Can an Ovulation Calendar for Irregular Periods Work?

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Women who suffer from irregular periods can have a harder time than usual trying to conceive. Because many women use ovulation calendars to determine their fertile days, women with irregular periods may find this method less effective because it’s designed for women with regular cycles that last 28 to 32 days.

Using an Ovulation Calendar for Irregular Periods
While a calendar won’t be as effective for irregular periods, it can still help you track ovulation and determine your fertile days. Start by tracking your cycles for at least six months by circling the first day of your period on the calendar. After six months, look at the number of days between the start of each period. Using the shortest cycle, subtract 18 days. If your shortest cycle was 27 days, subtract 18 to get the number 9. Now, look for the longest time between periods and subtract 11 from this number. If your longest interval was 32, you’ll get the number 21. These two numbers will tell you the fertile days of each cycle. In this example, days 9 and 20 are when ovulation should occur.

Is an Ovulation Calendar Effective with Irregular Periods?
If you have irregular periods, your ovulation and fertile periods will probably be longer. Most women who suffer from irregular periods also combine the ovulation calendar method with an ovulation kit, which looks for lutein hormones in your urine. You can also look for changes in mucus discharge and fluctuations in your basal temperature to help improve the chances of conception.