One of the easiest ways to learn when your period was going to start is the temperature sign. During our fertile years when John saw my waking temperature had dropped, he would tell me my period would start that day. In addition the length of the luteal phase is fairly consistent so you can determine so many days ahead of time when to expect your period. You know way ahead of time whether you need to bring feminine products on vacation or to work. While it is also true that a woman will feel more-fertile mucus a few days before menstruation, the temperature sign is so helpful.
I was reminded of this benefit of the temperature sign because of what one lady said as a result of taking our online course for marriage preparation:
“As mentioned before, I have extremely irregular menstruation cycles (28 – 44 days) which caused me to never know when to expect my period. As I was reading the text, I came across the section that discussed the luteal phase being the most consistent in women. At the time, my mind didn’t want to believe that after ovulation I would have 14 days until I would get my period, but I decided to ‘trust’ it…. and it worked! For the first time in my life I was able to predict when I would actually get my period which was such a relief (not having to worry about carrying feminine hygiene products, what I was wearing, and so on). So even though I am not married, therefore not in the immediate need of NFP, I can still use charting with temperature and mucus to figure out when my next period will come. Yay! I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but to me it is!”
Sheila Kippley