Congratulations on your decision to start a family, and welcome to the beginning of the journey that brings you to parenthood! Conception can get complicated quickly, but we’re here to simplify the process.
This step-by-step guide to getting pregnant, written by Dr. Patti Haebe, a results-obsessed naturopathic doctor and one of Premom’s fertility specialists, walks you through everything you need to know about using the Premom ovulation tracking app and getting pregnant quickly, easily, and naturally.
Getting Started with the Premom App
When you decide to have a baby and start trying to conceive, the first thing you should do is download the FREE Premom ovulation tracker app available for Android and iOS devices.
Premom helps you track your periods as well as:
- Take and upload pictures of your ovulation tests
- Automatically sync your basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer readings
- Enter your cervical mucus descriptions
- Track your mood and weight gain
- Track intercourse and your fertile window
- Book virtual fertility consultations with our experts
- Get in-app discounts on Premom cycle tracking products
Next, sign up for Premom’s Free 9-Cycle Money-Back Guarantee. After signing up, if you are unable to conceive in 9 valid cycles, you’ll get a full refund for any Premom or Easy@Home ovulation and pregnancy tests and/or Easy@Home basal body temperature thermometers. And, if you aren’t pregnant after 6 valid cycles, you’ll receive a free virtual consultation with one of our fertility experts.
Start Tracking Ovulation
In order to accurately track ovulation, you’ll need ovulation predictor kits (ovulation tests) and a basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer. With the Premom app installed on your mobile device, take advantage of great in-app discounts on Premom cycle tracking products.
We recommend starting with:
Once you receive your ovulation tests and basal body temperature thermometer, start tracking ovulation!
Ovulation Tests
Ovulation tests (Luteinizing Hormone Strips) analyze levels of luteinizing hormone. Once LH reaches a certain threshold, it triggers the release of an egg, also known as ovulation. LH levels start to increase 1-5 days before ovulation occurs on ovulation day.
Testing for ovulation takes just a few minutes a day. The tests are easy to use, the results are easy to read, and when you enter your results into the Premom app, you can reference anytime to predict your ovulation.
Basal Body Temperature
Basal body temperature (BBT) is another way to identify when you are ovulating in future cycles as well as confirm ovulation for the current cycle. It is typically lower the first half of your cycle (follicular phase), then after ovulation, it raises at least 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the past 6 days of lower temperatures.
This is how the Premom app learns about your cycle and uses data you input to predict your fertile window in subsequent cycles to help you get pregnant.
Start Tracking Intercourse and Your Symptoms
While trying to conceive, you can use the Premom app to track your period and any symptoms you are experiencing. We recommend logging when you engage in intercourse so you are able to visualize if you appropriately timed it during your fertile window. Keep in mind, the first day of bleeding is considered the first day of your cycle, referred to as cycle day 1 (CD1).
Tracking Your First Cycle #1
You are all set for your journey to get pregnant! Now, it’s time to put everything into practice. The most important things to do next are to:
- Identify your ovulation day
- Have intercourse during your fertile window
The best way to predict ovulation is to use your ovulation tests.
Since ovulation tests give you an indicator of ovulation before you actually ovulate, you’ll be able to time intercourse appropriately before the egg is released from your ovary.
How to use Ovulation Tests
Start using Easy@Home or Premom ovulation tests around day five of your cycle, right after your period ends, and look for the progressive darkening of the test/control line. Remember, when you use Premom or Easy@Home products you ensure quality and affordability, and maintain eligibility for the 9-Cycle Money-Back Guarantee.
Each day, take a sample of your afternoon urine:
- Dip the strip until you see the dye begin to rise into the test window.
- Lay it on a flat, white surface and wait 3-5 minutes or until any excess red dye has finished clearing the testing window.
- Open the Premom app and use the automatic camera feature to take a picture of the test strip.
- Premom’s smart technology automatically adds a numerical value to the strip and plots the value accordingly in your cycle chart so you can easily see your luteinizing hormone (LH) progression.
When the test line reaches its darkest level, also referred to as your “LH peak day”, it’s highly likely you will ovulate in the next 24-36 hours.
After your LH peak, you’ll notice the lines get lighter each day as your fertile window closes.
The more ovulation tests you enter, the more Premom learns about your cycle. This leads to a more accurate prediction of your fertile window in future cycles and the ability to better time intercourse to maximize your chances of pregnancy.
Timing Intercourse When Trying to Conceive
Using ovulation tests is the best way to know when to have intercourse to get pregnant. When using ovulation tests with Premom, you’ll easily identify your LH peak and fertile window, which allows you to predict when ovulation will occur. Your fertile window, indicated by lavender and purple shading in your calendar and chart, helps you time intercourse appropriately.
Research has shown that the best way to get pregnant is to have intercourse at least every other day during your fertile window while targeting both LH peak day and ovulation day.
How to Use a Basal Body Temperature Thermometer
We encourage you to use ovulation tests to predict your ovulation and utilize basal body temperature (BBT) tracking to confirm ovulation occurred. Tracking your BBT is easy! It takes just 1-2 minutes each morning, immediately upon waking after at least 3 hours of consecutive sleep, to take your temperature and record the data into your Premom app.
The app converts your data into a graphic representation so you can see temperature fluctuations. Premom even inserts something called a “coverline” onto your cycle chart so you can visually separate the post-ovulatory high temperatures from the pre-ovulatory low temperatures.
Research has shown that the follicular phase (the first half of the menstrual cycle) can vary drastically from woman to woman, but the luteal phase (the second half of the menstrual cycle) has a typical length of 11-17 days. When you add your BBT readings to the app, Premom’s technology uses your BBT spike to identify the date your ovulation likely occurred and when your fertile window will be in your next cycle.
Tracking Menstrual Cycle #2
A woman’s fecundability — the likelihood of conceiving in one menstrual cycle — is dependent on age and is approximately 20-25% per cycle. It’s important to keep this statistic in mind as it reminds us that it can take months of consistency to successfully conceive. In the meantime, it’s vital to confirm ovulation is happening.
Confirm You are Ovulating
This cycle is the perfect time to confirm ovulation. While an LH peak is a good predictive indicator that ovulation will occur, tracking your basal body temperature (BBT) can confirm that you did ovulate and that there is plenty of progesterone hormone present to support a potential pregnancy. Confirming ovulation is critical because it is possible to get anLH peak without actually ovulating.
Confirm Ovulation with BBT
Basal body temperature (BBT) is your body’s temperature at complete rest. The hormone progesterone, released from the corpus luteum after ovulation, has a thermal effect that raises your total basal body temperature when it is present in high amounts. This is how ovulation can be detected on a BBT chart 1-3 days before a BBT spike.
- Your body’s basal body temperature will spike 0.5-1ºF within 1-3 days after you ovulate.
- It will remain elevated throughout pregnancy or until your next period.
With successful ovulation, expect to see lower temperatures in the first half of your cycle and higher temperatures in the second half of your cycle.
A “coverline” is drawn on your Premom chart directly above the last low temperature before your BBT spike. This separates lower pre-ovulatory temperatures from higher post-ovulatory temperatures so the BBT spike is easily observed. This is what makes BBT an affordable and effective means of confirming ovulation at home!
How to Measure BBT
BBT tracking is different from other fertility testing methods because it relies on consistency. The more consistent you are, the more quickly you learn about your body, understand your fertile window, and get pregnant.
To ensure an accurate BBT measurement:
- Get at least three hours of undisrupted sleep.
- Measure your BBT immediately upon waking before getting up, talking, drinking, etc.
- Record your temperature around the same time each morning.
Now, you might be wondering, “Do I need a BBT thermometer? Can I just use a regular thermometer?” And the answers are yes and no, respectively. If you’re trying to get pregnant, you need a BBT thermometer, as it extends an extra decimal place, allowing for more precise temperature readings.
Premom offers a Smart Bluetooth Basal Thermometer that automatically charts your temperatures in your Premom app to increase accuracy and ease.
If you have been testing for a while and are seeing inconsistent patterns with ovulation tests, irregular cycles, or no BBT spike, it may be time to dig deeper with a fertility specialist. You can easily book a virtual consultation through the Premom app.
Tracking Menstrual Cycle #3
After tracking your fertility data for two cycles, you’re likely familiar and comfortable with using predictive tools, like ovulation testing and cervical mucus observation, as well as confirmatory tools, like BBT testing.
And now that you have data to review, you may also find yourself at a crossroads if:
- Your menstrual cycles are irregular.
- You see inconsistent patterns with ovulation testing.
- Your LH surge or BBT spike is missing.
Assessing Fertility Issues
One of the benefits of consistently tracking is the ability to see patterns or irregularities and identify potential factors affecting fertility.
Your results might reveal infertility risks such as:
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
PCOS is a common endocrine disorder that tends to present itself with irregular cycles, excess body hair growth, acne, and elevated insulin levels.
If you suspect that this may be a fertility issue for you, consider working with a fertility expert or scheduling an appointment with your primary care physician. They’ll likely run some blood tests and check for cystic ovaries with an ultrasound.
Luteal Phase Defect
If there are less than 10 days between the day you ovulate and when your period begins, you could be experiencing a luteal phase defect. With a short luteal phase a fertilized egg may not be able to fully implant into your uterus before your body begins sloughing the endometrium during your next period.
The luteal phase should typically last 11-17 days. If the second half of your cycle is shorter than this, it warrants a bit more investigation. Consider working with a Premom fertility expert to troubleshoot any errors while trying to conceive, or talk to your healthcare provider to identify the cause of your short cycles.
Missing LH Surge
Some women experience a gradual rise in luteinizing hormone (LH) over the course of 1-5 days, while other women experience a rapid LH surge that spikes in a matter of hours.
If you can’t seem to catch your LH surge, begin testing your ovulation two times each day to try and catch a rapid LH surge. Test your LH once in the morning and again in the afternoon for at least one full cycle.
You may also consider switching to Premom quantitative ovulation tests as these result in a numerical value of LH present in the urine as opposed to a test/control (T/C) ratio. . The most accurate results are received when LH is tested between 10:00 am and 8:00 pm, and water intake near your testing time is kept consistent.
Book a Virtual Fertility Consultation
If you’re feeling stuck in your conception process, know that you’re not alone. It may be time to consider scheduling a virtual consultation through the Premom app so you can speak with one of our fertility experts and work to optimize your chances of conceiving naturally.
Premom pregnancy advisors come from all different backgrounds and you can choose from certified Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) specialists, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, medical doctors, naturopathic doctors and midwives.
A virtual fertility consultation may be just what you need if you are:
- Wondering why you still aren’t pregnant.
- Curious if you are tracking your BBT, luteinizing hormone (LH), and cervical mucus (CM) correctly.
- Confused by your irregular cycles.
- Trying to figure out what the next steps in your fertility journey should be.
- Unsure about your intercourse timing.
A visit with a pregnancy advisor or FAM instructor can provide fundamental insight into your chart. You can discuss your BBT, ovulation test strips, and cervical mucus observations and receive help identifying issues in intercourse timing, when and how you take your BBT, or how you are using ovulation tests.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/fecundability Gras RML. Health and gender perspective in Infertility. In: Elsevier EBooks. ; 2017:363-400. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803864-2.00013-4
- Gibbons T, Reavey J, Georgiou EX, Becker CM. Timed intercourse for couples trying to conceive. The Cochrane Library. 2023;2023(9). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011345.pub3
- Steward K, Raja A. Physiology, Ovulation And Basal Body Temperature. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; July 17, 2023.
- Itriyeva K. The normal menstrual cycle. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care. 2022;52(5):101183. doi:10.1016/j.cppeds.2022.101183
