Lesson 18

Advanced conception tools to maximize your conception chances

Lesson Objectives:

• Learn how to make the most of FertilityFriend.com's advanced conception tools

• Learn how to maximize your conception chances using FertilityFriend.com or the Fertility Friend App on your mobile device.

FertilityFriend.com was built to help you maximize your conception chances and take control of your trying to conceive journey. Advanced charting features and a variety of tools designed to help you maximize your chances are integrated into the app for this purpose.

Intercourse Timing

Intercourse timing is generally the most important factor affecting your chances of conception each cycle. Getting the timing right can be especially challenging when conception is taking longer than you hoped. Many couples start out the cycle with great enthusiasm and then stop having intercourse too soon, missing the most fertile days. Knowing your fertile time and your ovulation date lets you make the most of your fertile days so you don't miss a chance. And after ovulation has passed, you can forget about baby-making intercourse and just enjoy lovemaking again- or take a break altogether if you need it!

A variety of tools are built into Fertility Friend to help make sure that you make the most of your fertile time.

Fertility Analyzer:
On the days when your current data indicates that you may be fertile, the "Fertility Analyzer" (found beneath your chart/calendar) displays a green light to alert you to your fertility status. It will also display a green light if you may still be fertile based on recent data (for example, even if you entered egg white cervical fluid for the previous day but not the current day, it will display a green light).

Unless you have been advised otherwise by your health care provider, Fertility Friend recommends having intercourse AT LEAST every other day when the Fertility Analyzer displays a green traffic light.

Color Coded Display of Fertility Data:
Your chart data is displayed on your chart in a coded format after you enter your data. When you enter a sign that is considered highly fertile (positive OPK, egg white or watery cervical fluid, high cervix, etc), it is displayed in a green box to alert you to your potentially high fertility status.

Conception Advisor:
The conception advisor (Analysis menu) predicts the start and end dates of your fertile phase based on your cycle statistics or on information that you enter.

Statistics:
Both your chart and fertility calendar make use of your cycle statistics to show when you can expect to be fertile based on past data. Your chart shows a green box on the "stats" line to show when you have ovulated in previous cycles. When ovulation is not yet confirmed, FertilityFriend.com recommends having intercourse on these days and the preceding days to maximize your conception chances.

Your fertility calendar also uses your cycle statistics to predict your future fertile days and your ovulation date. The calendar displays a green dot with an eye in the center for forecasted fertile days and an egg icon with an eye for predicted ovulation days. FertilityFriend.com recommends having intercourse on these days when ovulation is not yet confirmed.

Cycle Planner:
Your cycle planner (found in the "analysis" menu to the left of your chart), which you can view online on your account or download/print as a PDF file, predicts your future fertile days and ovulation dates for up to several months in the future. The cycle planner is great for organizing future events.

After Ovulation

Intercourse Timing Analyzer:
The Intercourse Timing Analyzer ("analysis" menu) displays your intercourse pattern using colored dots after ovulation has been detected. This offers an easy way to visualize and assess your intercourse timing in the fertile window. It will also rate your intercourse timing and frequency and display a value (Low, Good, High) relating to the probability of conception of your specific pattern.

The intercourse timing analyzer can help you see whether or not you have a good chance to be pregnant in any given cycle. You can also view several cycles at a time to see how well intercourse has been timed over many cycles. This information can help you decide when or whether on not you should seek medical help.

If you have several cycles charted with well-timed intercourse and no pregnancy, it may be advisable to speak to your health care provider. If you see that you have not been timing intercourse in your most fertile time, then it may be premature to seek medical help.

This lesson provided an overview of some of the conception tools on FertilityFriend.com. To fully appreciate how they work, explore them on your own on your own account with your own data.

Next Lesson: Keeping Track, Staying in Charge and Managing your Cycles