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stretch it between your fingers, it’ll break apart. As you get closer to ovulation, this mucus becomes even more copious, but now it’s thinner, clearer, and has a slippery consistency similar to an egg white. If you try to stretch it between your fingers, you’ll be able to pull it into a string a few inches long before it breaks (how’s that for fun in the bathroom?). This is yet another sign of impending ovulation, as well as a sign that it’s time to get out of the bathroom and get busy in the bedroom. Once ovulation occurs, you may either become dry again or develop a thicker discharge. Combined with cervical position (see below) and BBT on asingle chart, cervical mucus can be an extremely useful (if slightly messy) tool in pinpointing the day on which you are most likely to ovulate—and it does so in plenty of time for you to do something about it.
    Get to know your cervix. As your body senses the hormone shifts that indicate an egg is about to be released from the ovary, it begins to ready itself for incoming hordes of sperm to give the egg its best chance of getting fertilized. One detectable sign of oncoming ovulation is the position of the cervix itself. During the beginning of a cycle, your cervix—that necklike passage between your vagina and uterus that has to stretch during birth to accommodate your baby’s head—is low, hard, and closed. But as ovulation approaches, it pulls back up, softens a bit, and opens just a little to let the sperm through on their way to their target. Some women can easily feel these changes, others have a tougher time. If you’re game to try, check your cervix daily, using one or two fingers, and keep a chart of your observations.
    Stay tuned in . If you’re like 20 percent of women, your body will let you know when ovulation is taking place by sending a bulletin in the form of a twinge of pain or a series of cramps in your lower abdominal area (usually localized to one side, the side where you’re ovulating). Called mittelschmerz—German for “middle pain”—this monthly reminder of fertility is thought to be the result of the maturation or release of an egg from an ovary.
    Pee on a stick . Ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) are able to pinpoint your date of ovulation 12 to 24 hours in advance by measuring levels of luteinizing hormone, or LH, which is the last of the hormones to hit its peak before ovulation actually occurs. All you have to do is pee on a stick and wait for the indicator to tell you whether you’re about to ovulate (talk about easy).
    Watch your watch . Another option in the ovulation test arsenal is a device you wear on your wrist that detects the numerous salts (chloride, sodium, potassium) in your sweat, which differ during different times of the month. Called the chloride ion surge, this shift happens even before the estrogen and the LH surge, so these chloride ion tests give a woman a four-day window of when she may be ovulating, versus the 12 to 24-hour window that the standard pee-on-a-stick OPKs provide. The key to success in using this latest technology is to make sure to get an accurate baseline of your ion levels (which means you’ll need to wear the device on your wrist for at least six continuous hours to get a proper baseline).
    Spit a little . Another ovulation predictor is a saliva test, which tests the levels of estrogen in your saliva as ovulation nears. When you’re ovulating, a look at your saliva under the test’s eyepiece will reveal a microscopic pattern that resembles the leaves of a fern plant or frost on a windowpane. Not all women get a good “fern,” but this test, which is reusable, can be cheaper than those pee-on sticks.
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    Cut down on alcohol. Start thinking before drinking. Although a daily drink will not be harmful in your pregnancy-preparation phase, heavy alcohol consumption can interfere with fertility by disrupting your menstrual cycle. Plus, once you’re actively trying to conceive, there’s always the