The ovulation calendar (or ovulation tracker) helps you identify your fertile days and ovulation day. You can track the following in your ovulation tracker:

• Basal Body Temperature (BBT)
• Menses: spotting (S), light (L), medium (M), or heavy (H)
• Cervical mucous: sticky (S), dry (D), creamy (C), watery (W), eggwhite (E)
• Cervical position, texture, and opening
  
• Symptoms: ovulation pain, PMS, backache, bloated, breast tenderness, cramps, fatigue, fever, headaches, increased appetite, increased sex drive, irritability, nausea, and skin break out
• Treatments: clomid, estrogen, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), Femara/letrozole, HCG, IUI, IVF Transfer, metformin, progesterone
  
• Intercourse
• Results of Ovulation Prediction Kit (OPK) test, ferning tests, ovulation monitors and Home Pregnancy Test (HPT)

There are only a few days during each cycle when intercourse can result in pregnancy. These days are known as your fertile days and are usually the two days before you ovulate. Research has shown that the maximum number of fertile days per cycle is 6, but you're most likely to conceive during the two days leading up to ovulation and on the day of ovulation.

Each woman's ovulation pattern and cycle is different. Therefore, tracking the signs of ovulation may help you learn your ovulation pattern and increase your chance of pregnancy by timing intercourse.

Primary Ovulation Signs

The two primary signs of ovulation are Basal Body Temperature (BBT) and your cervical mucous. BBT rises after ovulation has occurred and typically remains high. You can also track the viscosity of your cervical mucous. When it becomes eggwhite-like (clear and stretchy), you're most likely about to ovulate. Although cervical mucous can help you predict ovulation before it occurs, many women find it difficult to identify the viscosity accurately.

Secondary Ovulation Signs

Similar to how cervical mucous can indicate fertile days and pending ovulation, the position, texture, and opening of the cervix can also be used to anticipate ovulation. Right after your period, your cervix will likely be low, firm and closed. As you approach ovulation, it'll become high, soft, and open. This indicates that you are most likely fertile and ovulation will occur soon.

Ovulation Detection Methods

Fertility Awareness Method (FAM): Originally associated with the rhythm method and described by the World Health Organization in the 1960s, this method of detecting ovulation is also known as the "three over six" method. Ovulation is detected on the last day of six low temperatures followed by three consistently higher temperatures.

Ovulation Prediction Kit (OPK): This method of detecting ovulation relies on the results of ovulation prediction kits. OPKs are used to detect the presence of Luteinizing Hormone, the same hormone that causes your ovary to release the egg. Therefore, when the OPK test is positive, it is likely that you will ovulate within 24 hours.

Self-Selected: Although the FAM and OPK methods may work for most women, some women who have been testing and charting for a significant amount of time and are experts at interpreting their body's signs of ovulation may prefer to indicate the day they believe they ovulated. Women who self-select must read their own charts and take into account a more comprehensive cervical mucous, cervix position, ovulation pain, and various other symptoms of ovulation to derive their ovulation day.

Women who are not experts at reading their charts can ask for advice from the women in the community who have been charting for a while, if their trackers are public. In order to self-select the day, check the box that says "Ovulation Day".

You can choose your preferred method of ovulation detection through Tracker Settings. You can also choose to display all three or a combination of different methods.

A note of caution: Days post ovulation (DPO) are only displayed on your chart if your methods of ovulation detection pinpoint ovulation on the same day.