Patient's question:
Hello! My last menstrual period was on November 24th. I have always wanted to have a baby, so I had intercourse on December 8th and 10th this month, hoping to conceive. But why did my period come on December 19th?I would like to ask the doctor if it’s possible that we didn’t conceive during the days we had intercourse. Is that right?
Doctor's answer:
Hello: Your situation is that you are not pregnant! The calculation of ovulation is not absolute; it varies from person to person. Under normal circumstances, there is a rise in body temperature. Nowadays, many people plan 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 this basal body temperature method be done 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 period starts on March 5th, the next period might be expected around April 5th, making the ovulation day likely 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 take your temperature every morning immediately after waking up without any physical activity, preferably using an oral thermometer.
After taking the temperature, record it on a basal body temperature chart. Continue monitoring until your temperature rises by 0.5 degrees compared to the previous day and remains elevated for three to five days. The day when your temperature rises is likely 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 rise, as this is when the conception rate is highest.