Signs of Ovulation

Everything you need to know!

Ovulation is the period of the menstrual cycle where an egg is released from the ovary, is pushed through the fallopian tube where it is available to sperm to be fertilized. A woman's ovulation is very important to understand pregnancy and your menstrual cycle. Knowing when you are ovulating is helpful when trying to become pregnant as well as important to figure out when to test to see if you are pregnant.

There are a few signs of ovulation that you can look out for when trying to figure out what day of your cycle starts your ovulation.

One of the more popular and easiest ways is to count days. For the average woman, ovulation occurs 14 days BEFORE the first day of the woman's period. This time period (14 days) is actually a pretty good indicator of when your ovulation has begun and does not usually vary that much between women. That being said, it is hard to indicate when your next ovulation will occur since the period between your period and next ovulation can vary tremendously between women and even between cycles. Counting days is a very "retrospective" indicator.

Another sign of ovulation can be seen through the consistency of your cervical mucus. Cervical Mucus Monitoring is one of the most instant ways to indicate whether or not you are ovulating. You can test your cervical secretions by gathering a sample of the mucus around the outer lips of your genitalia. To test, place the discharge between your index finger and thumb and stretch, to observe its consistency. Cervical Mucus can change in consistency after menstruation, right before ovulation, during ovulation and after ovulation. Taking a look at this consistency is a sure way to predict where you are in your cycle.

At the beginning of your cycle, the days after menstruation, most women usually do not have any cervical mucus to test and may feel dry around their vulva. This is the time period where woman are less likely to become pregnant.

As you move on through your cycle discharge will start to appear that should be white or off-white in color. As you move through this period before ovulation your discharge will begin to become more "substantial" in consistency, so that when you place it between your finger and thumb and stretch, it will not "break" right away.

During ovulation your cervical mucus will be more opaque in color (resembling egg whites) and can be pulled a couple centimeters as you are testing without breaking. This is also a period of a woman's cycle when this discharge is actually very abundant. When the cervical mucus is most substantial and most abundant a woman is said to be at her peak of the ovulation period (the highest chance for pregnancy).

After ovulation, your discharge will move back into a state similar to before ovulation and makes its way back to a dry state similar to right after your menstruation. Once this happens you should be very close to your next period.

Another sign of ovulation is your rise of your basal body temperature. Although this is also a "retrospective" indicator it is a very good predictor. Just after ovulation your temperature should rise about 0.4-0.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will stay risen until the end of your cycle. Your temperature will rise up and down throughout your cycle; however the steep increase after your ovulation is the indicator of your ovulation. After mapping your temperature for a few cycles, you can begin to predict when your ovulation will begin.

Other signs of ovulation that may occur might include: increase in sex drive, breast tenderness, abdominal bloating, heightened senses and an elevated level of LH (luteinizing hormone) which you can indicate through ovulation kits.