It is important to understand when it is time to ask your doctor to begin to run basic testing, at the very least to rule out the obvious like ensuring the Fallopian tubes are clear via HSG (hystero – uterus, salpingo – tubes, gram – image), and whether there is any sperm being ejaculated. Once these two tests are done, at least you can take a breath and move forward knowing that sperm is present and that it can get to the egg. A Chinese medicine treatment plan, when committed for enough time, can make many changes in your life, overall health, and fertility potential. However, blocked tubes and no semen are two conditions that will require western medical intervention.
The other extremely important aspect of your biology to understand is ovulation. The body gives quite clear signs that this event is most likely taking place, even though the only true measure of ovulation is pregnancy! Simply put, approx 10-16 days before the onset of menstrual bleeding, a woman's cervix (opening to uterus) will open to allow sperm through. When this happens it produces a translucent slippery and stretchy fluid which is an ideal medium for sperm to swim in, it changes the Ph of the vagina, and it contains nutrition for the sperm to sustain them on their long journey toward the Fallopian tube, where they court the egg.
At the same time, the cervix softens and retracts higher into the vagina, making sex much more comfortable by accommodating the full erect penis. Not so surprisingly, these are the 3-5 days of a woman’s cycle where her libido rises, and some say you can see it in the woman’s spirit, by the way she walks, and how she dresses (although to my knowledge, this has not been proven!) !
From a chemical perspective, a hormone called Luteinizing Hormone (LH) surges approx 12-36 hours before the ovary releases the egg and this can be measured by ovulation strips. Ovulation strips are very similar to a pregnancy test whereas they are a urine to determine presence of a certain hormone. Note: when purchasing these tests please look further than your local drugstore, as the price of ovulation test strips here is almost unbelievably high. There are cheaper sources. At Yinstill we sell them at a much reduced rate as we buy in bulk.
Lastly, if you are using basal body temperature charting you should be able to see ovulation (the dip before the temperature rise approx midway through your cycle) happen in the 12-36 hours after your LH ovulation surge, coincidently your ‘fertile’ cervical fluid will dry up, cervix closes, and the hope for implantation begins.
