Ovulation is the time during a woman’s menstrual cycle when an egg is released from an ovary and travels down the fallopian tube. Once the egg is released, there is a 24-hour period during which the egg is viable for fertilization. If sperm does not fertilize the egg during that time, conception will not occur. Therefore, the most important task in timing a planned pregnancy is to predict the dates you are going to ovulate. Because you do not have a window into your uterus, you can’t see when that egg has been released. However, there are some pretty accurate methods to figuring out when you will be ovulating.
Ovulation Predictor #1 – Count the Days
Women with regular periods can predict their dates of ovulation fairly accurately. Usually, ovulation occurs 10 to 14 days after a woman begins the first day of her period. Marking down day one of the start of your period and then counting 10 to 14 days after that is the simplest way to predict when you are going to ovulate.
Ovulation Predictor #2 – Take a Home Test
Your local pharmacies now carry ovulation predictor tests. They work in much the same way as a pregnancy test does. You hold a stick in your urine stream and the stick will then give you a positive or negative ovulation result. These tests are useful if you have fairly regular cycles and you want extra reassurance for scheduling intercourse for conception. You take a test around the time that you think you are ovulating, and the test can confirm your prediction. However, the accuracy of these tests sometimes leaves something to be desired, as they can provide false negatives. Additionally, the ovulation predictor tests can be very costly if your cycles are irregular and you have no idea approximately when you will ovulate.
Ovulation Predictor #3 – Check Your Basal Body Temperature
Taking your basal body temperature with a basal thermometer is a more accurate and less expensive way of predicting ovulation. Basal thermometers are inexpensive and can be purchased at pharmacies. Because basal temperatures rise ever so slightly, you cannot monitor them with a regular thermometer. Take your temperature as soon as you wake in the morning, and keep track of the daily recordings. When you see the temperatures start to rise you’ll know that you are getting close to ovulating.
Ovulation Predictor #4 – Note Any Type of Body Discomfort
Many women can feel a change in their bodies when they are getting ready to ovulate. Some women can feel a slight swelling in their ovaries when they gently press on that area. Other women feel a slightly uncomfortable, bloating-type of feeling when they are getting ready to ovulate. If you fall into this category, consider yourself somewhat lucky because you can tell without a whole lot of effort when you are ovulating.
Ovulation Predictor #5 – Evaluate Your Cervical Mucus
While this may be the least desirable of the prediction methods, many women are convinced this is the best way to predict ovulation. When you are close to ovulation, the cervical mucus changes in consistency. It will go from cloudy to clear and it will become stretchy. If you check the mucus every day, you will become skilled at noting the changes and you can tell when you are ovulating.
Predicting ovulation cannot always be done with 100% accuracy, but you can get close to determining the dates so that you can time your intercourse and massively increase your chances of pregnancy faster!
