Ovulation is the most important aspect of fertility and conception. No matter how many changes you make to your lifestyle, diet or bedroom habits, conception will not occur if you are not ovulating. To predict ovulation women have two main options – calendar tracking and the ovulation calculator. The calendar method requires keeping tabs on body temperature, cervical mucus changes and various dates. The ovulation calculator method requires just two pieces of information – the first day of your last period and length of your average menstrual cycle.

The Three Phases of Ovulation

The three phases of ovulation are the follicular, ovulatory and post-ovulatory phases. Women are most likely to become pregnant during the ovulatory or ovulation phase, which lasts just 24 to 48 hours. Ovulation typically occurs between 12 and 16 days before the next menstrual period is due to begin, but there are tons of external and internal factors that come into play. An ovulation calculator can help predict the optimal time for conception or the ovulation phase.

Predicting Ovulation with Body Changes

With hormone changes in the female body come physical changes that can be used to predict ovulation and optimal fertility. Women may notice changes in body temperature with first morning temperatures measuring up to one degree higher during prime fertility. Cervical mucus changes also occur with visible changes in thickness and volume.

The level of luteinizing changes during ovulation, but this change is not something women can use to predict ovulation without a little help. Ovulation prediction tests measure levels of luteinizing hormone in urine to give women a head’s up when ovulation will occur. Predicting ovulation by noting body changes requires a calendar and daily information tracking.

How Can an Ovulation Calculator Help?

An ovulation calculator uses the date of your last menstrual period to outline the changes occurring in your body. You know exactly when to have intercourse and when to expect a positive pregnancy test. Some calculators even give a little information about where the fertilized egg along the path to implantation and pregnancy, once conception occurs. There’s no charting or recording keeping needed when you use an ovulation calculator. All you need is the date your last period started and the rest will be calculated for you.

Using an ovulation calculator is a non-invasive means of improving your chances of conception. A woman who knows when she is ovulating holds the key to conception and pregnancy.

Author's Bio: 

Learn More About the Ovulation Calculator

Summer is a women's health author who frequently writes on pregnancy and fertility. To find out more about the ovulation calculator visit BabyMed.com.