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Knowing your menstrual cycle well is the best strategy for women who wish to become pregnant or even for those who wish to avoid pregnancy. Knowing what stage of your cycle you are in and following it through a menstrual calendar makes life easier for modern women.
Many women may believe that the menstrual calendar or the famous “table” is of no use, until they start using it and see that it will be a great tool to be able to make their plans , whether they are for a trip, a romantic night, to get pregnant more easily or even to avoid pregnancy, protecting yourself on fertile days.
IMPORTANT: Women who do not have a regular cycle, the menstrual calendar should not be used as a contraceptive method. If you want to prevent it, use a condom!
How to Make My Menstrual Calendar
To make your menstrual calendar or your table is very simple. Just have a paper calendar in hand or use a cell phone app to follow up. If you choose the paper calendar, just write down the first day of your period and from that date, start counting your cycle.
To know which fertile days it is necessary to know how many days of durability your cycle has (date from one menstruation to the next) and for that, you will need to be sure of at least the last 2 menstrual dates. If you haven’t written it down, start writing it down in that cycle so that you can use your menstrual calendar for the next cycle with greater reliability.
Table for those who want to get pregnant
As we already said, the menstrual calendar can be used for several purposes, among them, to help the temptants to know when is their fertile period and the days of working out in order to get their positive faster.
Let’s take an example through a regulated 28-day cycle. You must mark on your calendar the first day that you started your period and from that day on, we count 14 days forward. The number of days we must count is always half of our cycle, 28 days, half 14 days).
As the cycle may undergo some changes due to daily stress or hormonal changes, we must consider the previous 3 days and the 3 days after as possible fertile ones as well.
For example: if menstruation is down on the 12th, the 14th day will be the 26th. So on the 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th are the most fertile days of the cycle. Take the time to make the most of your relationship these days and if you use other methods of help for the tempting ones, like lubricating gels that are friendly to sperm, the chances of getting your positive are even greater.
Table for those who want to avoid pregnancy
The menstrual calendar is also very useful for those who wish to avoid pregnancy. We must emphasize that it is not a 100% safe method , especially for those who do not have a regulated cycle, so we always recommend using other means to avoid it.
However, the menstrual calendar will help indicate the days of greatest risk and that unprotected sex should be avoided . But just as for those who want to get pregnant, the method must be followed to the letter with the correct count of days, to avoid following the same procedure.
To ensure the effectiveness of the menstrual calendar and to know the fertile period it is necessary to be sure how long your cycle lasts and for that you need to know the date of at least your last 2 periods and count the duration of the cycle.
In the same way used to get pregnant, considering that the woman has a 28-day cycle. The menstrual calendar must be marked on the first day after the menstruation begins and count the 14th day (always count half the cycle). As the cycle can undergo natural changes each month, we recommend that you always consider three days before and three days after the 14th, to ensure the effectiveness of the method.
For example: If your period dropped on the 5th, your 14th day will be the 19th. So the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd are your possible fertile days and should be avoided having sex. If you want to date these days, use a condom to prevent it. You can mark it in red or in a color that highlights this period of greatest risk, to be on the alert.
If you want to avoid pregnancy, in conjunction with the menstrual calendar use other methods to ensure. The use of condoms, lubricants containing spermicide , the vaginal ring or even oral or injectable contraceptives are temporary options, which can be dispensed as soon as you wish to become pregnant.
Other Ways to Identify the Fertile Period
In addition to making appointments on the menstrual calendar very valuable, other methods being used in conjunction with the table increase the chances of greater success. Like, for example, measuring the basal temperature, using ovulation tests , observing the cervical mucus , observing the body’s signs and discomfort.
Temperatura Basal
The basal body temperature is one of the allies of modern tentantes. The temperature measurement must be carried out through the mouth or the vagina , always in the morning and at the same time to ensure a good monitoring and a satisfactory result. The temperature must be measured with the help of an appropriate basal thermometer .
The temperature when you are approaching ovulation tends to rise from 2 to 5 degrees, which indicates that it is time to train or avoid having sex on those days, for those who do not want a pregnancy.
Ovulation Tests
Another ally of the tentants, the ovulation test serves to detect the ovulatory phase, making it easier to get pregnant faster. Using the ovulation test, along with the menstrual calendar, the chances of getting pregnant are even greater.
The ovulation test is a small strip, similar to the pharmacy pregnancy test. Likewise, it is tested using a small urine sample. The only differences is that his sensitivity is to the LH hormone (pregnancy test is to the HCG hormone) and the best time to do the test is in the late afternoon (3 pm to 7 pm).
Muco Cervical
One of the changes that the female body gives to each change in the menstrual cycle is mucus . Through the appearance and consistency of the mucus it is possible to know if the woman is close to the ovulatory period , if she is going through it or if it has already passed.
At the beginning of the cycle it is normal to appear whitish mucus , with the appearance of a moisturizer. But what indicates that the fertile period is near is the transparent mucus, more consistent, with the appearance of phlegm.
The mucus evident that ovulation is taking place is the elastic mucus , also transparent, but with an elastic consistency. When you touch and open your fingers, the mucus stretches. This is the most appropriate mucus for those who want to get pregnant.
Complications During the Menstrual Cycle
During the course of the menstrual cycle and all the changes that the body undergoes, it is normal to have several complications such as discomfort, pain, discharge or menstrual escapes . And they are all part of the hormonal changes that the body undergoes at each stage.
Annoyances of the Beginning of the Menstrual Cycle
The beginning of the cycle is marked by menstruation and with them all the discomfort, abdominal swelling, breasts, menstrual cramps and in some cases, even the discomfort and prostration that some women suffer at this stage. But with the end of menstruation, all these symptoms disappear.
Menstrual Cycle Discomfort
Considered the middle of the menstrual cycle, the ovulatory phase is accompanied by several symptoms and changes, some of which are easy to perceive and others less so. During the middle of the cycle it is common for women to experience slight pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen , often even imperceptible.
This mild discomfort is the famous pain of ovulation , where in some cases it is possible to feel the egg breaking. The pain can last for a few minutes, hours or just be immediate, lasting a few seconds.
IMPORTANT: Ovulation pain is not felt at all cycles and some women do not even imagine that they feel
In this phase, vaginal moisture is differentiated and the presence of cervical mucus is evident in some cases. The libido is also high in this phase , in addition to the smell be more accurate and sensitive.
Discomfort at the End of the Menstrual Cycle
The end of the menstrual cycle is marked by the preparation of the body to start menstruating again. At this stage, the famous PMS ( premenstrual tension) appears, making women even more sensitive.
During this period it is common to feel abdominal swelling, a lot of tenderness in the breasts, pimples and acnes can appear and mainly the change in mood stands out. Fatigue, a drop in libido, changes in appetite and sleep are also common.
In extreme cases, where these symptoms affect a woman’s professional and social life, the doctor should be consulted for proper treatment and symptom control.
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
