Patient's question:
Hello doctor:My wife's menstrual period started on September 28th, with a cycle of 28 days. She had her period again on October 26th. According to this, her next period should have arrived on November 23rd. However, it came early on November 19th. I just got married and don't quite understand what's going on. Could you please explain what might be the reason? Also, using this calculation, her ovulation day would be around the date in December. Thank you, doctor.
Doctor's answer:
Currently, the issue is not significant and there is no need to worry. The calculation of ovulation is not absolute and varies from person to person. Under normal circumstances, there is a rise in body temperature. Nowadays, many people are planning to have children on a specific schedule, so they are very concerned about how to calculate ovulation and how to use the basal body temperature method to determine the ovulation day. How should the basal body temperature method be performed correctly?For women with a regular menstrual cycle, the day of ovulation is actually relatively fixed, usually around 14 days before the next menstrual period. For example, if this month's period is on March 5th, the next period might be on April 5th, making the ovulation day around March 20th. For women with irregular menstrual cycles, it may be more difficult to pinpoint the exact day of ovulation. The simplest method is generally to measure the basal body temperature to identify the ovulation date. The correct method for measuring basal body temperature is to wake up in the morning after sleeping without any physical activity, start taking the temperature while still in bed, and use an oral thermometer.
After taking the temperature, record the daily readings on a temperature chart. Continue monitoring until the temperature rises by 0.5 degrees compared to the previous day and remains elevated for three to five days. The day when the temperature rises may indicate the day of ovulation. If you want to conceive during the ovulation period, the best time to have intercourse is one to two days after the temperature rises, as this is when the conception rate is highest.