But, doing the deed when you are most fertile is essential too. If you and your partner have an active intimate life, the chances are that you will get pregnant sooner or later. If you add an ovulation tracker to the mix, it is likely to happen sooner. So, how do these ovulation calendars work

The user inputs data about their menstrual cycle, including the number of days your cycle normally takes to complete and the date of your last period. If you, by any chance, already know how many days you have between ovulation and menstruation (the luteal phase), an ovulation calendar is especially likely to give you the right information. Your chosen ovulation tracker will then give you the date you are expected to ovulate. Some online ovulation calendars also send you an email three days before, and on the date of your expected ovulation.

One way to make an ovulation calendar even more effective is to start using ovulation predictor kits some days before the ovulation calculator tells you you will be fertile. Ovulation tests – which you should take in the afternoon, by the way – work by detecting the luteinizing hormone, and will give you totally accurate information. With an ovulation calendar, you won’t have to take (expensive!) ovulation tests all the time, just around your expected ovulation date. Good luck!

Olivia blogs about fertility, pregnancy and babies at Trying To Conceive. Her blog also has a message board for women who are trying to get pregnant.

What is the Controversy?

The new research addresses the claims made by the UK’s NHS that 1400 lives are saved annually as a result of the screening policy. The authors of the report have identified that while screening does save lives and allow for earlier diagnosis than self checking, the amount of false positives and treatment undergone unnecessarily as a result of over diagnosis actually brings into question whether screening women across the board does more harm than good.

What are the Statistics?

Routine breast cancer screening has been offered in the UK since 1988, and is at present available to all women aged 50 or over. In 2002 the World Health Organisation released an estimate that the screening reduced breast cancer deaths by around 35%.

The new European study, however, discovered that over a ten year period, for every 2000 individual women in the screening programme (that is, at present, every woman over 50), two would be correctly diagnosed and their lives would be saved, but ten healthy women would undergo invasive and unnecessary treatment. It is estimated that a further 200, that is 10% of the sample, would go through a period of anxiety or suffer trauma due to a false positive.

Professor Turns Down Screening

Prof. Susan Bewley of King’s College London, who specialises in complex obstetrics has herself declined screening. In a letter to the UK’s Cancer Director, Prof. Mike Richards, she expressed that the distress accompanying a positive test result and the decisions a woman would be forced to make regarding treatment on a lesion which “may or may not be cancerous”, sometimes involving “mutilating surgery” were coming to light.

Professor Richards responded to Professor Bewley to say that although the current evidence was that for every misdiagnosis two and a half lives were saved (in contrast with the evidence in the new report), he intended to lead a full review and, should the results lean in favour of the screening being more harmful than beneficial, make recommendations to the UK National Screening committee and the government for changes.

Professor Julietta Patnick, who heads up the UK Cancer Screening Programmes, has gone on record as saying this review, which will be carried out with the help of Cancer Research UK, is welcome. She said that the NHS screening programme has always been adaptive to the very latest evidence, research and technology, and that in the past, where suggestions for improvement backed up by solid research have been made, changes have followed.

What is the Current Advice for Women Invited for Screening?

At present, while Professor Richards conducts the review, the advice from the government for UK women currently included in the screening programme is that they should undertake their screening as normal. It should be noted that while the choice about whether to have the screening is a personal one, until the review has been carried out the current evidence still shows that screening promotes early diagnosis, which is vital when it comes to successfully treating breast cancer.

Just about everybody has experienced the discomfort and annoyance of a headache. Brought on by a particularly stressful situation at work or within a social scene, arising as a reaction to a certain type of food or other stimulus, or seeming to manifest for no other reason than to ruin a perfectly good afternoon, headaches are rarely if ever welcomed. Sometimes, however, headaches can transcend the status of an occasional bother to become seriously debilitating. Chronic headaches and severe headache pain can serve as signals that something is wrong in the body or the lifestyle; the offending element may be an injury or the participation in a particular activity, and attempting to divulge the source can often be a difficult task.

Physiotherapy can greatly aid in the quest to discover the source of –and the cure for– chronic headache pain and tension headache pain. Traditionally, those suffering from moderate to severe headaches on a regular basis might turn to aspirin or other over the counter pain relievers, or might consult with their general practice physician to obtain something stronger. While such methods of addressing headache pain can certainly be helpful on the spot, they fail to provide any treatment for the root of the problem, and are ultimately unable to deliver the care that people with chronic headache pain need.

Physio treatment, on the other hand, is dedicated not only to pain relief, but to uncovering the habits that can lead to headache pain and assessing the body for any damages related to injury or accident. When chronic headache problems are present, there are several potential factors to consider, including personal diet and exercise regimens, possible accidents, poor sleeping habits, and an overabundance of stress. Physiotherapy can quickly and accurately help clients identify the source of the pain, in addition to providing relieving treatment.

A headache treatment with a qualified, caring physiotherapist can address chronic tension headache pain, develop pain management strategies for migraine issues, and can also work with back and neck pain, which are often related to chronic headaches. Rather than focusing on invasive surgeries or trusting the power of pharmaceutical drug cocktails to cover the symptoms of headache pain, physiotherapy reaches deep into the ways in which people can cause chronic headaches without even knowing it, and is also adept at providing physical therapy treatments and methods for altering these behaviors and promoting better health.

Those who suffer from migraines and other headache pain on a regular basis are well aware that sometimes, a headache isn’t simply an annoyance that’s best addressed with a quick pill and a cup of tea. Understanding why headaches arise, how they operate, and how they can be eradicated are essential components of physiotherapy for headache pain, and those who seek the knowledge and the treatment of this rapidly growing medical field are sure to experience how carefree and enjoyable life can be without headaches.