How to tell if you fertile

Am I Ovulating? Physical Signs That You Are Fertile

Written by Lisa Fields

In this Article

• What Are Ovulation Symptoms?
• How to Track Ovulation Symptoms
• When Does Ovulation Happen?
• How Long Does Ovulation Last?
• Ask Your Doctor

To boost your chances of getting pregnant, it helps to know when you're ovulating. Then you'll know when you and your partner should be having sex.

Ovulation happens halfway through your cycle. Every woman’s cycle is different, so you have to pay attention to the signs.

There are many ways you can tell if the time is right.

What Are Ovulation Symptoms?

Here are the signs you may have when your body releases an egg:

• Your basal or resting temperature falls slightly, then rises again. You can use a special thermometer to check your temperature every morning before you get out of bed. You’re most fertile 2 or 3 days before your temperature rises.
• Your cervical mucus becomes clearer and thinner with a slippery consistency, like egg whites.

You may also notice:

• Tender breasts
• Bloating
• Cramps

But these symptoms don’t always mean you’re ovulating.

How to Track Ovulation Symptoms

Mark your calendar

Take note of when your period begins and ends and know how long your cycle lasts. Doctors say it's best to have sex at least every other day, especially during the 5 days before you ovulate. They call this your "fertile window." Your egg only lives for about 12 to 24 hours. But sperm can survive for a few days inside your body, so it's ideal to have them already there waiting for your egg.

Watch for body changes

Your hormone levels change throughout your menstrual cycle. During the first half, your ovaries give off the hormone estrogen. When your estrogen levels get high enough, your ovary releases an egg. Then your body starts to make progesterone, another hormone. It makes your body temperature rise slightly.

Your hormones also change the texture of your cervical mucus, the sticky fluid that comes from your cervix, the bottom of your uterus. As your body gets ready to ovulate, you have more of it, and it feels more stretchy and slippery, like raw egg whites. The texture helps sperm swim inside your body. When your mucus feels like this, you should be in your fertile window.

Ovulation predictor kits (OPKs)

You can find these at most drugstores. They cost about $25-$75 a month. These kits test the presence or the amount of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine. Some detect both LH and estrogen levels. This indicates ovulation will happen. When the surge is detected, having sex in the next 24-36 hours will improve your chances of getting pregnant. Because sperm will survive for some time inside of you, they'll be ready to join the egg during ovulation.

The kits have enough test strips to let you check your LH levels several times during your menstrual cycle. Start testing a few days before you think you might ovulate, then repeat a few times over the next few days to pinpoint the exact day. When your LH levels are highest, you're in the fertile window.

Fertility monitors

They can be expensive, but they have a significant benefit. While most ovulation predictors only give you a fertile window of up to 2 days, these can show 6-7 days of potential fertility for each cycle.

Fertility monitors give you more days to try to conceive, and they give a more accurate day of ovulation. Fertility monitors collect data from your body and your cycle. They use data and algorithms to help you determine exactly when you're going to ovulate. They're 89%-99% accurate in identifying your fertile window if used correctly. They monitor various signs of fertility, including skin temperature, basal body temperature, and vaginal fluids.

Progesterone ovulation tests

These tests can find out whether you have ovulated. They look at the levels of progesterone metabolite (pregnanediol glucuronide, or PdG) in your urine.

PdG levels typically rise 24-36 hours after you ovulate, so the tests are highly accurate. Start testing your levels before your anticipated menstrual cycle. These tests also have several strips to allow you to check your progesterone levels throughout your cycle.

A twinge of pain

It's possible to feel yourself ovulate, but many women don't notice it. You might notice a slight pain in your side about halfway through your menstrual cycle. But if you're trying to get pregnant, don't wait for the twinge. That means your fertile window is soon closing.

When Does Ovulation Happen?

If your menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and your period arrives like clockwork, it's likely that you'll ovulate on day 14. That's halfway through your cycle. Your fertile window begins on day 10. You're more likely to get pregnant if you have sex at least every other day between days 10 and 14 of a 28-day cycle.

How Long Does Ovulation Last?

Your fertile window typically lasts 4-5 days. These are the days leading up to when you ovulate.

Ask Your Doctor

Some women don't ovulate on a set schedule. If you can't figure out when it happens or if your menstrual cycle isn't regular, ask your doctor for help.

8 Signs of Fertility to Look For Each Month

You’ve decided to try for a baby—congrats! But do you know how to go about trying to maximize your shot at conceiving? The truth is, women may experience certain symptoms that can signal when she’s ovulating and at peak fertility, which is helpful to know, so you can time sex with your partner appropriately. So what should you be on the lookout for? The following signs of fertility in women may help boost your chances of getting pregnant each month.

Sign #1: A Positive Result from Your Ovulation Predictor

This is one sign of fertility you don’t have to work too hard to detect. Ovulation predictor kits are test strips that you pee on with the goal of detecting when your body experiences a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH), which triggers the release of the egg from the ovary (aka ovulation). A positive sign on your ovulation predictor kit signals that you should expect to ovulate within the next 36 hours. The best times to have sex are the day of the LH surge and the following two days.

Watch, Ovulation Signs and Symptoms:

Sign #2: A Change in Your Cervical Mucus

When you’re not ovulating, your cervical discharge may appear sticky, cloudy or be so minimal you can’t tell you have any. But as you get closer to ovulation, your body starts to produce more estrogen as the egg that’s going to ovulate matures in the ovary. This causes your cervical mucus to become clear and stretchy, similar to egg whites. The change in discharge creates a more susceptible environment for sperm to reach the egg—so keep an eye on any fluctuations in your discharge as a potential sign of fertility.

Sign #3: Increased Sex Drive

Mother Nature is pretty smart: When you enter your fertile window (meaning the days when you’re most likely to conceive), right before ovulation, your sexual desire rises due to a jump in hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. (A pretty fun sign of fertility, no?) Not only will your sex drive shift into high gear during this time, but your body will also undergo subtle changes that make you feel sexier—and make your partner more drawn to you too. Those changes may include slightly fuller lips, a higher pitched voice and a change in your face structure, your walk and the way your hips move.

Sign #4: Increased Sense of Smell

Does your partner’s post-workout body odor strike you as oddly sexy at certain times of the month? This could actually be a sign of peak fertility! One study found that women’s sense of smell sharpens as they near ovulation, and they become particularly sensitive to musky scents and male pheromones, such as androsterone. While the exact reason is unknown, that heightened sense of smell may be nature’s way of helping women pick out a suitable mate.

Sign #5: Lower Abdominal Pain

Have you ever noticed lower pelvic pain during the middle of your cycle? This could actually be a sign of fertility known as mittelschmerz pain. Some women describe feeling a sharp, lower pelvic cramping that can last from a few minutes to several hours in the middle of her cycle and can be a signal that ovulation is occurring. Of course, not all women are the same; some will feel this pain every single month and others may never experience this cramping, and that’s okay!

Sign #6: Change in Your Cervical Position

The cervix is at the top portion of the vagina and is what dilates during labor and childbirth. The cervix tends to change throughout your menstrual cycle, and when you’re close to ovulation your cervix will become higher, softer and more open. While you may think only your ob-gyn can check your cervix, it’s actually possible for you to do it on your own, although it may take some practice to know how to check for it and understand what you’re feeling.

Sign #7: Breast Tenderness

You may have experienced that time of the month where your breasts are extremely sore, achy and have an overall heavy feeling. This is due to an increase in the hormone progesterone, which your body produces right after ovulation. So while sore breasts can’t predict when you’ll ovulate, they may clue you in to the fact ovulation occurred that month, which can be a reassuring sign of fertility.

Sign #8: Mid-Cycle Spotting

Does spotting mid-cycle have you concerned? This could actually be a sign of recent ovulation. After the egg is released, your estrogen levels drop significantly before rising again in the luteal phase (the second half of your menstrual cycle after ovulation). The short-lived drop in estrogen may actually trigger some mid-cycle spotting that usually resolves in a day or two. However, all women’s bodies are different and many women may never notice mid-cycle spotting and still have regular ovulation.

Temeka Zore, MD, is a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist as well as a board-certified ob-gyn currently practicing at Spring Fertility in San Francisco. She enjoys taking care of a wide range of reproductive and fertility issues but has a special passion for fertility preservation and educating and empowering women regarding their reproductive health. Follow Zore on Instagram @temekazoremd.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

Plus, more from The Bump:

Fertility 101: What Affects Fertility and How to Boost It

Signs of Ovulation

6 Ways to Naturally Bost Your Fertility

How to recognize fertile days and ovulation?

In Brief Determining fertile days allows a woman to consciously plan her pregnancy and increase her chances of getting pregnant. There are several ways to determine fertile days. They differ in both accuracy and method.

How to recognize fertile or fertile days?

The beginning of a woman's menstrual cycle is considered the first day of menstruation (bleeding) and the day before the next menstruation (until the next bleeding). One menstrual cycle has an average of 5 to 7 fertile days. The number of these days is related to both ovulation and the length of time that sperm cells survive in a woman's body. nine0003

Ovulation lasts about 24 hours and occurs 14 days before menstruation, but spermatozoa can survive in a woman's genitals for 5-7 days, waiting for their chance to fertilize an egg. Thus, sexual intercourse a few days before ovulation can lead to pregnancy. Often women wonder which method to choose to determine the day of ovulation? Are basal temperature measurements enough to determine ovulation? How many days is vaginal mucus favorable for sperm activity? How does vaginal mucus change after ovulation? When to start ovulation monitoring? How to make a calendar favorable for conception? Should I use ovulation tests? What body signals can indicate ovulation? We will try to answer these questions below. nine0003

Do you have any questions? Contact us!

Ovulation monitoring

The most accurate monitoring of the menstrual cycle is carried out by a gynecologist using ultrasound. This is a painless examination carried out on certain days. Usually, 3-4 ultrasound examinations are performed during one cycle. Its purpose is to determine the course of the menstrual cycle, the growth of follicles, as well as their quantity, quality, rupture, while simultaneously monitoring the state of the endometrium. Ultrasound examinations allow you to accurately determine the day of ovulation and, thus, fertile days. nine0003

The first examination is usually carried out by a doctor on the fifth day of the cycle, after which the following are observed:

• follicle growth,
• endometrial thickness,
• cervical mucus quality.

After the day of ovulation, the doctor checks whether ovulation has actually taken place. This is evidenced by “traces” of follicle rupture or the presence of a corpus luteum in the ovary. Ovulation monitoring also makes it possible to identify possible causes, difficulties in pregnancy. An accurate diagnosis of ovulation monitoring is provided by the Fertility Clinic. nine0003

Fertile days calendar

In turn, the easiest way to determine the date of ovulation is a method based on the calculation of the average length of the menstrual cycle based on the length of the cycle for several months. Based on this, you can roughly determine the date of the next menstruation. To calculate the day of ovulation, subtract 12 from the length of the menstrual cycle, and then 4 days.

For example, in the case of a 28-day cycle, it looks like this: 28-12 = 16, and in the next step 16-4 = 12. This means that ovulation can occur between 12 and 16 days of the cycle. The method is simple, but unfortunately there is a very high error rate. nine0003

A woman's menstrual cycle is variable and influenced by many factors, such as:

• Diet
• Stress
• Colds
• Climate

This method does not work for irregular cycles.

How many days is mucus favorable for conception?

Expected ovulation can also be determined by monitoring vaginal mucus. Often women ask how many days mucus favorable for conception can be observed. It is worth remembering that this is due to fertile days of about 5-7 days. On fertile days, the mucus is clear, slippery, sticky, and elastic, reminiscent of fresh egg white. Such mucus has a favorable pH for spermatozoa and facilitates their survival and movement. After ovulation, the amount of vaginal mucus decreases, it turns white, thickens and loses viscosity. This is how it stays until menstruation. Immediately after menstruation, the secretion of mucus is reduced until the secretion of mucus favorable for conception begins. nine0009 The mucus monitoring method does not confirm ovulation, it is only a sign that ovulation is approaching. Also, be aware that some medications can interfere with mucus production, so this will not indicate ovulation is near.

Temperature increase after ovulation

Changes in body temperature can also be used to determine ovulation. After ovulation, a corpus luteum forms in the ovary, which secretes progesterone, and this, in turn, causes an increase in temperature by about 0. 2 - 0.6 degrees Celsius. nine0010 The temperature rises about 24 hours after the egg is released from the ovary, so measuring it can only serve to confirm ovulation, and this information can be used to determine the optimal time for conception in the next cycle. With regular menstruation, if the temperature rises, for example, systematically on the 16th day of the cycle, then ovulation occurs 1-2 days earlier, i.e. fertile days fall on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of the cycle.