Using Your Ovulation Fertility Calendar

Your ovulation fertility calendar is important in documenting the intricate choreography of ovulation. I liken this process to a well choregraphed dance, as there are various simultaneous processes going on during ovulation.

To see an overview of definitions for the TCM and fertility terms used, please visit the TCM and Fertility definition page.

In viewing the ovulation fertility calendar or fertility chart from a Chinese medicine perspective, the choreography of cervical mucus and temperature fluctuation tell us a great deal about process leading up to ovulation. With these 2 signs regularly charted, we can start to see the choreography of yin and yang, which can represent the intricate interaction of FSH (follicle stimulatin hormone), estrogen, LH (luteinizing hormone) and progesterone.

When there are steady temperatures and abundant EWCM (egg white cervical mucus) prior to ovulation, this indicates adequate circulation of yin in the body. With a strong foundation of yin laid out in the follicular phase, ovulation has a firm base from which to launch. An well choreographed ovulation is when copious, egg white cervical mucus (yin) is immediately followed by a strong surge in temperatures (yang). In Chinese medicine, phase 3 is the transition from yin to yang.

On your chart, phase 3 or the ovulation phase is the transition between the follicular phase and the luteal phase. This is where the biphasic nature of the chart is determined. In a Fahrenheit chart, a strong surge would be represented by a 1°F increase in a day. In a Celsius chart, a strong surge would be represented by a .4-.5°C increase in a day.

The choreography of ovulation is off when there isn't copious egg white cervical mucus, there is a delay between EWCM and the temperature surge, the temperature surge is incomplete, or the temperature stair steps upward over a number of days.

I believe that many fertility problems that can't be diagnosed with blood tests occur during this integral phase. The delicate dance of hormones or in Chinese medicine, the interplay of yin and yang determines the timing and the efficiency of ovulation. OPKs (ovulation predictor kits) only tell part of the ovulation story and when there is a problem with choreography, OPKs alone aren't helpful, as they only detect the surge in LH (luteinizing hormone). Also, ovulation stimulatory drugs can be overwhelming to the system, when the problem is just choreography, not anovulation.