Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Fertility Awareness

So, how do I know that I’ve ovulated? We use the fertility Awareness method of measuring and charting my base temperature in the morning. This is Matt’s responsibility.

My body temperature is around 36.2°C when menstruating, and it will rise to about 36.7°C when ovulating. It usually hovers between 36.6°C and 36.7°C until the next menstrual cycle beings.

The high temperature is the result of the production of progesterone - a sex hormone produced in women, first by the corpus luteum of the ovary to prepare the womb for the fertilized ovum, and later by the placenta to maintain pregnancy. If the ovum isn’t fertilized, then the menstrual cycle will start, and hormone estrogen will take over, and the base temperate will drop to 36.2°C. And the whole cycle will repeat again

Even if I suspect that I’m pregnant now (due to all the pregnacy symptoms), I won’t know for sure until the next menstrual cycle is due as the pregnancy test kit measures the level of progesterone in my body. But if my menstrual didn’t come, and the body temperate reminds between 36.6°C and 36.7°C, then the result from the pregnancy test would more or less be accurate

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