Getting Pregnant Without Intervention

There are many methods and processes available for women to use in an effort to become pregnant.  Before a doctor will provide medical intervention to assist a woman in becoming pregnant she must have been trying unsuccessfully for at least one year.  The question for many women is what it takes to become pregnant during that first year.  The female reproductive system is a highly intricate system in which every part must be working correctly for pregnancy to occur.  The method that is used to naturally become pregnant without medical intervention is called Natural Family Planning (NFP).

Natural Family Planning combines the calendar/rhythm method, the basal body temperature method, and the cervical mucous method.  NFP is typically used as a method of birth control but in recent years has become a very successful method toward conceiving a baby.  It works for both birth control and conception because it helps to pinpoint the most fertile time of the reproductive cycle of the woman.

The most important part of NFP is to become familiar with the reproductive cycle.  There are two parts to the menstrual cycle.  These are before ovulation and after ovulation and the average cycle is between 28 and 32 days long.  An average menstrual cycle progresses as follows:
Day 1 – The first day of the menstrual flow and should be charted as day one on any charting method that is being used to track the menstrual cycle.
Day 7 – By day seven, the egg is being prepared in the ovary to be released and to be able to be fertilized by sperm.
Day 11-21 – Around this time ovulation occurs.  This is when the egg is released from the ovary and begins its descent down into the fallopian tubes toward the uterus.  Ovulation is signaled by a rise in hormones.  If sperm fertilize the egg, it will attach itself to the uterine lining.  If the egg is not fertilized it will just break apart and be absorbed by the body.
Day 28 – Hormone levels drop and signal the body to shed the lining of the uterus.  This is the beginning of the menstrual period and is the beginning of a new menstrual cycle, otherwise known as Day one.

When figuring the most fertile time in the menstrual cycle, it is helpful to use past months as a guide.  It is actually beneficial to begin charting the menstrual cycle for several months prior to trying to become pregnant.  The most fertile time or ovulation occurs approximately 14 days before menstruation begins.

The basal body temperature (BBT) measures the rise in body temperature that occurs at ovulation and stays elevated until the beginning of the period.  There are special thermometers that can be used that have a shorter degree range on them or a regular thermometer can be used.  The BBT should be taken first thing in the morning before getting out of bed and should be taken at exactly the same time everyday.  The BBT can be taken orally or vaginally.  Many women have determined through experience that the vaginal temperatures are more accurate.
The consistency of the cervical mucus changes throughout the menstrual cycle and can signify specific hormonal changes that are going on in the body.  After the menstrual flow there are typically three to four extremely dry days.  The wetness increases daily until the wettest day about nine days later.  At the time of the wettest cervical mucus, also the most fertile time of the menstrual cycle, the cervical mucus is abundant, slippery, clear, and very stretchy.  It has been referred to as the same consistency as egg whites.