As a busy mom who always recommends tracking personal menstruel cycle I realized I hadn't in a very long time! I used to be able to tell you the hour I would start my cycle....gone are those days with three boys and a full time job. But recently I started up again with a pen and calander next to my toilet. I track everything from food cravings, bloating, acne, loss of patience, to actual start and stop of cycle. For natural family planning this can be a quick and easy way to track your mucous and temps as well. Below is from an article I read and though I would share. Found it all to be quite empowering to really know what my body was doing and even to be able to anticipate so I could start prevented therapies.....especially for my moods:)!
When your doctor asks you for the first day of your last period, are you someone who can tick the date off without thinking, or are you like most women who stare blankly at the doctor’s calendar, guesstimating the date?
If you’re in the second group, you probably aren’t tracking your menstrual cycles on a regular basis. But keeping a menstrual calendar can be helpful for most women, even those not thinking about pregnancy.
Keeping a Record of Your Periods
Tracking your menstrual cycle simply means keeping a record of when you’re menstruating and other information related to your cycle. The best way to get started is to begin with a regular planner or calendar, says Marjan Attaran, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
"I tell patients the best way to keep track of menstruation is to mark the first day of the period on a calendar,” Dr. Attaran says. “At the time of their gynecology appointment they can then count from the beginning of the one period to the next to figure out their cycle lengths.”
Your gynecologist can help you figure out the length of your menstrual cycle so you can keep a menstrual calendar. For most women, the average menstrual cycle is 28 days, though it can range from 21 to 35 days in adult women and still be considered “normal.”
Tracking Your Menstruation:
How It Helps Your Reproductive Health
Knowing your cycle length can be helpful for many reasons. For women who are trying to conceive, or for women who are trying to avoid pregnancy, understanding the rhythm of their menstruation can help.
For women trying to avoid pregnancy who have very regular cycles, the calendar rhythm method can be an effective means of birth control, says Attaran.
“The calendar rhythm method has been used for generations for family planning purposes,” she says. “In someone who is highly motivated and has regular cycles, this method may be helpful to try to avoid pregnancy.” Attaran notes, however, that it does have a high failure rate for many different reasons, including that it can be rather complicated to figure out exactly what days to avoid sexual intercourse. She also adds, "This method will definitely not work for people who have irregular periods."
“The goal of keeping track of your periods is to determine the length of the menstrual cycle and extrapolate the probable timing of ovulation,” Attaran says. In order to avoid pregnancy, you can abstain from intercourse for several days prior to ovulation and a few days afterwards, she says. Because it is difficult to know exactly when you ovulate, it is best to use an additional type of birth control to prevent pregnancy.
If you’re trying to get pregnant, understanding the timing of your cycle can be critical, as well. Because ovulation generally occurs 14 days before the start of your period, it’s important to know what day your period is supposed to begin.
Helpful Tools for Tracking Your Periods
There are many tools available to help you in keeping a menstrual calendar. Online, you can try resources such as:
My Monthly Cycles BabyCenter’s Ovulation Calendar For your mobile phone, there are applications including:
Fertility Friend, an iPhone application iMensies, also for iPhone or iPod Touch LadyTimer, which sends text alerts regarding your cycle to your cell phone You can also go with less technologically advanced methods, like marking a calendar on the first day of your period, or wearing a bracelet with beads that you can move according to where you are in your cycle.
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