#131 | The #1 Mistake Women Make When Tracking Their Fertile Window And What To Do So You Can Get Pregnant Naturally

Still not pregnant even though your app says you're timing it perfectly? You might be missing your real fertile window—and not even know it.

In today’s Get Pregnant Now Quickie, Dr. Katie reveals why relying solely on cycle tracking apps or LH strips could be sabotaging your chances of conceiving. You’ll learn the difference between “predicting” and actually confirming ovulation, plus the top tools and signs you can use to finally take control of your fertile window—naturally.

In this episode, you'll...

-Learn why apps and LH strips often mislead—even when cycles seem “normal”

-Discover the 4 tools to track ovulation accurately (including BBT, PDG, and cervical mucus)

-Stop guessing and start confidently syncing with your body’s natural rhythm

Tune in now to learn how to track ovulation the right way—so you can finally stop second-guessing your timing and start getting results faster.

My most recommended cycle tracking devices & cycle tracking resource:

Tempdrop Fertility Monitor - save a stackable 15% off with code AFHAPPYNOURISHED

Mira Hormone Monitor - save 10% off

Inito Fertility Monitor

Unlock Your Fertility Potential Workshop (step-by-step cycle tracking details inside!)

👉🏽Take the Ultimate Fertility Blueprint Quiz HERE⚡

🌟Follow and connect with me on Instagram @the_wellness_pharmacist to fast-track your fertility so you can finally get and stay pregnant naturally!⁠

Finally Get Pregnant Naturally is your go-to TTC podcast for holistic fertility support to help you get pregnant naturally by addressing the root cause of unexplained infertility, secondary infertility, and recurrent miscarriage. Hosted by Dr. Katie Wood, a pharmacist and holistic fertility practitioner, this show offers natural fertility solutions for those on a fertility journey struggling to conceive, navigating miscarriage, or dealing with endometriosis, PCOS, low sperm count, or failed IUI or failed IVF. Whether you're trying to conceive, increase egg quality, optimizing sperm health, or healing after a miscarriage, each episode delivers practical guidance to support your fertility journey. Learn how to improve fertility, balance hormones, regulate your fertile window, and conceive naturally through root cause healing, emotional wellness, and mind-body tools—because true fertility starts from within.

DISCLAIMER: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use it as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. This podcast offers information to help the listener cooperate with physicians, mental health professionals or other healthcare providers in a mutual quest for optimal well-being. We advise listeners to carefully review and understand the ideas presented, and to consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. Under no circumstances shall Pharm to Wellness LLC, any guests or contributors to the Finally Get Pregnant Naturally podcast, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Pharm to Wellness LLC be responsible for damages arising from the use of the podcast. As an Amazon Associate, I earn...

Episode Transcript

Katie (00:00):
In this episode you'll learn why cycle tracking apps can actually sabotage
the timing of your fertile window.
How to truly confirm if you're ovulatingand not just guessing or assuming, and
the best tools to use so you can havea full and accurate fertility picture.

(00:21):
Welcome to the finally GetPregnant Naturally Podcast.
The podcast helping women identifythe real reasons you haven't
conceived or stayed pregnant, soyou and your partner can finally
grow the family of your dreams.
I'm your host, Dr.
Katie Wood.
Let's dive in, shall we?
Hello, and welcome to our Weekly Get Pregnant Now, quickie.

(00:43):
This is your bite sized fertility resetwhere we'll cover either one fertility
boosting supplement or nutrient, onesneaky fertility saboteur, or one quick
energetic release or mindset hack soyou can shift your body and energy
for optimal fertility in less timethan it takes to scroll Instagram.
Let's go.

(01:04):
So today we're gonna be talking about avery prevalent fertility saboteur, and
this is something that women are usingevery day, every cycle, very commonly.
And they don't realizethat this is actually.
Sabotaging in doing a disservice in termsof their journey of trying to conceive.

(01:31):
So that is relying on cycle trackingapps or just LH strips to understand
your cycle and when you should be timing.
The baby dance.
Okay, so let's break down why thiscould be a major reason why you're not

(01:53):
conceiving and why there could be a delayin you getting that big, fat positive.
So here's the truth that I don'tthink a lot of people understand and
believe me, when I was on my fertilityjourney, seven, eight years ago.
I didn't understand this either.
So it's not just you.
It's very common when I'm talking towomen in the dms and I ask them what

(02:18):
they're using to track their cycles.
A lot of time it's some appthat they're using, and a lot of
times it's just LH test strips.
So.
Tracking apps, fertilitytracking apps, cycle tracking
apps, whatever it is called.
They're all pretty much one and thesame no matter what it says about its
advanced algorithm and things like that.

(02:41):
They're all based onaverages and estimations.
Okay.
They are predicting.
When ovulation could occur for you, butthey are absolutely not confirming it.
And LH strips or ovulationpredictor kits test for a hormone

(03:04):
called luteinizing hormone.
So they detect the surge inluteinizing hormone, which.
Would trigger the release of an egg.
Okay?
It tells us that your body is at leasttrying to ovulate, but it's not actually
confirming one, if ovulation actuallyhappened, and two, what was the quality of

(03:32):
that ovulation, even if you did ovulate.
So this can.
Be especially misleading forwomen who have PCOS, high
stress and irregular cycles.
So if you're solely relying onthese tools using cycle tracking
apps and or LH strips, youcould be timing the baby dance.

(03:59):
Either too early or too late.
You could be missing youractual fertile window entirely.
And you could be thinking that you'reovulating, but you're actually not.
And this is a big problem.
And this is actually really sadif you think about it, because so

(04:21):
many women and couples will go onfor six months to a year or longer.
They go to their doctor.
We've tried for a year, but we haven'tgotten pregnant, and then they get
pushed down, basically like thismedical cascade of interventions in
terms of trying to get you pregnantwhen all along you really just didn't

(04:45):
know what your fertile window is.
And it's really easy to decipher once youknow how to, and then, I don't wanna say
it's easy to decipher because sometimesit can actually be challenging, but if
you're not tracking in the right way.
You don't even have those details tothen be able to dig a little bit deeper

(05:05):
to see maybe why you're not ovulating.
So what should you be doing instead?
I'm basically telling you.
Maybe what you've been doing hasn'tbeen the best way to track your cycle.
So what can you do instead?
So let's expand yourfertility tracking toolkit.
So there's a lot of things that we can doand some natural signs you can look for is

(05:31):
something called fertile cervical mucus.
So ideally.
You're getting this surge inestrogen, which would support the
release of this clear, stretchy eggwhite, like fertile cervical mucus.
And this fertile cervicalmucus is the ideal.

(05:56):
Vehicle and environment to host thesperm to help it swim up to the egg,
but then also to help it survive,especially if you were to have
intercourse prior to ovulating, thenthe sperm is able to survive and
meet the egg when it is released.

(06:16):
Okay, so this is.
A beautiful, reliable, natural signthat your body is trying to ovulate.
Again, this is not confirmingthat ovulation happened or also
confirming the quality, butthis is a hormonal and fertile.

(06:38):
Indicator.
So if you're not seeing this like clear,stretchy egg, white mucus, sometimes it's
a little bit more slippery for people.
If you're not seeing that, then therecould be some hormonal issues going on
underneath that you wanna look into.
I always tell my clients like,this is the time that you want
to be doing the baby dance.

(06:59):
Because like I said, it's theperfect environment, it's the perfect
vehicle, and ideally it is liningup, no more than a couple days to
like the day of day before ovulation.
Now here is one of my go tocycle tracking methods that I
recommend to all of my clients, andthat's tracking your basal body.

(07:20):
Temperature.
So when you take yourtemperature every morning.
That's considered yourbasal body temperature.
You wanna do this beforegetting out of bed.
And ideally in the follicular phase,we're gonna see lower temperatures.
And then if you ovulate, you should seea rise in temperature and it should stay
pretty steady in the luteal phase untileither you get a positive pregnancy

(07:45):
test or the temp could drop and youstart your period in another cycle.
Tracking your BBT is not actually goingto tell you, Hey, I'm about to ovulate.
It's really only going to confirmthat you ovulated, but this is
an important tool because thenyou can use this in combination

(08:05):
with things like cervical mucus.
LH strips, which kind of tell you, Hey,my body is attempting to ovulate, but then
the BBT is going to confirm, yes, my bodyovulate, but it's also gonna give you a
lot of important information in terms of.
The quality of your ovulation,the health of your hormones, is

(08:29):
your temperature staying steadythroughout the luteal phase?
Is it up and down?
Is it only rising for a coupleof days and then just dropping
until you get your period?
Your BBT gives you a lotof crucial information.
And then of course there's at home hormonetracking devices that measure something

(08:50):
that's called PDG, which is a metaboliteof progesterone that is also confirming
if and when ovulation really occurred.
So this can be a game changerfor identifying a luteal phased
effect or confirming strong,healthy, robust ovulation.

(09:11):
Using all of these things together.
So I would say cervical mucus, an LHstrip, and then choosing, do you wanna do
BBT or an at home hormone tracking device?
You don't necessarily have to do two.
Sometimes it can be a little stressfulfor people to have too many tools on
board, so whatever feels good to you.

(09:32):
But I would say having something that'slike letting you know that ovulation is
about to happen and then something that.
Is telling you and confirmingovulation did in fact happen.
And with those hormone trackingdevices, if it's one that is tracking
FSH, estrogen, LH, and PDG, youare also going to know when your

(09:55):
body's trying to ovulate too.
So that's gonna give you a beautifulpicture of your fertile window and
in the show notes you will find mygo-to BBT tracking device and hormone
tracking devices that you can use.
Some of them have some discountsfor you to take advantage of.
And I'll also link a three-partfertility series that I have.

(10:19):
Where one of the parts is gonnatalk all about cycle tracking.
So if you want to dive in a littlebit deeper on that, you'll be able
to learn so much more in terms ofreally dialing in and getting to know
your fertile window so you can takefor advantage of every single cycle.

(10:41):
So let's do a quick recap.
First, we learn that.
Cycle tracking apps are onlypredicting and giving you an estimation
at best of your fertile window.
They are not confirming and LH stripsor OP Ks are really just telling you
that your body is attempting to ovulate,but it's not actually confirming

(11:07):
that you did or the quality of thatovulation and having other tools like.
Following cervical mucus, basal bodytemperature and tracking your PDG levels
at home can give you a reliable, fullpicture view of your fertile window.
So here is your action step.

(11:28):
For this cycle or your next cycle,
I want you to choose atleast one tool to track.
If ovulation is impending.
So that would be the fertilecervical mucus or the LH strips.
And then I want you to pick one tool tohelp you confirm if and when ovulation

(11:51):
happened, and also the quality.
So that would be the basal bodytemperature or the hormone tracking
device, because the more datayou gather, the more empowered
and confident you can become.
So I just want to share with you that.
Your body is wise.
These tools are here to help and guideus, but when you really become in tune

(12:16):
with your body, with your cycle, cycle,tracking doesn't have to be so daunting.
It can become so natural for you thatit doesn't even feel like you're trying.
And when you stop outsourcing,when you think you're ovulating to
an algorithm that's on your phonehow can your, your phone does not

(12:38):
know your body better than you do.
This app does not know yourbody better than you do,
when you can start syncing withyour natural rhythms, you'll
stop feeling confused andyou'll start feeling confident.
So thank you so much for.
Listening.
I hope you have a great restof your day and I'll see you

(12:58):
on next Tuesday's episode.
And just a quick disclaimer, thispodcast is for educational purposes only
and does not replace medical advice.
Please speak with your licensedprovider before beginning any new
health routines or supplements.