Did you know that you can only get pregnant by having intercourse within a short window in every cycle? And most women know nothing about this window. In a survey, only 31% of women asked were aware of their fertility signs.
When does ovulation occur?
Ovulation does not occur at the same time for every woman. When you ovulate depends mostly on the length of your cycle, but other factors can come into play too. That is why it is so important to learn the signs of ovulation.
Why is ovulation so important?
In order for you to get pregnant, your body must release a mature egg for sperm to penetrate. This process is called ovulation, and it only occurs for a short period of time during each cycle. So when you are trying to conceive, you must have sex during the days leading up to, and including ovulation (your fertile window).
Once you know the 12 signs and symptoms of ovulation, planning a pregnancy becomes much easier. Having sex in your fertile window does not guarantee pregnancy, but it can really boost your odds.
Here are some of the common signs of ovulation:
- Positional and Other Changes of the Cervix – When you are most fertile, your cervix changes position and texture, and it opens up. This is referred to as SHOW, which stands for Soft, High, Open and Wet, a good description of your fertile cervix. You can feel these with your finger, but it is good to get a read on your cervix outside of your fertile window too, so you can notice a difference. When you are not fertile, your cervix will be feel firm, low, closed and dry.
- Cervical Mucus Changes – Cervical mucus will change from dry and/or non-existent to thick and the consistency of egg whites, called egg white cervical mucus or EWCM, when you are most fertile. In the days leading up to ovulation (your fertile window), cervical mucus will become sticky, then creamy before you’ll notice EWCM. You may see cervical mucus when you wipe in the bathroom or you may need to insert a clean finger into the vagina to check.
- Temperature Changes – After you ovulate, your basal body temperature (BBT) will increase by 0.05 to 1.0 degrees Fahrenheit. BBT is your body’s lowest temperature, attained each day during sleep. The best way to identify this change is to take your BBT every morning; as soon as you wake, and keep a chart or log. Your BBT will remain higher after ovulation through to the end of your cycle. In order to use this method to track ovulation, you must track for more than one cycle. The pattern you detect will help you predict when you will ovulate in your next cycle.
Less Common Symptoms
Some women experience other symptoms while ovulating that include tender breasts, cramping pain on one side of the abdomen, bloating and more.
– Author Phil Druce launched Ovulation Calculator after a personal family battle to get pregnant. The website aims to provide the necessary tools and educational resources for those couples hoping to achieve a safe and healthy pregnancy.