If you’ve been following our stories, you’re aware that my husband and I (Gina) are prepping to TTC in early 2024 for baby #4!! This is the first time I’ve really focused for so long on my next pregnancy.
Why am I focusing so much on my prep?? Mostly because I’ll be 36 (not that being advanced maternal age is a bad thing) but since I will be almost 10 years older than the first time we conceived a baby. Also, I have a history of miscarriages in the first trimester that has made me feel anxious, so taking steps to optimize my fertility has helped with my anxiety.
In this blog, I will be sharing what I am doing to better understand my cycle as we prepare for another pregnancy–and some other options that are available to you!
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What is the menstrual cycle??
The menstrual cycle is more than just your period, but most of us will think of our period as our menstrual cycle. However, there is much more to it!
Your cycle consists of:
- Menstruation: Your period!
- This can last a few days. You may have a ton of energy or feel very low on energy. It can really vary! All hormones are fairly low during this phase of your cycle.
- Follicular Phase: FSH begins to rise to stimulate an egg to release.
- A few days before ovulation, estrogen will increase. This increase in estrogen may help enhance recovery from workouts. This increase in estrogen stimulates the release of LH, which triggers ovulation (and what is tested for in those LH strips). Usually, higher energy levels here!
- Ovulation: Baby can be made!
- An egg has been released, and if you are wanting to get pregnant, this is your chance! LH has peaked for a short period of time, indicating ovulation is probably happening within 24-36 hours.
- Once the egg has been released, it triggers progesterone to increase to support implantation by increasing the thickness of the uterine lining.
- Luteal Phase:
- Progesterone will continue to increase (this increase can confirm ovulation occurred) unless implantation does NOT occur, in which it will begin to decrease a few days before your period. Lower energy levels typically here!
- This decrease will trigger your period to start to shred this uterine lining.
There is this really cool interplay of hormones that influences our fertility and menstrual cycle health! Understanding different parts of your cycle can help you better gauge your workouts (stay tuned for a workout program designed to educate you on this even more), and also prepare for (or prevent) a pregnancy!
Let’s discuss some ways to track your cycle!
How Can You Track Your Fertility Cycle When TTC??
What are some ways that I am focusing on my fertility?? The first is to just understand what is going on with my cycle! There are a number of ways you can track your cycle.
- LH Ovulation Strips:
- Fairly inexpensive but can be difficult to understand as you have to compare the density of color between two strips to determine ovulation.
- Fertility Trackers:
- I have been using the Inito Fertility tracker each morning to measure the hormone levels in my urine to figure out where I am in my cycle! This option is definitely more expensive than LH ovulation strips, but it looks are more than just LH! More on this option below, as it’s been my go-to method to understand my cycle the past month.
- Basal Body Temperature:
- Two main options: thermometer or wearable.
- Thermometers can be fairly inexpensive, but you need to take your temperature upon waking before getting out of bed each morning. I found that I would knock off the thermometer or forget.
- Wearables can be more expensive, there are a number of brands, such as Ava. These need to be charged before bed but will get your temperature each morning fairly easily! Just need to remember to charge it and put it on at night.
- I also found that my basal body temperature was not a great gauge for me because I am still waking up around 1-2 times a night with a nursing baby.
- Cervical Mucus:
- This was my go-to method my last postpartum! You can gauge the consistency of your cervical mucus to know if you are near ovulation. Near ovulation, cervical mucus has a consistency and appearance similar to egg whites.
I started using the Inito fertility tracker this past month and it has been really enlightening. I learned that in this past cycle, I have ovulated very late in my cycle (around day 23), which is similar to my first pregnancy. So, I wonder if my cycle is still regulating postpartum (this is my third cycle postpartum).
This cycle ended up being longer (34 days) than my previous cycle (29 days). I got my first postpartum period back around 9 months postpartum. So, it seems that my cycle is still trying to regulate itself! I’m curious to see how my cycle regulates over the next few months, but it was really interesting to correlate my energy levels and cervical mucus with the information I was learning from the Inito fertility tracker.
I am excited to continue to track my hormone levels each cycle to see if there are any changes as we near conception time. Inito is pretty cool that it shows you your actual hormone levels for estrogen, LH, progesterone, and FSH--so I have actual numbers to share with my provider who is helping me prep for my next pregnancy.
I have to be honest that the strips are not cheap! It is around $49 USD for a pack of 15 test strips (you normally test starting on day 6 until ovulation has been confirmed). This is a huge price jump from LH test strips which can be around 50 strips for $20 USD or less. But, I do find the results of the Inito MUCH easier to understand and there is more information plus it helps to confirm ovulation.
Another downside is that it takes about ten minutes for the test to process. But, I have found that even with my rushed mornings trying to get out of the door, I was still able to find time to test daily. I would start my test as soon as I got up, and it would determine the results as I got myself and my kids ready in the morning.
You can use code MAMASTEFIT15 for 15% off your Inito tracker! We will be sharing more ways that I am tracking my cycle and optimizing my fertility over the next few months in our blogs, on our YouTube, and on IG! So, stay tuned!
Understand Your Cycle to Understand Your Fertility!
The key to understanding your fertility as you prepare for another pregnancy (or prevent one) is to understand what is going on with your cycle! There are so many tools available to help you better understand your cycle–they vary in price points and ease. It can be worth exploring what works best for you! I have tried a few different methods, and find that assessing my cervical mucus and using the Inito tracker has been more helpful for me. But is it okay if it is something different for you!
Thanks for reading and for following along in my TTC preparation journey! If you want to join the workout program that I am using as I prepare for another pregnancy, check out our Beyond Postpartum Strength Program!
Instructor
GINA
Postpartum is forever… but you can find your strength again after birth! If you have completed our Postpartum Return to Fitness Programs, this is the next step! Join our app-based workout program to continue to increase your strength in motherhood.
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