| Anovulation, anovulatory cycle: A cycle where ovulation doesn't occur. An anovulatory cycle may happen to you at any time due to a variety of factors: stress, exercise, weight changes, travel, illness, recent birth control use, etc. Anovulation is not necessarily a cause for concern, but if it happens frequently, you should contact your healthcare provider. Bring copies of your charts and reports along with you on your next appointment as this information can help them in diagnosing and correcting the problem. Refer to Chapter 7 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for more information on potential causes of anovulatory cycles, pages 103-114 (in the First Edition, please refer to pages 94-102). Back to Top 
Basic Infertile Pattern: While most women experience dry cervical fluid and vaginal sensations when they are in the early, low fertility phase of their cycle, some women have sticky cervical fluid and/or moist vaginal sensations during this time. The Basic Infertile Pattern describes your own pattern of cervical fluid and vaginal sensations when you are in the pre-ovulatory low fertility phase. For example, for a woman with a "dry" Basic Infertile Pattern, any day of cervical fluid which is sticky, creamy or like raw eggwhite would be considered fertile; for a woman with a "sticky" Basic Infertile Pattern, any day with creamy or eggwhite-like cervical fluid would be considered fertile and any day that had sticky cervical fluid would be considered of low fertility/infertile. Ovusoft lets you specify your own patterns within the Preferences window under the Cervical Fluid tab, as this determines how it analyzes when your fertile phase begins if using the Dry Day Rule. You may also specify your Most Fertile Pattern within Preferences, if yours are different than the norm. Refer to pages 128-129 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for more information on your Basic Infertile Pattern (in the First Edition, please refer to pages 116-117). Back to Top
Corpus luteum: Literally meaning "yellow body," the corpus luteum describes the ruptured follicle after ovulation has occurred. The follicle which once held the ovum is now referred to as the corpus luteum; its role in your cycle is to secrete progesterone long enough for implantation to take place. If implantation of a fertilized egg is successful, the implanted zygote will begin secreting hCG, a hormone which instructs the corpus luteum to continue secreting progesterone until a placenta can be formed. If implantation does not occur, then the corpus luteum will degenerate in about 12 to 16 days -- this "lifetime" of the corpus luteum is consistent with the time of your cycle known as the luteal phase. Refer to page 47 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for more information on the role of the corpus luteum in your fertility cycle. Back to Top
Coverline: A line drawn 0.1° F / 0.05° C above the highest of the previous six temperatures on a fertility chart. When three successive temperatures are above this line, a thermal shift is identified and there's a good chance that ovulation has already occurred. Note that a Normal setting for the Ovusoft rule interpretation option within the Calculation tab of Preferences window will permit you to have as little as four temperatures when calculating a coverline (but will use six if they are available). A Strict setting requires six temperatures. Ovusoft automatically draws a coverline for you on your Chart when you have enough data to do so. The coverline may change as you cycle progresses. Refer to page 77 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for more information on how a coverline is drawn (in the First Edition, please refer to page 73). Back to Top
Disturbance: A temperature observation that has been potentially invalidated by early or late rising, sickness, physical exertion, hangover, etc. Disturbances appear on the Chart with a red "X" superimposed over the temperature. Disturbances are different from temperatures invalidated by the Rule of Thumb, which is generally reserved for outlying temperatures that have no apparent basis for being outside of the norm. Disturbances, on the other hand, have obvious reasons for being outside the norm. Note that Ovusoft will automatically adjust any temperature disturbed by early or late rising to what it might have been had it been taken at the normal time, as long as the observation occurs within 90 minutes of the normal time. There are a number of options determining how disturbances are corrected and may be adjusted using the Temperature tab of the Preferences window. Back to Top
Dominant follicle: Under the influence of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), a dozen or more follicles in the ovaries "compete" to become the ovum for the current cycle Out of all of the follicles, one becomes dominant and overtakes the rest in its development, the others disintegrate. The dominant follicle plays a key role in the estrogen cycle, which in turn causes luteinizing hormone to be secreted. It is high levels of luteinizing hormone which eventually triggers ovulation. Refer to page 46 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for more information on the role of the dominant follicle in your fertility cycle. Back to Top
Dry Day Rule: The Dry Day Rule states that your fertile phase begins on the first day where you observe cervical fluid with more fertile qualities than your Basic Infertile Pattern. Its referred to as the "Dry Day Rule" because for most women, their Basic Infertile Pattern is "dry" and the appearance of cervical fluid normally indicates a return of higher fertility. There are a number of options with respect to this rule that you may set within the Cervical Fluid tab of the Preferences window. For example, if you record cervical fluid with more fertile characteristics than your Basic Infertile Pattern and Ovusoft determines that you are not likely to be fertile based on an analysis of your prior cycles, an option is provided that will allow you to override the start of the fertile phase and remain in the low fertility phase of your cycle. Note that you must have your Ovusoft rule interpretation option set to Normal on the Calculations tab of the Preferences window for this option to be applied. Refer to pages 126-129 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for more information about the Dry Day Rule (in the First Edition, refer to pages 114-117). Back to Top
Endometrium: The lining of your uterus which builds up during each cycle in anticipation of implantation of a fertilized egg. The endometrium grows thicker during the pre-ovulatory and ovulatory phases of your cycle and is maintained during the luteal phase by the release of progesterone by the corpus luteum. When implantation does occur, the endometrium provides the developing zygote with nutrients and protection until a placenta can be formed. When implantation does not occur, progesterone production stops within 12-16 days of ovulation and the endometrium is shed in the process of menstruation. Refer to pages 50-51 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for more information on the role of the endometrium during conception. Back to Top
Estrogen: The hormone produced by developing follicles in the ovaries which has the single greatest influence on your fertility cycle. As greater quantities of estrogen are secreted by the developing follicles and eventually by the dominant follicle, your body responds by secreting more and more cervical fluid with ever more fertile qualities. Cervical fluid is necessary for conception as it provides a medium for sperm to reach the ovum and provides nutrients to them on their journey. Your cervix also responds to the influence of estrogen, becoming softer, higher in position, open and wet ("SHOW") as fertility increases. At its highest levels, estrogen causes luteinizing hormone to be released, which in turn triggers ovulation. When estrogen levels drop after ovulation, your cervical fluid dries up quickly and your cervix becomes firm, lower, closed and dry. Refer to pages 46-47 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for more information on the role of the estrogen in your fertility cycle. Back to Top
Fallopian tubes: The two tubes that connect each ovary to the uterus. When ovulation occurs, an ovum from one of the ovaries is released and swept up by cilia and drawn into the fallopian tube. When fertilization of an ovum by a single sperm takes place, it normally happens in the fallopian tube. Refer to page 50 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for more information on conception and the fallopian tubes. Back to Top
Follicle: The small fluid-filled sac containing the ovum which is to be released during ovulation. Under the influence of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), many follicles compete for ovulation in each cycle, releasing ever larger quantities of estrogen. One usually emerges as the dominant follicle (when more than one becomes dominant, two eggs may be released and fraternal twins may result should they both be fertilized and successfully implant). After ovulation, the dominant follicle becomes the corpus luteum and takes on a new role in your fertility cycle -- maintaining the thickness of the endometrium in anticipation of implantation by a fertilized ovum. Refer to page 46 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for more information on the role of follicles in your fertility cycle. Back to Top
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH): The hormone produced by your pituitary gland that stimulates the development of a single ovum from multiple follicles in the ovaries, which also causes the production of high quantities of estrogen, another important hormone in your fertility cycle. Refer to page 46 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for more information on the role of FSH in your fertility cycle. Back to Top
Follicular phase: The early portion of your cycle preceding ovulation, it takes its name from the fact that this phase is when multiple follicles are competing to become the dominant follicle and subsequently, the ovum to be released. This phase of your cycle has the greatest variability in length compared to the luteal phase. The luteal phase is the post-ovulatory portion of your cycle and its length has little variance from cycle to cycle. Refer to pages 359-360 in the appendix of Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for a detailed description of the events that take place during the follicular phase (in the First Edition, refer to pages 320-321). Back to Top
Gamete: A single celled organism containing half the normal number of chromosomes of its parent species, it is the scientific term which describes both an individual sperm and an individual egg (the egg contains half the chromosomes of the mother, the sperm contains half the chromosomes of the father). When two gametes participate in fertilization, the resulting zygote contains a full complement of chromosomes of the parent species (resulting in a child that looks like you but that acts like your spouse!) Back to Top
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH): A hormone produced in the hypothalamus which is the trigger hormone for the pituitary gland to produce both follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. While other hormones are more influential in the various aspects of your fertility cycle, GnRH is the "first" hormone as its release is what triggers everything after it. Refer to page 358 in the appendix of Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for a detailed description of the role of GnRH in your fertility cycle (in the First Edition, refer to page 319). Back to Top
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG): hCG is the hormone that is first released by the developing embryo after fertilization and implantation in the endometrium. hCG signals the corpus luteum to continue secreting progesterone, so that the endometrium is maintained and the embryo is nourished. hCG is secreted by the embryo until the placenta is developed and takes over providing it with nutrients and oxygen. hCG is the hormone that most pregnancy tests detect. hCG levels frequently are not high enough to be reliably detected until 12 days or more after ovulation (Ovusoft will alert you when its appropriate to use a home pregnancy test). Refer to pages 361-362 in the appendix of Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for a detailed description of hCG and all of the important hormones of your fertility cycle (in the First Edition, refer to pages 322-323). Back to Top
Hypothalamus: The part of the brain just above the pituitary gland that releases GnRH, which in turn stimulates the pituitary gland into releasing FSH and LH to begin the fertility cycle. Refer to page 319 in the appendix of Taking Charge of Your Fertility (First Edition) for a detailed description of the role of the hypothalamus in your fertility cycle. Back to Top
Implantation spotting: Light bleeding that sometimes occurs 7 to 10 days after ovulation, it can be an early indicator of possible pregnancy. Do not take a pregnancy test with the appearance of implantation spotting, as such tests cannot typically detect the pregnancy hormone (hCG) until 12 days or more after ovulation. Note that not all women experience this, so not having implantation spotting does not indicate that you are not pregnant (whew, that's a lot of "nots"!) Refer to page 226 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for more information about implantation spotting (in the First Edition, refer to page 151). Back to Top
Luteal phase, luteal phase length: The latter portion of your cycle from ovulation until your next menstruation is referred to as your luteal phase, due to the function of the corpus luteum during this time. The corpus luteum has enough progesterone to maintain the endometrium for an average of 12-16 days following ovulation. This 12-16 day average is the variance in luteal phase length across the population as a whole, as within individual women the luteal phase length doesn't vary much more than a day or two. If fertilization doesn't take place, progesterone production will cease and your endometrium will be shed in the process of menstruation. If your luteal phase length is on average less than 10 days, this may be referred to as a luteal phase defect, as it normally takes 7-10 days for implantation of a fertilized egg to occur. If your luteal phase length is shorter, then the endometrium may not be maintained long enough for implantation to occur and achieving pregnancy may be difficult. This may be treated with progesterone supplements, consult your own physician if you suspect that you might have such a condition. Refer to page 48 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for more information about your luteal phase. Back to Top
Luteinizing hormone (LH): This hormone is released by the pituitary gland in small quantities early in your cycle and then again in large quantities just before ovulation. The second "surge" of luteinizing hormone is what induces ovulation and the subsequent transformation of the dominant follicle into the corpus luteum. It is this LH surge that ovulation predictor kits and electronic fertility monitors detect, although they are sometimes confused by a mini-surge of LH that can occur before the ovulation-inducing surge. That is why observing your temperature and cervical fluid signs is so important, even if you are using these devices, as a thermal shift and corresponding identification of your peak cervical fluid are positive signs that ovulation has occurred. Without such signs, a surge of LH doesn't necessarily indicate that ovulation will occur and there is no way to know for sure. Refer to pages 358-359 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for more information about the role of LH in your fertility cycle (in the First Edition, refer to pages 319-321). Back to Top
Most Fertile Pattern: Unlike the Basic Infertile Pattern, the Most Fertile Pattern is an invention of Ovusoft Fertility Software exclusively and will not be found in the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility (First Edition). It is intended to improve the accuracy of Ovusoft's interpretation and identification of your peak cervical fluid day. For most women, the most fertile quality cervical fluid they can have is like raw eggwhite in quality, which corresponds to a lubricative vaginal sensation. When your cervical fluid begins drying up from this eggwhite-like quality, your "peak" day has said to have occurred. The "peak" day, in turn, is used in the analysis of ovulation and the start of post-ovulation infertility. However, not all women experience eggwhite-quality cervical fluid -- "creamy" is as good as it gets for some. By changing the Most Fertile Pattern option within the Cervical Fluid tab of the Preferences window to match their own most fertile quality cervical fluid ("Creamy / Wet" in this example), Ovusoft will identify the peak day whenever a dry-up begins after any day with creamy cervical fluid. For example, as soon as a day of creamy cervical fluid is followed by sticky or dry characteristics, the peak day will be identified. This also prevents an inaccurate early identification of your peak day should you be someone who normally experiences eggwhite quality cervical fluid. For example, if you had an early day of creamy fluid which was then followed by several days of sticky or even dry characteristics, Ovusoft would not identify your peak day until after eggwhite-quality fluid was recorded. It waits until you have a cervical fluid pattern which matches or exceeds your Most Fertile Pattern before it identifies your peak day. Back to Top
Peak day: The last day you observe your most fertile cervical fluid and/or vaginal sensation or experience mid-cycle spotting. This day usually corresponds to the day before ovulation or the ovulation day itself. The peak day is used in the analysis of ovulation and post-ovulation infertility by Ovusoft. Ovusoft lets you specify what constitutes your most fertile pattern of cervical fluid to improve your fertility analysis. Refer to pages 91-93 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for a detailed explanation of how to identify your peak day (in the First Edition, refer to pages 83-84). Back to Top
Pituitary gland: The gland at the base of your brain just below the hypothalamus, that releases FSH and LH to under the influence of GnRH to begin the fertility cycle. This is the gland that is most responsible for sexual development during adolescence. Refer to pages 358-359 in the appendix of Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for a detailed description of the role of the pituitary gland in your fertility cycle (in the First Edition, refer to pages 319-321). Back to Top
Placenta: The vascular organ lining the uterus which is produced during early pregnancy for the nourishment and protection of the developing fetus. It is attached to the fetus by the umbilical cord, from which oxygen and nutrients flow between the fetus and the mother. The placenta is expelled from the uterus after delivery of the baby. Back to Top
Progesterone: The hormone produced by the corpus luteum following ovulation which maintains the thickness of the endometrium in anticipation of implantation by a fertilized ovum. Progesterone causes your body temperature to rise perceptibly and is the basis for identifying a thermal shift in estimating ovulation and the end of your fertile phase. Refer to pages 47-48 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised and First Editions) for a detailed description of the role of the progesterone in your fertility cycle. Back to Top
Rule of Thumb: A rule which permits the exclusion of aberrantly high temperatures when calculating the coverline. Temperatures eliminated with this rule differ from disturbances in that there is no obvious reason for them to be outside the norm. Disturbed temperatures are eliminated based on conditions which cause the temperature to be skewed, such as late or early rising, sickness, etc. A temperature where the Rule of Thumb has been applied is easily identified in the Chart by the hand and thumb icon which obscures it. Refer to page 78 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for a description of the Rule of Thumb and its application (in the First Edition, refer to pages 75-76). Back to Top
Shortest Cycle Rule: This rule is an adaptation of the First Five Days Rule found in Taking Charge of Your Fertility for pregnancy achievement purposes. This Shortest Cycle Rule is used in identifying the start of the fertile phase when you have your Ovusoft rule interpretation option set to Normal and you are not using the Dry Day Rule. The Shortest Cycle Rule evaluates your shortest cycles among the last 12 on record and determines the earliest cycle day that higher fertility may return based upon the analysis. It then uses this cycle day as the start of your fertile phase. This rule recognizes the fact that if you have cycles which are typically longer than 26 days in length, it is not likely that fertility will begin with the arrival of cycle day 6, as dictated by the First Five Days Rule. Refer to pages 125-126 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for a description of the First Five Days Rule (in the First Edition, refer to pages 113-114). Back to Top
Spotting: Spotting refers to light bleeding that occurs between two menstrual periods. There are three possible types of spotting: - Mid-cycle spotting -- This generally occurs around the time of ovulation and is the result of the shedding of excess layers of the endometrium which have built up under the influence of estrogen. This is generally an indicator of high fertility.
- Implantation spotting -- When this occurs, it generally does so within 7-10 days of ovulation and may indicate that pregnancy is possible. (There is a separate topic within this glossary on this item, click the hyperlink to read it.)
- Pre-menstrual spotting -- As progesterone levels drop, the top layers of the endometrium may begin shedding a day or two before true menstrual flow
Report any spotting which lasts more than two days to your physician. Back to Top
Thermal Shift: An obvious shift in temperatures above the coverline indicating that ovulation has probably occurred. The shift results from the release of progesterone by the corpus luteum immediately following ovulation. This release of progesterone causes your body temperature to rise perceptibly, typically at least 0.2° F / 0.1° C above the highest of the previous temperatures. There are three types of thermal shifts as identified below: - Standard Thermal Shift: Three successive days with temperatures above the coverline.
- Slow-rise Thermal Shift: The first temperature in the shift is at the coverline; the remaining temperatures are above the coverline. Requires four successive days with temperatures at or above the coverline if you have a Strict setting for the Ovusoft rule interpretation option within the Calculations tab of the Preferences window.
- Fall-back Thermal Shift: The first temperature is above the coverline, the second dips back to or below the coverline, followed by three temperatures above the coverline. Since the first temperature might also be eliminated using the Rule of Thumb (which would then make this shift mimic the Standard Thermal Shift) this thermal shift pattern must be corroborated by cervical fluid dry-up patterns.
Refer to pages 129-130 and 308-309 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for descriptions of the various thermal shift conditions (in the First Edition, refer to pages 117 and 272-273). Back to Top
Triphasic temperature pattern: Sometimes the implantation of a fertilized egg causes additional progesterone to be released, which in turn may cause your temperatures to rise again after ovulation. This may result in a clear identification of three temperature levels on your chart: 1) pre-ovulation "low" temperatures; 2) immediate post-ovulation thermal shift temperatures; and 3) post-implantation temperatures above the thermal shift level temperatures. It is this third level which is responsible for the term "triphasic" in describing this condition. Implantation does not always cause a triphasic pattern, so the absence of such a pattern is not necessarily indicative of not being pregnant. Additionally, not all triphasic patterns are evidence of implantation, so you may experience them and not be pregnant. Ovusoft will identify triphasic patterns when they occur and notify you within the Fertility Advisor. Refer to page 317 in Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition) for more information on the triphasic temperature pattern (in the First Edition, refer to page 281). Back to Top
Zygote: A scientific term describing the fusion of the two individual gametes (the ovum and the sperm) into a single, unified organism immediately after fertilization takes place. The zygote will develop into an embryo and eventually into the fetus should implantation and pregnancy be successful. Back to Top
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