Being aware of your menstrual cycle and the changes in your body that happen during this time can be key to helping you plan a pregnancy, or avoid pregnancy. During the menstrual cycle (average 28 days), there are two parts: before ovulation and after ovulation.

Day 1 starts with the first day of your period. Usually by Day 7, a woman's eggs prepare to be fertilized by sperm. Between Day 7 and 11, the lining of the uterus begins thickening, waiting for a fertilized egg to implant there. Around Day 14 , hormones cause the egg that is most ripe to be released, a process called ovulation. The egg travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. If a sperm unites with the egg here, the egg will attach to the lining of the uterus, and pregnancy occurs.

If the egg is not fertilized, it will break apart. Around Day 25 when hormone levels drop, it will be shed from the body with the lining of the uterus as a menstrual period.

The first part of the menstrual cycle is different in every woman, varying from 13 to 20 days long. This is the most important part of the cycle to learn about, since this is when ovulation and pregnancy occurs. After ovulation, every woman (unless she has a health problem that affects her periods) will have a period within 14 to 16 days.

Charting Your Fertility Pattern

Knowing when you're most fertile will help you plan for your pregnancy. There are three ways you can keep track of your fertile times.

They are:

Tracking Basal body temperature - Basal body temperature (BBT) is your temperature at rest as soon as you awake in the morning. A woman's BBT rises slightly with ovulation. So by recording this temperature daily for several months you'll be able to predict your most fertile days.

BBT differs slightly from woman to woman. Anywhere from 96 to 98 degrees is average before ovulation. After ovulation most women have a temperature between 97 and 99 degrees. The rise in temperature can be a sudden jump or a gradual climb over a few days.

Usually a woman's basal body temperature rises by only 0.4 to 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit. To detect this tiny change, women must use a basal body thermometer. These thermometers are very sensitive. Most pharmacies sell them for around $10. You then record your temperature on a special chart.

The rise in temperature doesn't show exactly when the egg is released. But almost all women have ovulated within three days after their temperatures spike. Body temperature stays at the higher level until your period starts.

You are most fertile and most likely to get pregnant:

- two to three days before your temperature hits the highest point (ovulation), and - 12 to 24 hours after ovulation.

A man's sperm can live for up to three days in a woman's body. The sperm can fertilize an egg at any point during that time. So if you make love a few days before ovulation you are likely to conceive. Many things can affect BBT. To get the most accurate chart you should take your temperature every morning at about the same time.

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