees. The rise is minimal so you probably won’t feel it but if you use thermometer, it is possible to detect the change. The rise in temperature indicated woman is ovulating and releasing an egg which stimulates the production of the hormone progesterone which consequently raises body temperature.

Only one fourth of female population will feel slight discomfort in lower abdomen during ovulation. The pain might vary from mild achiness to pain in lower abdomen, and the condition might last from several minutes to several hours, and is a definite sign woman is ovulating.

Another very popular, but not that reliable method is counting days. Usually ovulation occurs from 11th to 14th day of the menstrual cycle (the first day of period is also the first day of menstrual cycle). This method is more reliable if you know precisely how long is your cycle and this way you can more determine the fertile days more precisely. Also this method works for women who have regular cycles.