When Should You Take Fertility Medications?  

According to Toni Weschler, author of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility," many couples wait a year or more before seeking help from a reproductive specialist when trying to have a baby. Learning how to chart your cycles and track your fertility can help you to achieve your dream of parenthood faster, and will allow you to seek help as soon as you notice that you have a fertility problem. 

When using the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning, you must take your waking temperature each day with a basal body thermometer. This is more sensitive than a regular digital or mercury thermometer. Take your temperature orally before getting out of bed or getting a drink, immediately upon awakening, and chart your temperature on a family planning graph or on a fertility awareness website. During the first half of your cycle, with day one being the first day of menstrual bleeding, your temperature will be low, ranging from 95.9 to 97.5. After ovulation, your temperature rises between half a degree and a whole degree. It will remain high until your progesterone level drops, which happens up to one day before you have your next menstrual period. If you experience 18 high temperatures in a row after ovulation, Dr. Weschler states that you are almost certainly pregnant. 

As you near the most fertile days of your cycle, which include several days before ovulation and the day of ovulation, your cervical mucus changes. Once menstrual bleeding stops, on or about cycle day 5, you may experience several days of dry or scant cervical mucus. After this dry period, it will become progressively wetter each day, until you reach your peak fertile phase. During this phase, your cervical mucus will become clear, copious and stretchy, much like raw egg-whites. After you ovulate, cervical mucus usually becomes sticky or dry and will remain that way until you begin menstrual spotting or bleeding. 

Some women will notice that they are not experiencing fertility signs, and will discover that they are not ovulating regularly. If this describes you, it is important to see a reproductive specialist for help. Waiting the recommended year or more before seeking help will only prolong the time that you are trying to conceive in vain; you cannot get pregnant if you are not ovulating. 

When you see your specialist, he may prescribe Clomid, Provera or other drugs that may induce ovulation. Unfortunately, these drugs can be expensive and may or may not be covered under your health plan. You may be able to order them from the leader of Canada pharmacies online. NorthWestPharmacy.com is a cheap Canada online pharmacy that ships to the United States as long as you have a valid prescription. Your insurance may or may not reimburse you for products purchased from a Canada pharmacy, so call to ask before you buy.