Gender Selection Survey Questions
Part 2: The Cycle of Life

1. Before this pregnancy, what was the average number of days in your menstrual cycle (days between periods)?

   10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

2. How regular were your cycles?

   Very regular, only varied by 1 to 2 days Fairly regular, varied by 3 to 7 days Not very regular, varied by 8 days or more Very irregular, varied by more than 8 days

3. How many cycles did it take for you to get pregnant, while you were actively trying to conceive?

   1 2 3 4 5 6 7-12 13-18 19-24 25 or more (but you made it!!!)  (Skip if artificially inseminated.)

4. Ovulation indicated by Basal Body Temperature (BBT)

   • Charting your waking basal body temperature (BBT) can indicate the day you ovulate, because your BBT rises after ovulation. You must use a basal thermometer, available in any drug store in the "family planning" area (that means near the condoms).
   If you were charting BBT during the cycle you conceived, select the cycle day before your BBT shift. This is the day of the last low temperature before your temperature shifted higher (the last day under the "coverline").

   Cycle Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

   How sure are you?  Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

   How long have you charted your BBT?  1-3 Months 4-6 Months 7-9 Months 10-12 Months 13+ Months

   If your BBT chart for this cycle is online, what is the URL?
   (This link will appear with your survey, so do not enter the URL if you don't want it to be public!)
   http:// 

5. Ovulation indicated by Cervical Fluid

   • Changes in your cervical fluid, from sticky to creamy to wet and slippery like eggwhite, indicate that ovulation is approaching. It may make a mess in your panties, but without it sperm could never survive the long journey to the egg!
   If you were monitoring your cervical fluid (also called cervical mucus, CM), select the first day and the last day that you observed any of: eggwhite cervical fluid, or a very lubricative vaginal sensation, or midcycle spotting.

   Cycle Days:  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+  to  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

   How sure are you?  Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

   How long have you tracked your cervical fluid?  1-3 Months 4-6 Months 7-9 Months 10-12 Months 13+ Months

6. Ovulation indicated by Cervix Changes

   • The cervix is the entrance to the uterus, and is usually closed and firm. But as ovulation approaches it becomes soft and open, welcoming the sperm inside. Cervical changes can be observed by inserting a finger in the vagina and simply touching the cervix with your fingertip (no flashlight needed).
   If you are non-squeamish enough to poke a finger at your cervix, select the first day and the last day that your cervix was soft, high, open, and wet (SHOW).

   Cycle Days:  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+  to  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

   How sure are you?  Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

   How long have you tracked your cervix changes?  1-3 Months 4-6 Months 7-9 Months 10-12 Months 13+ Months

7. Ovulation indicated by "O Pain"

   • Felt only by some women some of the time, "ovulation pain" is a sharp pain in the abdomen that may actually be the egg making its grand entrance, as it bursts through the ovarian follicle to begin its journey down the fallopian tubes. Then again, and in all seriousness, such a pain might just be gas from the burrito you had for lunch.
   If you believe you experienced O pain on days that you were near ovulation according to your other symptoms, select the last day that you experienced O pain.

   Cycle Day:  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

   How sure are you?  Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

   How long have you tracked O pain?  1-3 Months 4-6 Months 7-9 Months 10-12 Months 13+ Months

8. Ovulation indicated by LH Surge

   • An increase in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) in urine indicates that ovulation will occur in 1 to 1½ days, and can be detected with home ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) and devices like the ClearPlan Fertility Monitor.
   If you tested for LH surge, select the day following your first definitely positive test.

   Cycle Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

   How sure are you?  Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

   How long have you tracked LH surge?  1-3 Months 4-6 Months 7-9 Months 10-12 Months 13+ Months

9. Ovulation indicated by Saliva Ferning

   • Is there no end to the grossness in this survey?! Saliva seen under a microscope displays a "fern" pattern a few days before and after ovulation, and a shapeless "dotted" pattern during the rest of the cycle. You can view your saliva with any household 40x to 60x microscope, or purchase a "personal ovulation microscope" soon to be widely available in drugstores. (What's next, research showing that properties of your snot indicate ovulation? Or earwax? Sign me up for the study!)
   If you've been looking at your spit on a slide, select the first day and the last day that you observed ferning only (not mixed dotted/ferning.

   Cycle Days:  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+  to  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

   How sure are you?  Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

   How long have you tracked saliva ferning?  1-3 Months 4-6 Months 7-9 Months 10-12 Months 13+ Months

10. Ovulation indicated by Ultrasound

    • Ovulation can be monitored by a doctor, by inserting an ultrasound probe into the vagina (don't worry, it doesn't hurt). The ovaries can be seen, and if ovulation is near, one or more follicles on the ovary will be present. The follicles' size is measured to determine whether it is about to release an egg, or has already done so.
    If you had vaginal ultrasounds to determine ovulation, select the cycle day on which you ovulated.

    Cycle Day:  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

    How sure are you?  Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

11. FINALLY, based on all of the ovulation indicators above, what cycle day do you believe that you ovulated?

    Cycle Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+

    How sure are you? Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

    If you don't know when you ovulated (because you didn't do any of the unsavory activities above), do NOT just guess cycle day 14. It is a MYTH that "most women ovulate on day 14". (If it were that easy, none of us would be groping for our own cervixes or peeing on $7 OPK's, would we?!) If you still feel that you must make some kind of a guess, and your cycles are fairly regular, do it this way: SUBTRACT 14 days from your average cycle length, AND select "Not Very Sure".

12. On which cycle day did you have intercourse causing conception?

    Cycle Day: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61+ (Or, cycle day of insemination.)

    How sure are you that THIS is the day you really conceived? Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

    How many times during this cycle did you have unprotected intercourse?
    1, exactly 1, and no more 2 3 4 5 Many times, like frenzied rabbits!

13. If you believe you conceived within the 24 hours or so  following ovulation, exactly when?

    • The O+12 method advises intercourse about 12 hours after ovulation for conceiving a girl.
    Intercourse was about  About 4 hours About 8 hours About 12 hours About 16 hours About 20 hours About 24 hours About 28 hours About 32 hours  hours after ovulation.

    How sure are you? Absolutely Very Sure Good Guess Not Very Sure

14. Did you become pregnant by artificial insemination?

    Nope, just had intercourse.

    Yes, by IUI (intra-uterine insemination)

    Yes, by IVF (in-vitro fertilization)

    Yes, by the "TB method" (at-home do-it-yourself insemination) The "TB method" (for "turkey baster") involves collecting the father's semen, mixing it with a little lemon juice in hopes that only female sperm will survive, and squirting it into the vagina. (Using a syringe, not an actual turkey baster. A man who could fill up a turkey baster with semen would blast you right out of bed.)

    Yes, by some other method