Ovulation is an integral part of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Though it occurs about midway in the cycle, which begins on the first day of a woman’s period, it affects the entire cycle. However, ovulation can be split into an accelerated time of activity before an egg is released from an ovary, and a time of deceleration, after the egg or ovum is released.
As a woman begins her period, her body is in the follicular phase of ovulation. The body, or more specifically, the hypothalamus gland, recognizes this pre-ovulation state and releases hormones to the pituitary gland. On receiving these signals, the pituitary gland produces a hormone called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), which will allows follicles in an ovary to start maturing into an egg.
During ovulation, generally only one egg is released. Even though several follicles along the ovaries may begin to mature, only one ovum actually will be released during ovulation. The rest of the stimulated follicles simply disintegrate.
Once the follicles have produced a fully mature ovum, estrogen is released into the body. This signal that the body is ready to ovulate must be met by a hormone response from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. They in turn release luteinizing hormone, which causes the egg’s release.
The release of estrogen and of luteinizing hormone during ovulation tends to result in some women experiencing pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). Women may also have cramping during ovulation, or notice a bit of spotting. The body temperature does rise slightly during this time period, and vaginal mucus becomes thicker.
Once the ovum is released and travels down one of the fallopian tubes, ovulation is complete and the body enters the luteal phase of the menstrual period. Estrogen and luteinizing hormone levels drop, but the body begins to produce progesterone. The uterus is lined with a thickened material that assists in egg implantation.
As progesterone is released, this lining will essentially thicken a bit more. However, the body also recognizes when the ovum in ovulation is not fertilized and dissolves. Unfertilized ova tend to live for about 24 hours after ovulation has occurred. Some 12-16 days after ovulation, this lining will be shed from the body at the beginning of a woman’s next menstrual cycle.
Though ovulation can sometimes occur on a predictable schedule, this is not always the case. Stress or illness can delay or force early ovulation, which can cause either late or early periods. Adding to the difficulty to pinpoint exact time of ovulation and the window of fertility, it is important to note that male sperm can live for several days in the uterus. Pregnancy can occur if sexual intercourse takes place two to four days before ovulation, and at least a day after ovulation.
Unlike the male sperm, a woman is born with all her immature egg cells. Male sperm, on the other hand, is manufactured on a rather constant basis. Lastly, though young women may not be aware of this, it is possible to get pregnant without ever having experienced one’s first menstruation. The cycle to mature an egg follicle and thus produce ovulation will occur before a woman has her first period.
Women trying to get pregnant often become frustrated when they miss their period but have a negative pregnancy test. What most don't realize is that when trying to conceive the single most important information is finding out if and when ovulation happens.
Ovulation is when the egg is ejected from the ovary. If you miss your period and you know if and when ovulation happened then there are only 2 possibilities:
You are not pregnant and your period comes 15 or so days later
You are pregnant and your period does not come 15+ days later
But if you don't know whether and when ovulation happened then you don't know when your period is supposed to come. Women who don't ovulate usually do not get their periods or they have irregular spotting and bleeding.
The most fertile days are the 1-2 days before ovulation and the day after ovulation. If after ovulation it is unlikely to get you pregnant.
There are several ways to find out if and when you ovulate. If you have a very regular menstrual cycle then having a fertility or ovulation calculator and calendar may be helpful.
Some methods of finding out when you ovulate can be easily done at home, while others require more sophisticated testing.
When trying to get pregnant the #1 information to know about is The "BIG O" (ovulation). It is essential to find out with enough certainty whether and when you ovulate.
Your chances of getting pregnant each month are 20-25% more if all of the following conditions are met:
You ovulate (you should monitor your body to ensure you ovulate)
You had marital intercourse during the 4-5 fertile days
Your fallopian tubes are open
Your chances decrease significantly if one or more of these conditions are not met.
If you are pregnant than a pregnancy test is usually positive 15+ days after ovulation. That's why knowing the exact day of ovulation is crucial in improving your chances of getting pregnant.
Making sure that you ovulate and finding out exactly when you ovulate will very likely improve your chances of getting pregnant. That's why checking ovulation signs and symptoms is crucial, especially when taking Clomid.
Trying to figure out when you're fertile? Here's how to pin down the days that you are ovulating.
1. Check the calendar: Ovulation most often occurs halfway through your menstrual cycle — the average cycle lasts 28 days, counting from the first day of one period (day one) to the first day of the next period. But as with everything pregnancy-related, there's a wide range of normal here (anywhere from 23 to 35 days), and your own cycle may vary slightly from month to month. By keeping a menstrual calendar for a few months, you can get an idea of what's normal for you. (When you become pregnant, this calendar will come in handy to get a better estimate of your baby's due date!) If your periods are irregular, you'll need to be even more alert for other signs of ovulation, so read on.
2. Listen to your body: If you're like 20 percent of women, your body will send you a memo when it's ovulating, in the form of a twinge of pain or a series of cramps in your lower abdominal area (usually localized to one side — the side you're ovulating from). Called mittelschmerz — German for "middle pain" — this monthly reminder of fertility is thought to be the result of the maturation or release of an egg from an ovary. Pay close attention, and you may be more likely to get the message.
3. Chart your temperature: That is, your basal body temperature, or BBT. Taken with a special thermometer (a basal body thermometer), your BBT is the baseline reading you get first thing in the morning, after at least three to five hours of sleep and before you get out of bed, talk, or even sit up. Your BBT changes throughout your cycle as fluctuations in hormone levels occur. During the first half of your cycle, estrogen dominates. During the second half of your cycle (once ovulation has occurred), there is a surge in progesterone. Progesterone increases your body temperature as it gets your uterus ready for a fertilized, implantable egg. Which means that in the first half of the month, your temperature will be lower than it is in the second half of the month, after ovulation. Confused? Here's the bottom line: Your BBT will reach its lowest point at ovulation and then rise immediately and dramatically (about a half a degree) as soon as ovulation occurs. Keep in mind that charting your BBT for one month will not enable you to predict the day you ovulate but rather give you evidence of ovulation after it has occurred. Charting your BBT over a few months, however, will help you to see a pattern to your cycles, enabling you to predict when ovulation will occur in future months — and when to hop into bed accordingly.
4. Buy an ovulation predictor kit. Ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) are able to pinpoint your date of ovulation 12 to 24 hours in advance by looking at levels of luteinizing hormone, or LH, which is the last of the hormones to hit its peak before ovulation actually occurs. All you have to do is pee on a stick and wait for the indicator to tell you whether you're about to ovulate.
Another option is a saliva test, which takes a peek at levels of estrogen in your saliva as ovulation nears. When you're ovulating, a look at your saliva under the test's eyepiece will reveal a microscopic pattern that resembles the leaves of a fern plant or frost on a windowpane. Not all women get a good "fern," but this test, which is reusable, can be cheaper than those sticks you have to pee on. There are also devices that detect the numerous salts (chloride, sodium, potassium) in a woman's sweat, which change during different times of the month. Called the chloride ion surge, this shift happens even before the estrogen and the LH surge, so these tests give a woman a four-day warning of when she may be ovulating, versus the 12-to-24-hour one that the standard pee-on-a-stick OPKs provide. The key to success in using this latest technology is to make sure to get an accurate baseline of your ion levels (currently, there's a device on the market that needs to be worn on the wrist for at least six continuous hours to get a proper baseline). No OPK can guarantee that you will get pregnant or that you're actually ovulating; they can only indicate when ovulation may be occurring.