Ovulation symptoms: How to know if you’re ovulating
Did you know that you can track your cycle — and navigate your fertile window — by monitoring your body or using at-home tools? The techniques below will benefit you whether you’re trying to get pregnant or just want to better understand your cycle.
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Timing is everything — and this saying is especially true when you’re trying to conceive. Many people don’t realize that pregnancy can occur only during a period of time called the “fertile window” surrounding ovulation. For women with 28-day menstrual cycles, this represents about six days of their cycle.
In a report published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, only 27 percent of American women ages 20 to 45 years old were able to accurately state when the fertile days of their cycle occur. Knowing when you’re ovulating can help you understand your body and identify the time frame when conception may occur.
What is ovulation?
A critical part of the reproductive process, ovulation is the term for when a mature egg is released from the ovary into the fallopian tube. Shortly after release, a pregnancy can happen if the egg is fertilized by sperm.
When does ovulation occur?
The menstrual cycle (sometimes called the “ovulation cycle”) can be divided into four phases. The menses phase starts on the first day of your period (day 1), followed by the follicular phase, then ovulation and finally the luteal phase. Ovulation typically occurs around day 14 of a 28-day cycle. If you’re trying to get a sense of your cycle, tracking these days in an ovulation calendar can help.
How long does ovulation last?
When it comes to conception, the window of ovulation is very important, says Meredith Snook, MD, assistant professor and associate program director for the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh. As the shortest phase of the menstrual cycle, ovulation typically lasts just one day. “Once the egg is released, it can be fertilized for only up to 12 to 24 hours,” says Dr. Snook.
Can you get pregnant when you aren’t ovulating?
While it’s possible to become pregnant at any time in the fertile phase, if you’re trying to conceive, Dr. Snook suggests that it’s best to time intercourse the day before and the day of ovulation. If you are trying not to conceive, you can similarly map out the least fertile days of your cycle — but note that this method of contraception has been found to be one of the least effective, and it can lead to as many as 1 in 4 women becoming pregnant during the first year they use it.
Signs of ovulation
1. Rise in body temperature
After ovulation, your basal body temperature (the temperature of your body at rest) increases as the ovary starts producing the hormone progesterone. The change is slight — typically 0.5°F (0.3°C) or less — so you won’t necessarily break a sweat, but the uptick can be detected with a thermometer that accurately measures temperatures to at least a tenth of a degree.
“You can measure your basal body temperature first thing in the morning before you get out of bed,” says Stephen M. Scott, MD, MPH, FACOG, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. He says, however, that body temperature isn’t a great way to time intercourse with the intention of getting pregnant “because you’ve already ovulated by the time the progesterone causes your body temperature to rise.”
2. Breast swelling or tenderness
If you’ve noticed a change in how your chest feels for a few days each month, you’re not alone. For many women, hormonal changes surrounding ovulation create tenderness in the breasts. Ahead of ovulation, your body begins to produce more estrogen, and one of the symptoms of ovulation can be tender, tight breasts that might be sore to the touch. “Progesterone released right afterward stimulates cells in the breast tissue to divide, adding to the tenderness through swelling,” says Dr. Scott.
3. Increased sex drive
A number of factors play into your libido, and your menstrual cycle is most certainly one of them. Studies show that women often experience stronger sexual desires in the days leading up to ovulation.
4. Mild pelvic pain or cramping
During ovulation, cells surrounding the egg nourish it with secretions that form a cyst, says Dr. Scott. At the moment of ovulation, the cyst pops, releasing a mature egg that can be picked up by one of the fallopian tubes and fertilized. “Some women are acutely aware of sensations in their pelvis and are able to feel a ‘twinge’ when the ovary releases an egg,” says Jennifer Kawwass, MD, division director and medical director of the Emory Reproductive Center in Atlanta. This twinging or cramping is known as “mittelschmerz” or ovulation pain.
5. Light spotting
You may notice a bit of blood as well. When the cyst around the egg bursts, the fluid released may also cause light spotting in some cases.
6. Change in discharge
“Many women track ovulation or try to predict it by monitoring changes in their cervical discharge,” says Dr. Snook. A few days before and at ovulation, high estrogen levels change the consistency of cervical mucus (fluid released from the cervix), making it more slippery, stretchy and clear — “an egg white consistency.” Dr. Snook says, “This hallmark of ovulation allows for ease of sperm passage through the cervix and helps serve as a reservoir for sperm until ovulation.”
7. Luteinizing hormone surge
If you’re having trouble decoding ovulation symptoms like breast tenderness and discharge, there’s an at-home test that can give you more certainty, and it involves pinning down the moment of the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. This hormone plays a critical role in ovulation, triggering the release of the egg from the ovary. A day or two before ovulation, LH is released in a rush known as the LH surge.
How do ovulation tests work?
“When LH in the blood is high, it is also found in high levels in the urine,” says Dr. Snook, and may be detected with an at-home test. If your menstrual cycle is typically 25 to 30 days, you would start testing around day 11 of your cycle.
Tests, such as the CVS Health Daily Ovulation Predictor, let you look for an LH surge by seeing when a test line turns darker than the control. Ovulation kits, such as Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Test, Predictor Kit, help to remove the guesswork with a digital reading, while also monitoring estrogen, another hormone level that rises in the days leading up to the fertile window.
While all signs of ovulation are helpful to understand, Dr. Snook recommends at-home LH testing if you’re trying to conceive. “There is evidence that tracking your cycle can help shorten the time to pregnancy,” she says. “Also, a tracker may reveal that someone is not ovulating regularly, which should prompt an evaluation with an OB-GYN [obstetrician-gynecologist] or fertility physician.”
*This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult with your health care provider before taking any vitamins or supplements, and prior to beginning or changing any health care practices.