For the purpose of monitoring menstruation cycles, it is important to look at the four markers:

1. Menstruation: during the first part of the Follicular Phase, the color, volume, crampiness, and the existence of blood clots all indicate a health level of menstrual cycle. As discharge of blood comes to an end, the estrogen hormone begins to increase.



2. Once menstruation ends, the second part of Follicular Phase is signaled by the developing of follicles in the ovary begin developing under the influence of a complex interplay of hormones, the FSH (Follicle-stimulating hormone), LH (luteinizing hormone), and estrogen hormones. FSH stimulates the development of the ovarian follicle and estrogen helps build up the uterus for pregnancy. Estrogen also stimulates LH which helps make ovulation to occur.



3. Ovulation is a process where the ovarian follicle ruptures and releases the egg. At the end of menstruation, the lining of the uterus walls is the thinnest. As FSH and other hormones pick up, the wall is getting thicker.
   
   Estrogen hormones also help increase cervical fluids, an egg white like mucus that assists fertilization. A sudden increase of the LH hormone acts on the ovarian follicle and breaks down the surface of the follicle where the egg is housed. As LH rapidly increase, a hole appears in the follicle surface and release the egg. This is Ovulation.
   
   The egg enters the fallopian tube and flows downward toward the uterus. In case sperms have already arrived inside the uterus, there would be a possibility of conception.

   Two obvious signs that show you that estrogen is increasing are:

   • cervical fluid (wet, slippery, like eggwhite) discharge
     
     
   • cervix position (high, soft, open)
   
   
   Post-Ovulation signals the start of the Luteal Phase: an egg, once released, can only live for a short period of time up to 24 hours. This is why timing of intercourse around a female's ovulation date is important to fertility. To increase the chance of becoming pregnant, it's necessary to let the joining of an egg and a sperm to occur during this time.
   
   
4. During the luteal phase, either conception takes place and the fertilized egg (embryo) implants in the uterus (pregnancy), or conception does not occur and the egg simply disintegrates. If pregnancy is achieved, a hormonal signal is sent to the corpus luteum to continue producing progesterone in order to maintain the pregnancy. If pregnancy is not achieved, progesterone levels will gradually fall and a woman's body will prepare itself for menstruation. Under the influence of progesterone, the endometrium (uterine lining) changes to prepare for potential implantation of an embryo to establish a pregnancy. If implantation does not occur within approximately two weeks, the corpus luteum will involute, causing sharp drops in levels of both progesterone and estrogen. These hormone drops cause the uterus to shed its lining and egg in a process termed menstruation.

The Importance of BBT (Basal Body Temperature)

BBT@Ovulation: Once the egg leaves the ovarian follicle, the follicle itself collapses and becomes a corpus luteum. The corpus luteum's job is to start producing the hormone progesterone. Progesterone acts to heat up the body in preparation for pregnancy. Shortly after ovulation, a woman's body temperature increases, generally by 0.5 to 1.0 degrees Fahrenheit. When there is a body temperature shift, that is an indication that ovulation occurs the day before the shift. By BBT charting (the daily measuring of female body temperature before getting out of bed), a woman can learn when ovulation has taken place. This is instructive because she can record her ovulation date and predict future ovulation dates based on previous monthly cycle patterns. BBT is not useful for timing intercourse, since it is usually too late once a thermal shift happens. But it is good for confirming and pinpointing the ovulation date. All other signs can occur with or without actually ovulating, but BBT chart will show a biphasic temperature pattern when you ovulate.

Without the BBT jump, a 1/10 to 1/2 degree of temperature change, it is a likely indication that the ovulation doesnˇt happen. Without the ovulation, there is no possibility of pregnancy. Therefore, BBT charting is one of the most important steps any woman seeking fertility resolution needs to follow religiously. Several websites offer charting help. One such example is: http://www.fertilityfriend.com