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Pregnancy is possible only if an egg is fertilized, which can only occur during a woman’s ovulation period in her menstrual cycle. By correctly detecting ovulation you can know when your body is the most fertile and able to get pregnant. The following tips should help you know when your body is ovulating.
Look for your Basal Body Temperature to Rise. Take your body temperature every morning at the same time before leaving bed. Your temperature will briefly spike just after ovulation has occurred. This means that an egg has been released from one of your ovaries into the corresponding fallopian tube. You do not have long after your body temperature spikes to conceive, as unfertilized eggs have a life span of only 24 hours before they disintegrate and are absorbed by the woman’s body.
Read your discharged cervical mucus. At the time of ovulation your cervical mucus will change to be wet, slippery and to look like egg whites. Mucus begins to change just before ovulation, so if you monitor your discharge diligently you should notice a change just before you ovulate.
Observe your cervix. Some women take to monitoring their cervix directly. You will need a plastic speculum, a mirror and a flashlight. When observing your cervix you will see the center open up when ovulation is about to occur. The cervical opening will also be heavily coated with mucus. There are books to help guide you in knowing what to look for when observing your cervix and what it should look like during ovulation.
Notice Pain Near Your Ovaries. Some women feel a sharp pain or a dull ache on their side above the ovaries when ovulating. This pain is feeling the sensation of an egg being released into the fallopian tube.
Detect Possible Spotting. Some women experience spotty bleeding as if they are having a very light period when they ovulate. If this happens to you then it is very easy to detect when you are ovulating.
Use Ovulation Tests. One of the most affective ways to detect ovulation is to use ovulation tests. You expose a sample of your urine to a test strip and wait for a few minutes while it analyzes hormone levels. You do this twice a day at the same time every day. If you have a high level of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) in your urine it means that you are about to ovulate. LH is the hormone that stimulates an egg to be released from the ovaries. When you detect an LH surge you know your body is beginning to ovulate and will be fertile for the next 24-36 hours.
Keep Track of Your Menstrual Cycle. If you have your period on a regular schedule detecting ovulation should not be difficult for you. As a general rule your period occurs about 12-16 days after you have ovulated. If you know your period comes every 21 days for example (Day 1 of your cycle is always the first day of your period), mark on a calendar your next expected period and count backwards 16 days. Mark 12-16 days before your next expected period. This is the time when you can expect to ovulate.
When you do ovulate (you will be able to tell by the other signs mentioned above) mark on a calendar when it occurred. Keep track of your cycle for a few months and look for patterns. Do you ovulate in a regular pattern, on a certain day of your cycle? If so, it will be easy to go about detecting ovulation in the future.
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