The fertile window is the time in your cycle when pregnancy is possible. Understanding how to identify this window is one of the most important aspects of the SymptoThermal Method.

What is the Fertile Window?

The fertile window typically spans about 6-7 days of each cycle. This includes:

• The day of ovulation
• The 5 days before ovulation (sperm can survive up to 5 days in fertile cervical fluid)

Identifying this window accurately requires observing and interpreting multiple fertility signs.

Primary Fertility Signs

1. Cervical Fluid Observations

Cervical fluid changes throughout your cycle in response to hormonal fluctuations. As you approach ovulation, cervical fluid becomes:

• More abundant
• Clearer
• More stretchy and slippery (similar to raw egg white)

This "egg white" cervical fluid is the most fertile type and indicates that you're in your fertile window.

2. Basal Body Temperature

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your body's temperature at rest. After ovulation, progesterone causes your BBT to rise by about 0.2°C (0.4°F) and stay elevated until your next period.

This thermal shift confirms that ovulation has occurred, but it happens after the fact. By combining BBT with cervical fluid observations, you can more accurately identify your fertile window.

Secondary Fertility Signs

In addition to the primary signs, you may also observe:

• Cervical position and texture: During your fertile window, your cervix becomes higher, softer, and more open.
• Mittelschmerz: Some women feel a twinge or pain when they ovulate.
• Increased libido: Many women notice an increase in sexual desire around ovulation.

Putting It All Together

By observing and recording these signs daily, you'll start to recognize patterns that help you identify your fertile window with increasing accuracy over time.

Remember that every woman's cycle is unique. What's most important is understanding your own pattern of fertility signs.