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If you want to become pregnant, an ovulation calendar can help you to map out the best times to try for a baby. Ovulation refers to the release of an egg from a woman's ovary, and tends to occur about 14 days before the start of your next period. You are most fertile around the time of ovulation. While an egg survives for only about 24 hours after it has been released, sperm commonly live inside the female genital tract for about 3 days (and sometimes for up to 5 days). This means that sperm deposited in the genital tract several days before ovulation can be alive and can fertilise the egg when it is released. |
| Your ovulation calendar: Here are the times when you should be most fertile over the next months. |
| Because the ovulation calendar is based on your past menstrual patterns, the more regular your cycle, the more accurate the calendar will be. However, the exact timing of ovulation can vary from month to month, even in women with regular cycles. |
| There are other ways that can help you predict when you are most fertile,
including:
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| There are also home ovulation testing kits that you can use. One type of test measures the amount of luteinising hormone (LH) - the hormone that controls when ovulation occurs - in your urine. LH levels tend to rise 24-48 hours before you ovulate. There are also ovulation tests that can detect a rise in the level of oestrogen (which occurs several days before ovulation) in your saliva. |
| It's important to note that the ovulation calendar is a tool to help women conceive. It is not a suitable way of preventing pregnancy. |
Last Reviewed: 20 January 2006
