Can I predict when my next period will begin?
Yes, if you know when you ovulate, you can predict when your next period will begin. However, your menstrual cycle is as unique as you are. So how can you know when ovulation has occurred? A woman’s fertility is cyclical by nature. Normally, how long it takes for the woman’s body to prepare itself for ovulation varies, but the time interval following ovulation remains essentially the same. Therefore you can use the STM to recognize the signs that ovulation has occurred.
The STM consists of observing the symptoms of the hormonal changes that occur during a woman's cycle. She learns to recognize the gradual changes in the cervical mucus from scant, sticky, and opaque, to abundant, slippery, and transparent, as ovulation approaches. After ovulation, there is an abrupt change to little to no visible mucus. There is also a corresponding change in the basal body temperature, which is taken in the morning. After ovulation a shift occurs from a low phase to a higher phase. For each woman, the number of days in the high temperature phase remains constant. The length of the high phase is about 10 to 14 days, and ends when menstruation resumes. Once a woman has established the length of her usual high phase, she can predict within a day when her next menstruation will start.As well, for most women, a drop in the morning temperature (at the end of the higher level) provides advance warning that menstruation will begin on either the same day or the following day. A day or two before menstruation, she may find opaque mucus at the vulva.
Learning to be aware of your body’s fertility signs, accompanied by the habit of taking your temperature, will help you to identify when you ovulate. When you gain a familiarity with the pattern of your cycles, you can accurately predict and prepare for your periods.