Ovulation how do you know

Am I Ovulating? Physical Signs That You Are Fertile

Written by Lisa Fields

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.

Am I Ovulating? Physical Signs That You Are Fertile

Written by Lisa Fields

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

Watch for body changes

Ovulation predictor kits (OPKs)

Fertility monitors

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.

A twinge of pain

When Does Ovulation Happen?

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.

90,000 How to calculate ovulation and finally get pregnant

The average woman produces only one egg per cycle. The moment when the cell leaves the ovary is called ovulation. Ovulation is short: the egg is viable for only 12-24 hours. If during this time she does not meet with sperm, conception will not occur. That is, you have to wait for the next cycle.

The situation is slightly simplified by the fact that spermatozoa are able to wait for their egg for 3-4 days. This means that the so-called fertility window - the period when sex is likely to lead to pregnancy - is expanding to 4-5 days a month.

It remains only to understand when ovulation will occur.

How to calculate ovulation using the calendar method

Accuracy: below average.

This method works only if you keep a menstrual cycle calendar and know exactly the timing and duration of your period.

According to generally accepted medical concepts, ovulation occurs 14 days before the start of the next period. With an average 28-day cycle, this date falls on the 14th day of the cycle. That is, the fertility window, taking into account the viability of spermatozoa, is the 10-14th day of the cycle.

But there is an opinion that many women ovulate floating and can fall on any date between the 10th and 22nd day of the menstrual cycle. Only 221 women participated in the study, so it is probably not worth extrapolating the results to all.

However, if you are unable to conceive during your “standard” fertile period, try extending it according to new data.

An important note: the calendar method does not take into account individual characteristics and lifestyle. You should not rely on calculations if you:

Have an irregular monthly cycle.
Became a mother a few months ago.
Continue breastfeeding.
You are approaching menopause (this process usually starts in your 40s and 50s).
Have recently stopped taking birth control pills or other hormonal contraceptives.

How to calculate ovulation online

Accuracy: below average.

Most web services are built on the same assumption that ovulation occurs 14 days before the start of the next menstrual cycle. Therefore, they have the same disadvantages as the actual calendar method. However, these services can still help determine the most fertile period.

To calculate online, you can use the ovulation calendar provided, for example, by the reputable medical website WebMD. The service will ask you for:

The start date of the previous period.
Cycle time. If in doubt, the service will ask you to enter the start dates of the previous few periods and, based on them, it will calculate the cycle itself.

As a result of calculations you will get:

Fertile Window.
Estimated date of ovulation (Approximate Ovulation).
Estimated date of the next menstruation (Next Period).
The date when a pregnancy test will give an unambiguous result: conception occurred or not (Pregnancy Test Day).

Calculate ovulation on WebMD →

How to calculate ovulation using apps

Accuracy: average.

Such utilities are not limited to using a purely calendar method. Month after month, they study your individual cycle, well-being, emotional state, help track possible failures in the monthly process, and also predict the onset of ovulation and menstruation. The more data you enter into such an application, the more accurate the forecasts will be.

Here is a small selection of popular women's calendars.

1. Ovia

This application allows you to fully track your health status. It takes into account not only the monthly cycle, but also your individual characteristics: age, height, weight, sleep quality, amount of exercise, stress level, mood swings during the day, and so on. As a result, the date of ovulation is predicted quite accurately.

Download

Price: Free

2. Monthly calendar

Russian-language application with elements of artificial intelligence. The “period calendar” not only tracks the individual characteristics of the body and lifestyle, but also learns itself in the process, remembering exactly how your body reacts to certain life circumstances (stress, moving and flying, increasing or decreasing load, and so on). This allows you to increase the accuracy of forecasts over time.

Download

Price: Free

3. OvuView

The utility uses a wide range of fertility assessment methods: 4 symptomatic methods, 5 methods based on discharge assessment, 3 temperature and 2 calendar methods. The results are presented in the form of a visual and easy-to-understand chart, which shows both fertile and relatively safe days.

Download

Price: Free

Top 5 Free Period Tracking Apps →

How to Calculate Ovulation Physiologically

Accuracy: average.

The task is to track the symptoms that most often accompany ovulation. Here they are:

A change in the amount, color and density of secretions: they become like raw egg whites. This is one of the first clear signs of ovulation-related hormonal changes in the body. Immediately after the completion of the ovulation process, the amount of secretions decreases, they become less noticeable.
Increase in basal (at rest) body temperature by 0.5-1 °C. To keep track of this, get in the habit of taking your temperature every morning.
Swelling and tenderness of the breast.
Slight bloating.
Pulling sensations in the lower abdomen.

The most effective way is to combine the physiological method with the calendar method. In this case, you will know at what period of the cycle it is important to listen to yourself especially carefully.

How to calculate ovulation instrumentally

Accuracy: high.

Ovulation tests are available in pharmacies. They work in much the same way as pregnancy tests, and help to determine exactly whether the hormonal background matches what triggers the release of an egg from the ovaries.

Perfectionist option - ultrasound scan. With the help of an ultrasound machine, the specialist will determine the size of the follicle (“vesicle” in which the egg matures) and will suggest the most likely time for the release of the egg from the ovary. You will have to go through 2 or 3 sessions during the monthly cycle:

On the 7-10th day of the cycle. It allows you to determine the dominant follicle - the one in which a viable egg matures, as well as fix its size.
After 3 days. The uzist will evaluate the growth dynamics of the follicle and give a conclusion on when ovulation is expected.
1 day before or immediately on the day of expected ovulation to confirm the start of the process.

Instrumental studies, unlike other methods, have a high accuracy - more than 80%.

what you need to know about pregnancy, facts about the largest cell in the female body

The egg is the largest and perhaps the most unusual cell in your body. Nevertheless, at school, almost nothing is told about her. Check: suddenly some information was previously unknown to you.

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Women Health

Interesting Facts

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The egg is larger than any other cell in the body, and in addition, it has properties that many do not suspect. We tell the most interesting.

Do not self-medicate! In our articles, we collect the latest scientific data and the opinions of authoritative health experts. But remember: only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe treatment.

Two Scientific Egg Facts You Might Have Forgotten

Types of Eggs

Let's start with the basics. The ovum is a special cell. In the scientific world, there is a whole system of its classification. According to the position of the yolk, the human egg belongs to the acelital type, because it is not present in our cells. In addition, in the process of evolution, people as a species have a very special path of embryonic development, so that the nucleus in human eggs is in the center and therefore they are also considered isolecithal. Among other things, the egg is called so precisely because it looks like an egg and contains parts that are visually similar to it.

Development and structure of the egg

The development of the egg begins with the growth of follicles located in the ovaries. A mature female ovum has a spherical shape and contains the following parts:

Nucleus, from which the division of the egg begins after fertilization
Primary membrane that separates the egg from other cells
Vitelline inclusions
and nourishes the cell)
Polar body (this is where the inactivated X chromosomes are located in the egg, which, in the process of DNA formation, are transferred to the embryo by the mother for dose compensation of genes).

How many eggs are in a woman's body

The maturation of an egg is very different from the development of a spermatozoon. In men, sex cells are constantly being produced, and if, say, a young man behaved badly in April, and then changed his mind and corrected himself, then July spermatozoa may turn out to be quite high-quality. A woman's egg is much more sensitive because it does not renew itself and the entire "set" of germ cells is given out from birth. All the harmful things that you loaded into your body at least at 5, at least at 30 years old, will settle in the body. Remember: every bad habit greatly worsens the quality of the egg and can affect the health of the unborn baby, so you need to take care of yourself.

The number of eggs in a woman is limited, but there are quite a lot of them. When a newborn girl is born, both ovaries contain about two million follicles where the egg lives, as well as her future "sisters" in the form of oocytes. They are all dormant until puberty, but some die before you reach your prime.

By the time of the first menstruation (menarche), only three hundred to four hundred thousand full-fledged eggs remain in the body of the future woman. On average, the reproductive age of a woman is 40-46 years, so from the beginning of menstruation to their cessation, you have to go through about 300-400 menstrual cycles. Approximately the same number of eggs (an average of 1 egg per cycle) will eventually mature in your body and some of them will get a chance to create a new life. At the same time, 2 eggs rarely mature, but if this happens, a woman has a chance to give birth to fraternal twins when pregnancy occurs.

How the egg matures

The mechanics of the process is such that the development of the egg begins in the ovary in a special follicle. At the same time, the egg does not live alone: in the first phase of the menstrual cycle, a small number of follicles begin to actively grow. They release female sex hormones, estrogens, into the blood. The more follicles are included in this race, the more hormones enter the bloodstream and the more noticeable your femininity is. But after ten days, all follicles, except for one, regress. Once this happens, all of them can be written off, except for one - the dominant follicle. He alone continues to grow until the formation of a full-fledged egg.

The dominant follicle grows larger (up to 2 cm in diameter) until it bursts and releases the egg towards the spermatozoon into the fallopian tube, where fertilization can occur. Actually, this moment is called "ovulation" (from the Latin ovum - "egg"). It comes, as a rule, in the middle of the cycle about 14-16 days before menstruation. The release of the egg is accompanied by changes visible on ultrasound: the edges of the burst follicle in the ovary gather like a bud and form a corpus luteum. It is in the second phase of the menstrual cycle that it begins to produce another female sex hormone - progesterone, which is necessary for the maintenance and development of pregnancy.

I see the target! What does the egg cell do in the uterus

No one will allow the egg to swim for a long time and swim far. The egg after ovulation does not live long, so almost immediately it is picked up by the fringes of the fallopian tube and driven into the funnel: then it can only move towards the uterus. The spermatozoon and the egg should meet exactly in the fallopian tube, but this is already the initiative of the spermatozoon: it strives for unity, while the egg itself, not paying attention to the "boyfriend", continues to make its way to the final destination of the journey. Fertilized or not, the egg will get there! After entering the uterus, the egg will already decide what to do next: if the spermatozoon has invaded it, it will begin to settle down, fixing itself in the endometrium - the inner, mucous layer of the uterus: the next 9she (that is, not quite she) will spend months here. If the egg has finished its journey alone, it will send a signal to the corpus luteum and die. The corpus luteum will also cease to function and rejection of the endometrium (menstruation) will begin. At the same time, it is not difficult to calculate how long the egg cell lives. She has 2 days for this whole trip.

How an egg ovulates

Here the scheme is clear: ovulation on average occurs 14 days before menstruation and lasts 48 hours. And just in these 48 hours, conception is most likely - the egg is no longer in the ovary, it moves towards the uterus. But we know that “in general” and “on average” is far from being the case for everyone and not always. Sometimes the circuit gets blocked and stops working. Therefore, one should study not the general rules, but one's native body.
The rhythm of ovulation may change with endocrine diseases, after abortion, childbirth. There are periods without ovulation and ovulation without menstruation. Nursing mothers and menopausal women are often sure that they are not in danger of becoming pregnant. Sometimes this leads to different incidents like “Honey, we are going to have a baby. Again...»
Young mothers should know that the process of egg maturation is inhibited only if the interval between breastfeedings does not exceed three hours during the day and four at night. I decided to rest longer - and that's it, you are at risk. Even women over 50 cannot sleep peacefully. The reproductive function fades away gradually - sometimes the maturation of a "late" egg is possible. European gynecologists are sounding the alarm: a frivolous attitude to contraception is increasingly leading to pregnancy in women after menopause.
2-3 cycles a year without ovulation is the medical norm. Count. If the duration of your cycle is 21-23 days, and your period is 6-7 days, then ovulation occurs immediately after menstruation. Strong love excitement and stress also lead to unexpected results. Additional ovulation may occur. Especially without a permanent partner. And with an irregular menstrual cycle, ovulation and menstruation can coincide in time. All this means that the mathematical calculation of "safe" or "favorable" days is useless and even harmful.

Features of ovulation of the egg

It happens that the leader in the race is not revealed, and at some point all the follicles stop growing. None of them get big enough to burst and help organize the meeting of the egg and sperm. Doctors call it "polycystic ovary syndrome" and consider it the most common cause of infertility. Fortunately, it is now being treated.

There is another side of the coin. The spermatozoon retains its reproductive properties almost twice as long as the egg! Hiding in the nooks and crannies of your reproductive system, he can treacherously wait for her for three or even four days. Therefore, pregnancy sometimes occurs even if sex was on a “safe” day. In this scenario, there is also a risk that the fertilized egg will not reach the uterus and attach itself in the tube, causing an ectopic pregnancy. Therefore, in case of any unusual course of menstruation (delay, scanty discharge), buy a test as soon as possible and contact a gynecologist! First of all, it is necessary to exclude an ectopic pregnancy.

Fertilization of the egg.

The most ancient way to calculate ovulation is calendar. But he's not very reliable. Therefore, mankind has always sought to invent something more convincing.

The first scientific method was the measurement of basal body temperature. Every morning, without getting out of bed (after 6 hours of sleep), you measure the temperature in the rectum. Then you build a graph and see where the flat line grows sharply. This will be the day of ovulation. But in addition to ovarian function, basal temperature is affected by inflammatory diseases, fever, sexual intercourse 3-4 hours before its measurement, alcohol. So the method is as unreliable as it is anti-erotic.
The first ovulation test strips appeared more than 20 years ago. They look and work like pregnancy tests. One strip - no ovulation, two - yes. Sometimes the indicator is a change in color.
Some tests determine the onset of ovulation by saliva. The "answer" is visible through a microscope. The structure of saliva during ovulation is different from that on other days. However, there is a great risk of wishful thinking.
The most reliable ways to "catch" a day favorable for conception is to determine the hormonal background and ultrasound 3-4 days before the expected ovulation of the egg, in general, doctors will help you with this. And we have collected tips that answer the question of how to get pregnant faster.

Egg donation and other times when assisted reproductive technologies are needed

ART - assisted reproductive technologies - is a set of measures applied to people who dream of having children, but do not have the natural opportunity to do so. ART includes IVF, germ cell cryopreservation, egg donation, surrogacy and other methods suitable for both men and women.

Some ladies have to seek the help of reproductive specialists due to physiological characteristics. For example, when your supply of oocytes has dried up and a donor egg is needed. Or when a woman focuses on her career and puts off getting pregnant until she is over 40. In this case, she can pre-freeze the egg, and then return to the issue of childbearing. Also, ART cannot be dispensed with if there is a problem of obstruction of the fallopian tubes or they are absent. IVF usually helps in this situation.

How IVF works

IVF is perhaps the most famous of all reproductive technologies. It is prescribed when a woman does not have fallopian tubes or their obstruction is observed, as well as when other methods have failed.

IVF allows you to achieve the desired pregnancy in almost hopeless cases, but this process is not quick. It consists of the following steps:

Ovarian stimulation and follicle growth monitoring

The essence of this stage is that the ovaries produce as many follicles with eggs as possible in one cycle. It is believed that the younger the patient, the more they will turn out and the better the eggs are formed in the ovaries.

Ultrasound-guided follicle puncture

On the 8-10th day of stimulation, each female egg is ready for puncture and high-quality material is obtained from mature follicles. With stimulation, two eggs, or 3 eggs, can mature. Or maybe 5 eggs, 9or much more. No matter how many there are, they will all be taken away during the puncture and, together with the follicular fluid, will be placed in a special tube.

In vitro fertilization

At this stage, active spermatozoa are added to the eggs in the test tube, where each egg after fertilization lives for another five days.

First day of embryo growth

Hooray! A miracle happened, fertilization happened, but this is only the beginning of the journey. It is on the first day after fertilization that each bad zygote, a fertilized egg, is rejected if it does not pass genetic selection. Each healthy egg contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, the same number as in the sperm. If everything goes right, they unite and a healthy embryo is obtained. If not, the embryo dies.

The next stage is from the second to the fifth day of embryo growth

Doctors continue to observe the division of the egg and evaluate its quality. The division must be even and correct.

Embryo transfer

Approximately on the sixth day after fertilization, the grown embryo is transferred into the uterus of the expectant mother. It usually doesn't hurt at all.

Confirmation of pregnancy

Ten days later, a woman donates blood for hCG to confirm the fact of pregnancy, and two weeks later she does an ultrasound to make sure once again that everything is fine with the embryo.