When Do You Ovulate – All the Myths and Facts of Ovulation

When Do You Ovulate

Every woman feels the fear of an unexpected pregnancy once in their life. It is important for you to know when do you ovulate to be sure of if you are or aren’t pregnant. There might have been times when you have waited for your periods for more a couple of days but it hasn’t arrived. It isn’t necessary that you’re pregnant, but it also doesn’t determine you’re not. What do you do in such cases? You need to know the exact time you ovulate, in order to be sure of what to expect and what not to.

During every monthly cycle, couples who don’t use measures of birth control can have 25% to 30% chances of a pregnancy. It can change depending on circumstances, physical compatibility, and a lot of other things. But you need to be aware of such possibilities so you can get pregnant or prevent it.

It is surprising how ovulation happens within a span of 12 hours to 24 hours, from the time you have sexual intercourse. The small window opens during the viable timespan and carries ahead the process of fertilization.

Does it not sound like an opening? Well, the sperm is able to sustain and fertilize only when an egg is hanging out. This happens anywhere between three and six days during the span of ovulation. To understand this, you need to know when do you ovulate. Clearly, even having sex a few days before the ovulation date, there can be lots of sperms around to meet the egg. This can happen before the egg reaches the fallopian tube to make you pregnant. It is important to understand that you only need one male sperm to get you a baby.

Having sex on the day when you ovulate is perfect for conceiving. After that day, the window closes until the following cycle. So, once you know when do you ovulate, you will be able to plan your pregnancy. Here, we will take you through all the details you need to know about ovulation. It will help you plan or prevent pregnancy depending on the goals you and your partner have.

What is an ovulation?

The process of ovulation is releasing a grown egg from anyone ovary and it happens each month. Women are most fertile during the span of her ovulation, so that’s also when they have the highest chances of pregnancy.

When do women generally ovulate?

Ovulation generally happens halfway through a menstrual cycle. On the average, it happens around 14 days from the end of your menstrual cycle. If you have a healthy cycle and get your period 28-day apart, you can start counting from that day and onwards. To know when do you ovulate, you need to take account of the initial day of your period to the next month cycle or the first day of next month. How many days you menstruate can also make a huge impact in this case.

Unfortunately, everything related to your period cycle varies widely. You might have your menstrual anywhere between 23 days to 35 days after the end of one cycle, and it will still be healthy. When this happens, your ovulation cycle will also differ from one month to another. The ovulation lasts anywhere between 12 hours to 24 hours and that’s exactly how long a released egg is viable.

Symptoms of ovulation you must know

Check out some of the most common symptoms of ovulation and be well aware of them:

  • The basal body temperature (BBT) falls suddenly and rises again
  • The cervical mucus tends to become clear, thin and releases a slipper consistency
  • Your cervix becomes soft and opens up
  • There might be a feeling of pain or cramps in the lower abdomen
  • There are higher chances to feel a sex drive
  • You might notice light spotting
  • The vagina or vulva can seem swollen

Ways to predict an ovulation

You need to know when you ovulate in order to predict it – you might need this for preventing pregnancy or to get pregnant. Check out the following points in know how to determine your ovulation day:

1. Use a period calendar

Rather than taking the time to mark dates on your table calendar, download an app that helps you keep track. It will keep telling you what is normal and will help you measure your ovulation period. Many apps give you a notification of your estimated ovulation day depending on the tracking results of more than two months. If you have irregular periods, you need to track your ovulation day all the more.

2. Hear your body out

Most women can analyze the symptoms of ovulation due to a twinging feeling, cramps in the lower abdomen, and an uncomfortable feeling. It is a reminder of your fertility time and your body is probably releasing an egg.

3. Track the temperature

Women trying to get pregnant should get a basal body thermometer to check the temperature. You need to check it right at the beginning of the following morning after a minimum of five-hour sleep. You shouldn’t get up from the bed, sit up, or talk – the first thing you do is take the temperature.

The basal body temperature (BBT) will change although the cycle as there is a lot of fluctuation in hormone level. Right at the first half of the cycle and before ovulation, the estrogen tends to dominate. In the later half or after ovulation, there will be a hike in progesterone level that increases the temperature and gets the uterus ready for an implantable egg.

In such a case, the temperature has to go lower during the initial half of the cycle than it is during the second half. Thus, the BBT reaches the lowest point during ovulation and immediately rises by around half degree when ovulation happens.

You need to understand that you cannot measure the BBT just for a month to determine when do you ovulate. You get an evidence of when it happened after it actually happens. Tracking it for three to four months will give you a proper pattern and predict fertile days.

Birth control bassal body temperature

4. Know all about the cervix

The process of ovulation isn’t hidden, you need to know your body in order to understand it. When your body goes through a sudden shift in the hormones it indicates that the egg is going to release by the ovary. One way to detect ovulation is by understanding the condition of cervix. At the beginning of your cycle, the neck-like part between uterus and vagina is low, closed, and firm. But when the ovulation time approaches, it tends to pull back, soften up, and open slightly to allow a sperm to go through to meet the desired target. Most women tend to feel this, while others miss the signs. You need to check the cervix every day by using your fingers.

You can also keep a watch over the mucus that you’d notice like a discharge. It carries sperms of the ovum inside of you. When the period is over, you will feel dry with no signs of mucus. As your cycle comes closer, you will find a rise in the level of mucus and a cloudy appearance. The mucus becomes copious as you go near to ovulation period. It becomes thin, clear, and slippery. This is one more sign that tells you if you’re ovulating or not.

Once the process of ovulation is over, it starts becoming dry again and develops a thick discharge. When you put together signs from BBT, cervical condition, and mucus, you will be able to know the exact ovulation day. All of these are interrelated, and all you need to do is keep a tab on all of them.

5. Use a predictor kit

Not everyone wants to touch the mucus and determine ovulation. What do you do if you’re one of them and still what to know when do you ovulate? There are many women who use an ovulation predictor kit that identifies the date of ovulation that is 12-24 hours beforehand by checking the luteinizing hormone (LH) – it the last hormone to hit the peak before you ovulate. You simply need to pee on the given stick and check the indicator to predict if you’re going to ovulate at that time or not.

One more option is getting a saliva test and that means measuring estrogen levels with the help of your saliva. When women ovulate, the test determines patterns of fern leaves to exhibit the condition it is in. Not every woman has the exact fern-like pattern, but you can always return for another test.

There are machines that can determine content of salt in a woman’s sweat that varies during their cycles. It is known as the rise of chloride ion and the shift happens before estrogen and LH surge. It is perfect for women to know the days they are exactly ovulating and also the time when they will go through the 12-hour to 24-hour notice.

When do you have more chances to conceive?

The fertile window is the span of time when a woman can ovulate. It majorly depends on the menstrual cycle that varies for every woman. The fertile window happens to be the day when an egg is released from either of the two ovaries. If you have had unprotected sex during that time, you have a high chance of getting pregnant.

You might be thinking why does this happen, and why can you not get pregnant any other time. Both the egg and the potential sperm are alive for a short span of time. Sperms can be active for five days, while eggs can get fertilized only within 24 hours since release. Both the egg and the sperm have to come close to each other during that span of time to make an embryo. This is why couples trying to have a baby, have to go through sexual intercourse quite a few times during the ovulation period.

A common myth that scares women is that they can get pregnant any time of the month. This isn’t true at all. Women can only conceive within a few days before, after, or on the date of ovulation.

pregnancy love casal pregnant woman

How does ovulation timing work?

Ovulation happens when one matured egg gets released from the ovary and the egg moves down the fallopian tube. This is where it gets fertilized. If the sperms are already present in the fallopian tube when an egg is released, you have a high chance to get pregnant.

If you have to be specific, you can only get pregnant five days before ovulation day or on the very day. You are most fertile two days before the ovulation day and on the day. If you have sex all through this time, you can get pregnant.

After 24 hours of ovulation, you cannot get pregnant until your next ovulation period. The egg doesn’t remain in the fallopian tube anymore, which is why after that time you can have sex without worrying.

Final thoughts

The best way to know if you are ovulating or not is to keep a track on your cellphone. You can also maintain a diary to see which are the days you’re having periods and when you’re not.

The length of the period matters a lot and also the entire cycle. If it is more than 35 days apart, you must go through a doctor’s checkup. Many women go through conditions like PCOD or health issues that affect the period cycle. It can also leave an impact on your fertility and menstrual health. Thus, along with trying to make a baby or preventing pregnancy, you have to consider overall health. So it is highly recommended that you visit infertility specialists so that if you have any problems or complications, they will assist you in getting the right advice about how to deal with infertility and which fertility treatment procedures are best for you.

Be patient and take good care of your cycles. Women who regularly have sex need to be more cautious about these aspects. You must go through a healthy way of conceiving a child or trying to not have one. No matter what you choose it is important to be healthy and keep yourself safe.

Not knowing when do you ovulate can make you go through an unexpected pregnancy. You might be too early to have a child or not be capable of taking care of one right now. Don’t make your body go through abortion that is not only physically harmful but also mentally painful. Know your menstrual cycle better to understand when you ovulate and how to plan accordingly.