Achieving Pregnancy
Optimising health and understanding fertility are important for conceiving naturally.
Some early and reliable signs of fertility in a woman’s menstrual cycle are changes in sensation and mucus (or discharge) at the vulva, which develop over several days.
Any mucus seen is likely to become thinner and clearer and the sensation becomes wet and then slippery.
Hormone and ultrasound studies show that the most fertile time in the cycle coincides with what is referred to as the Peak day on a
fertility chart.
This is the last day of the slippery sensation at the vulva which may be accompanied by clear mucus which may form strings.
The Peak day relates very closely to the time of ovulation (ie when the egg is released).
In most cycles ovulation occurs on the Peak day, but in some cycles ovulation may not occur until day 1 or day 2 before or after the Peak.
The egg lives for a maximum of 24 hours after being released1.
A daily record of the sensation and appearance of the mucus (charting) reveals the times of infertility, potential fertility and the Peak of fertility.
Teaching a woman this information gives her fertility-awareness.
Couples can use Fertility Awareness Methods (FAMs) to achieve pregnancy by identifying the time of ovulation based on mucus signs. This has good evidence for assisting couples to conceive.