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So what is ovulation?
Every month, your body goes through a rhythmical cycle that is quite miraculous. On Day 1 of your period, your estrogen and progesterone levels are low, which stimulates the pituitary gland to produce FSH, or follicle stimulating hormone. FSH stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles, the fluid-filled sacs that contain your eggs.
The follicle releases estrogen to thicken the uterine lining in preparation for a potential pregnancy… it’s creating a cozy environment for your baby. Estrogen levels peak around ovulation, which triggers your pituitary gland to release LH or Luteinizing Hormone. LH tells your body to release usually one egg (or two if you have a propensity for twins) from your ovary and you have now just ovulated.
In most women, this ovulation phenomenon only happens once a month, which means fertility has a limited window. Ovulation lasts for about 24 hours, but the sperm has about a 6 day window when fertilization can occur.
For a mama with a consistent 28 day cycle, ovulation would typically occur at day 14, making your fertile window from days 11 to 16. If your cycle is shorter or longer, subtract or add days to figure out your general window. Because sperm lives for several days, you can get pregnant several days before you ovulate. In fact, almost all of my pregnancies occurred on day 11 of my cycle.
You also want to watch for signs of ovulation. Here are the most common things to look out for:
Increased cervical mucus: This is one of the biggest giveaways, your cervical mucus will change throughout your cycle. For example, right after your period, it will dry up and be almost non-existence. However, as your body prepares to go into ovulation, your cervical mucus will start becoming more copious. When you are most fertile, your secretions will resemble raw egg white and be stretchy. This stage can last a few days to up to 5 days depending on various factors.
Heightened senses: Our bodies become more attracted to the male pheromone androstenone and our nose is on the lookout. It is very primal. Some women also notice an increased sense of taste and vision as some of the hallmark signs of ovulation.
Libido changes: Since the body is telling your brain that it’s time to make a baby, some women experience an increase in sex drive. The high levels of estrogen and testosterone tell your body you’re fertile and you may have a strong urge to procreate.
Ovulation pain: When the egg makes its descent toward anticipated fertilization, some women can feel a dull, achy feeling in the pelvic floor or lower abdomen that lasts a couple of hours.
Your body temperature changes: Some women like to track their temperature to detect ovulation. Right before you ovulate, your temperature will drop and then it will increase about ½ to 1 degree higher than normal after ovulation. This is the body’s response to rising progesterone levels that occur post ovulation.
Spotting or bleeding: Although uncommon, one of the signs of ovulation is bleeding. As the body’s estrogen drops slightly, the uterine lining decreases somewhat, which can cause a little bleeding. This shouldn't be confused with implantation bleeding, that occurs about five days after ovulation.
Sensitive breasts:Even if you don’t get pregnant, you can have sore breasts during the week or two leading up to your period as a PMS symptom. Mammary cells and alveoli multiply in the breast tissue to prepare for a potential pregnancy during ovulation.
Bloating: The rise in estrogen during ovulation can cause water retention in the body. As a result, some women experience abdominal bloating and even swelling in fingers or feet as one of the signs of ovulation.
Nausea and headaches: Some women will have headaches or nausea during ovulation. These are due to the sharp and rapid changes in your sex hormones. For women with good hormonal balance, these unpleasant symptoms aren’t as likely.
Cervix position changes: Normally the cervix will be lower in the vaginal canal, feel more closed, and hard like the tip of your nose. During ovulation, however, the cervix ripens and becomes higher, softer and more open. It will instead feel like your earlobe or lips.
So, there you have all you need to know about ovulation. If you still feel stumped on when your fertile window is, you can buy some ovulation test strips. You simply pee on the stick and it will let you know when you are fertile. You can find those online or at your local drug store.
