Ovulation how do i know

As you get close to ovulation, your cervical mucus will become copious, clear and slippery—like egg whites. It stretches between your fingers. Once your discharge becomes scant and sticky again, ovulation is over.

This is a bit fussy, but can be useful to figure out your own unique cycle. You need to take your temperature before getting out of bed each morning with a basal thermometer and then note it on a chart or regular piece of paper more on that here. Changing hormone levels lead to a spike in temperature as you approach ovulation. You are most fertile on the day of the spike and the days leading up to it. The records you keep this month will help you identify your ovulation pattern plan for your next cycle.

About one in five women have pelvic discomfort when they ovulate—anything from a dull ache that lasts a day or two to a sharp twinge. Drugstore kits use urine or your saliva to identify hormone surges that signal ovulation. Read more: How to get pregnant faster How to get your body ready for pregnancy Best sex positions for getting pregnant. It can differ from woman to woman, but there are several common ovulation symptoms you may sense.

Before and during ovulation, hormonal shifts can affect the entire body, prompting ovulation symptoms. Many women will experience those ovulation symptoms for up to five days before ovulation as well as the day of, Pollio says, and they may last for a day after ovulation.

If you can learn to recognize the common signs of ovulation listed below, it could help you predict when ovulation is likely to occur. Cervical mucus changes are one ovulation symptom you may experience. The amount of cervical mucus and what it looks and feels like varies from woman to woman. To test it for ovulation, insert a clean finger into your vagina, remove some of the mucus and then stretch out the secretion between your thumb and finger.

For some women, a more sensitive sense of smell in the latter half of a normal menstruation cycle can be a sign of ovulation. In this fertile phase, your body is primed to be more attracted to the male pheromone androstenone. Some women also report a heightened sense of taste. Tender breasts or sore nipples can be another sign of ovulation, thanks to the rush of hormones entering your body right before and after ovulation.

Some women will experience this tenderness just before ovulation, while others may feel it right after ovulation occurs. A lot of women wonder, can you feel ovulation? And for some, the answer is actually yes—typically as a mild ache or pain in the lower abdomen, usually on one side or the other not the same side each time.

So what are ovulation pains like? Called Mittelschmerz, ovulation pain can feel like a sharp or dull cramp on the side of your abdomen where the ovary is releasing the egg. This ovulation side effect can last anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours.

You might also experience light vaginal bleeding, discharge or nausea along with the ache or pain, which is usually mild and short lived. But if ovulation pain is persistent or severe, see a doctor to rule out conditions such as endometriosis or an ovarian cyst.

Moore suggests monitoring and recording your ovulation symptoms every month to get a sense of what is normal for your body, so you can more easily spot any abnormal ovulation signs and symptoms. Many women wonder whether ovulation pain is a sign of fertility. Brown discharge or spotting during ovulation is normal, if not that common. This ovulation symptom can occur when the follicle that surrounds and protects the developing oocyte, or egg, matures, grows and then ruptures, resulting in a small amount of bleeding.

As blood gets older, it turns brown, which is why the ovulation discharge may range from red to dark brown. A change in libido is another common ovulation symptom. During ovulation, your cervix may become higher, softer and more open. In many women with a regular cycle, right before ovulation the cervix will be softer, like touching your lips, but after ovulation it will feel harder, more like touching the tip of your nose.

An OB can also check for cervical changes using a speculum and help give you more guidance on how to do it at home. Nausea and headaches are two possible ovulation side effects due to the change in your estrogen and progesterone levels.

While you may not actually feel this symptom, it can still be a sign of ovulation. As mentioned above, your basal body temperature will rise during ovulation and stay elevated during that time. Ovulation usually happens about halfway through your menstrual cycle, about 14 days before the first day of your next period, but the exact time can vary.

Although signs that you are about to ovulate can be subtle, there are some things you can pay attention to and track over time to help you predict your fertile window. Noticing how your vaginal secretions change during your menstrual cycle is the basis of the Billings ovulation method.

Around the time of ovulation, you may notice your secretion is clear, stretchy and slippery — similar to egg whites. After ovulation, when the chances of becoming pregnant drop, the secretion tends to become cloudy and thick, or disappear entirely.

The time when you are most fertile is 2 to 3 days before the rise in temperature. There may be other signs that you are near the time of ovulation, such as mild abdominal cramps, breast tenderness or increased sex drive. Ovulation calendars are available on websites such as www.

Home ovulation predictor kits are available from pharmacies. You use the kit a few days before your predicted ovulation day, to test for a rise in the level of a hormone called luteinising hormone LH in your urine. A positive result indicates you will ovulate within the next 24 to 36 hours. A blood test, which your doctor can order, can also detect ovulation by measuring levels of the hormone progesterone.

If you are trying to get pregnant, there are also a number of other things you should consider, such as taking folate , maintaining a healthy diet and making sure your vaccinations are up to date. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Read more on Your Fertility website. Today people often leave plans for pregnancy until later in their adult lives. This is different to previous generations. Women are naturally more fertile in their 20s than their 30s but women are more often having children when they are aged years old.

Get your timing right Your window of opportunity to fall pregnant each month is small. Family Planning NSW provides reproductive and sexual health services, including information and health promotion activities, as well as education and training. Family Planning NSW recognises the need to promote and protect the reproductive and sexual health and rights of people with disability.