If you're trying to get pregnant, it's helpful to know exactly when you ovulate so you can time sex…

If you're trying to get pregnant, it's helpful to know exactly when you ovulate so you can time sex accordingly. Many women have had success using ovulation predictor kits, which are handy because they tip you off before you ovulate. Others prefer to track their ovulation cycle by charting their basal body temperature (BBT) and monitoring their cervical mucus (CM).

What is cervical mucus?

There are many different types of vaginal discharge, one of which is cervical mucus. Over the course of your menstrual cycle, the amount, color, and texture of your cervical mucus will change, thanks to fluctuating hormone levels. Checking your cervical mucus and keeping track of these changes can help you figure out when you're ovulating.

Here's what to expect throughout your cycle: Beginning with your period, you'll of course have menstrual blood. When your period is over, you'll most likely be dry for several days. After that, you'll start to have cloudy mucus that's roughly the consistency of sticky rice. You're not very likely to conceive on any of these days.

A few days before ovulation, the mucus will become clear and slippery, very much like raw egg white, and you'll have more of it. This type of mucus means it's baby-making time as its clear, slippery quality makes it easier for the sperm to travel to the egg. The last day you see this egg-white consistency is the day that you're most fertile – usually the day before ovulation or the day of ovulation.

A good time to check your cervical mucus is when you first go to the bathroom in the morning. (If you're also taking your basal body temperature, be sure to do that first, before you get out of bed.)

Some women have enough cervical mucus discharge that they can check it by looking at the toilet paper after they wipe. Others need to collect some mucus with their finger. While sitting on the toilet, simply insert a clean index or middle finger into your vagina and reach toward your cervix. Get some of the liquid on your finger, if you can, so you can examine it.

What is basal body temperature?

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period. To get an accurate reading, you must take your temperature when you first wake up in the morning, before you even sit up in bed.  And you'll need to use a basal thermometer, which is sensitive enough to measure minute changes in body temperature. Try to wake up and take a reading at about the same time each morning.

What is basal body temperature?

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period. To get an accurate reading, you must take your temperature when you first wake up in the morning, before you even sit up in bed.  And you'll need to use a basal thermometer, which is sensitive enough to measure minute changes in body temperature. Try to wake up and take a reading at about the same time each morning.

Basal thermometers are available at most drugstores and usually come with a chart for recording your temperature each day. BabyCenter also has a blank chart you can print out, along with step-by-step instructions on how to use it and a prefilled sample chart. You'll probably want a few copies of the blank chart because it will take a few cycles to figure out your ovulation pattern. (There are also apps you can use.)