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How do I know when I’m ovulating?

Am I Ovulating?

Two things are required to be able to get pregnant: first, you need to be ovulating or releasing eggs, and second, you need to be having unprotected copulation at the time you are ovulating. When the ovary ovulates, you want sperms to have already been placed in the fallopian tubes so that they are ready to fertilise the egg.

While it is essential to know whether or not you are ovulating, it is just as important to know whether or not you have ovulated. In the reproductive process, an egg matures within a woman’s body each month and is then released from one of her ovaries for ovulation to occur.

It is around this time of ovulation that a woman is most fertile. The five-day period before the onset of the egg’s release is the most fertile. The egg or ova then moves to the fallopian tube, where it meets a sperm cell that fertilises it. Sperm cells survive in the female reproductive tract for a few days, as they expect to meet up with a released, hoping to meet up with an egg already released. At the same time, the egg will only remain viable for 24 hours once a person ovulates. Therefore, the window for fertilisation to occur is smaller. However, there is no definite duration for releasing ova by the ovary and their collection by the fallopian tube, but this happens after the release of the Luteinising hormone.

After this, the fertilised egg then moves down into the uterus, where the zygote forms. This process typically occurs midway into the female menstrual cycle. This period could be about 14 days into the monthly cycle. However, this is not always the case since there are instances where the cycle could take 35 or 23 days. The same variance also happens in terms of individual cycles and ovulation times in different months.

The typical age for the onset of ovulation in women is between the ages of 10 and 15. The period at which ovulation stops in women begins around 50 and declines due to menopause. Knowing when you are most likely to ovulate is not tricky. Once people identify the symptoms usually sought after, the ease of recognising the process is often surprising to most of them. Fertility is not an easily achieved goal for everyone, but most people appreciate knowing when it is peaked, especially to conceive.

Signs of Ovulation

Therefore, what are some signs to look out for when intending to know if the process has occurred?

First, there is a slight fluctuation of a person’s body temperature, which ultimately rises again. Second, the mucus found in the cervix becomes more transparent and less thick. It also gains some consistent slipperiness. Third, the cervix becomes much softer and begins to open up. Another sign is the mild abdominal cramps experienced in the lower stomach region. People may also experience increased sexual urges than in regular times. The swelling look of the vagina follows this sign.

What are some of the symptoms people need to look out for when making predictions about their ovulation cycle?

What Are Some of the Ways People Know Whether They Are Ovulating?

 1. Using a Calendar to Track Ovulation

This method has proven to be effective in most instances. Some people may prefer tracking days in a menstrual cycle using a calendar for some months to understand their cycles. Alternatively, they could use specific tools to assist them in calculating their ovulation schedules. However, people with irregular periods may need to be better aware of ovulation symptoms since the process might start unexpectedly for them.

 2. Using Ovulation Tests

This method of identifying whether ovulation has begun or taken place utilises a device similar to at-home pregnancy kits. This device is known as the ovulation predictor kit. It operates by testing urine samples from a person. The urine is often collected by urinating onto the stick or into a cup and then inserting the test strip or stick into it. A couple of lines then appear on the device. If the control line is less dark than the test line, a positive test is then said to have occurred. This result indicates a higher likelihood of ovulation occurring—this method tracks ovulation for most people.

 3. Checking the Position of the Cervix

Metaphorically, the birth canal is similar to a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is where the cervix is situated. It usually changes its position throughout a menstrual cycle. People can track its different parts to understand when their ovulation occurs. A few days ahead of ovulation, it shifts to a higher position. At that point, it becomes difficult to feel and reach it. It also becomes soft when you touch it. This occurrence follows the cervix opening up slightly. It also shifts to a lower position, closes itself, and feels rigid when the person is not in the fertile period of their menstrual cycle.

 4. Checking your Cervical Mucus

The years when trying for a baby was far from you mind, did you wonder what that white discharge was? The sensation of feeling wet? Well this is mother nature informing  you of your fertile state.  Your cervix will produce mucus dependent on hormonal changes during your cycle. Sperm cells depend on fertile mucus for their survival and ability to reach and fertilise the egg.  When vaginal sensation is dry and you have sticky, crusty, thick and creamy mucus this would mean you have non fertile mucus. It will form a plug at the cervix and prevent sperm from entering.  As your cycle progresses into pre-ovulation and ovulation, your cervix gets higher, it will feel soft and will be open. It produces a mucus like an egg white slippery consistency and you’ll feel much wetter. This fertile mucus has vertical channels which assists the sperm to reach and fertilise the egg. It will nourish and protect the sperm for 3-5 days, this is your fertile window. The Billings Ovulation Method® is a fantastic way to track your cervical mucus. 

 5. Tracking the Body’s Temperature

The body’s basal temperature is measured using unique basal body thermometers. It refers to the final reading people get when they wake up, at the end of at minimum three to five hours of sleep, and immediately after waking up in the morning.

The body’s basal temperature fluctuates throughout the menstrual cycle due to the fluctuations in hormone levels. Just ahead of the occurrence of ovulation, estrogen levels are high. Progesterone production is at a higher level during the second half of the cycle.

There is an increase in body temperature as the uterus is prepared to develop a fertilised ova. This change indicates that a person’s body temperature is lower before ovulation occurs. Therefore, it reaches low levels before ovulation, before quickly rebounding once ovulation has occurred. It is essential to know that a basal body temperature chart for a given month does not predict the day a person ovulates but rather confirms whether the process has already occurred. This method enables people to visualise their menstrual cycle in a better way. They can then track patterns and predict their fertile days. However, a significant number of women are frustrated by this approach. It is crucial to note that scientific works have proven that ovulation varies for individual women when their basal body temperature dips.

Summary

Understanding what is happening with your body’s reproductive system is essential to getting pregnant. Working out presence of the normal and the absence of the abnormal can help recognise and interpret the natural signs of fertility and infertility.

It is a very effective way of achieving pregnancy naturally.

So what has tracking ovulation got to do with me if I’m having IVF treatment?

You have most likely been through the tracking your cycle phase prior to IVF treatment but some women are still in the dark about ovulation and the signs. This is a great way of getting to know your body and making you feel empowered to keep yourself healthy.

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