Ovulation is what happens during the menstrual cycle, whereby an egg is released from the ovary, then travels through the fallopian tube, where it is then available to sperm in order to be fertilized. The ovulation of a woman is very important in order to understand pregnancy and the menstrual cycle. Having the knowledge of your ovulation period will assist you in becoming pregnant, along with understanding the correct time to test if you are pregnant.
There are a few ovulation signs that a woman can look for, when trying to decipher which day of their cycle starts their ovulation process.
Counting the days is the most popular and simplest way. For the average woman, the ovulation process occurs 14 days before the first day of their period. These 14 days are in actual fact a very good indicator as to when ovulation has started and does not generally vary largely between women. However, it can be difficult to indicate as to when your next ovulation will happen, as the time span between your period and next ovulation can vary enormously between women and also between cycles. Therefore, counting days is a very retrospective indicator.
The consistency of your cervical mucus can also be a sign of ovulation. Cervical Mucus Monitoring is one of the most instant ways in which to indicate whether a woman is ovulating or not. The cervical secretions can be tested by gathering a sample of the mucus that it present around the lips of your genitalia. This should be tested by placing the discharge between your index finger and thumb and stretching, to observe its consistency. The consistency of cervical mucus can in actual fact change after menstruation, immediately before ovulation, during and after ovulation. Therefore, looking at the consistency will be a sure way of predicting whether you are in your cycle.
Most women, at the beginning of their cycle, the days after menstruation, do not have cervical mucus that they can test and may also feel dry around their vulva. This is the period whereby women are less likely to conceive.
As the cycle advances, a discharge will again start to appear, which should be white or off-white in color. As this period advances before ovulation, the discharge will begin to have a more substantial consistency. This is when it can be tested between your finger and thumb, whereby it will not break immediately.
The cervical mucus will appear to be more opaque in color during ovulation, and it can be stretched a couple of centimeters when testing without resulting in breakage. This is also the period when the discharge is very abundant. When the cervical mucus is more substantial and most abundant, then a woman is at her peak of ovulation, which is the highest chance for conception.
It is after ovulation that the discharge will revert back to a state similar to that before ovulation and return to a dry state similar to immediately after menstruation. Once this has happened you should be very near to your next period.
One of the other signs of ovulation is the increase in your basal body temperature. Although this is yet another retrospective indicator, it is a very good predictor. It is just after your period of ovulation that your temperature can rise to approximately 0.4 to 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will remain until the end of your cycle, rising up and down. However, the steep increase of temperature after ovulation is the indicator or such ovulation. It is advised to keep a log of your temperatures throughout a few cycles, so that you can begin to predict when your ovulation will begin.
You may also experience other signs of ovulation which include an increase in sex drive, tenderness of the breasts, bloating of the abdomen, heightened senses as well as an elevated level of LH (luteinizing hormone), which can be detected with the use of ovulation kits.
