DelSol409

Congrats on TTC - my hubby and I have officially started just trying for #1 too. As far the start and end of you cycle the typically start of your cycle is the first day of your period (this is known as cycle day 1 or CD1) the end of your cycle is the day before your period starts (known a cycle day XX or CDXX - where XX is the number of days your cycle is). The average cycle length is 28 days and that is what most calendars/calculators go on. Many women are on a 28 day cycle and many are not.

Other ways to measure your fertility and estimating when you ovulate is to measure your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) and keep track of you Cervical Mucus (CM). BBT is measured by taking your temperature each day when you first wake up (and before you have done anything else) - preferably you do it the same time everyday for best results. Around the time you ovulate, your temperature will start to rise -and stay elevated until just before your period starts (if it doesn't and your period is late - that can be a good indication your pregnant). CM has a typical cycle in women as well before, during and after Ovulation. Typically it starts of sticky, then gets sort of cremey and as you get closer to ovulation, it will typically get watery. Then when you ovulate it often gets thick and looks a lot like egg-whites. The watery CM is considered furtile and the e***hite CM is considered your most fertile CM. The fluid changes to this consistancy to be a better enviroment for the sperm to be in and hopefully meet with the egg. Of course every women varies - so tracking and noting your typcial patterns will help you discover when you may be ovulating.

There are also ovulation predictor kits and monitors, but they can get expensive. There are also scopes you can use to check your salava (it will fern as you approach ovulation and the ferning increases when you ovulate). They cost less than the electric monitors and can be reused, so they are a more cost effect predictor device.

Hope this information helps. Good luck!