Eight Ways to Tell You are Ovulating

Eight Ways to Tell You are Ovulating

Revathi V Gopal
By Revathi V Gopal
Ovulation is a process during which your body becomes fertile and would release a mature egg out of your ovary to the fallopian tube. During this time, the chances of getting pregnant are high. Here, in this article, we will consider the different ways by which you can find out you are ovulating.

Monitor your Basal Body Temperature

Basal body temperature refers to the temperature of your body when it is in a state of rest. Monitoring your basal body temperature to find you are ovulating or not is a retrospective indication. For this purpose, you have to use a special basal thermometer. It would help in picking any slight temperature changes that happen in your body.

As part of finding out if you are ovulating or not, you would have to monitor your body temperature every day. Besides that, you have to do it the first time in the morning, even before leaving your bed. It is because of this reason monitoring of your basal body temperature is not a favorite method among many women.

When you are monitoring your temperature, you have to do it at the same time every other day. When you are ovulating, there would be a slight increase in your body temperature. However, this would fluctuate if you are testing it after waking up from your bed or even if you drink water. Usually, a woman's body temperature would be between 36.1 degrees Celsius and 36.4 degrees Celsius.

But, when you are ovulating, your basal body temperature would increase by 0.4 to 1 degree Celsius. It could be between 36.4 degrees Celsius and 37 degrees Celsius. You would have to note down the information so that you can keep track of your ovulation. You can also use the Women's Health Tracker to store this data.

However, through this method, you can find when you have ovulated. It will be helpful to track the temperature for some months regularly. By doing so, you can gain an estimate of the days you would be ovulating. Nonetheless, these factors would change if you have a sickness, busy lifestyle, or work schedule.

Discharge of Cervical Mucus

Vaginal discharge is a component that you have to consider when it comes to identifying if you are ovulating or not. During the days of your ovulation, the discharge would have an egg-white consistency. It means that it would be stretchy and moist. The reason behind the change in the discharge is due to the hormonal fluctuations that happen in your body.

Here, there would be an increase in the level of estrogen in your body. It would happen during the first three to four days of your ovulating window. The white discharge would keep your vagina moist as it contains 98% of water. The mucus would act as a lubricant which would help the sperms in swimming and thereby assist in fertilization of the ovum.

Noticing the cervical mucus is one of the best ways through which you can understand that you are ovulating. Even if you are not planning to get pregnant, having an awareness of your vaginal discharges can be helpful for you.

Even though this is an excellent way to find out about ovulation, it might not be accurate for everyone. It would vary from one person to another and would depend highly on your health conditions. You can get an idea of ovulation through this method only after monitoring your vaginal discharge for a few months.

Menstrual Charting

Most women feel that they ovulate in the middle of their menstrual cycle. But, it is a misconception as there are chances that you might be ovulating way earlier or later during your cycle. However, you can use menstrual charting as one of the ways to find out if you are ovulating. But, you have to remember that it is a method to find the estimated dates of your ovulation, and there is no 100% guarantee that they are accurate or correct.

You can traditionally perform menstrual charting by using pen and paper. However, it can be confusing and time-consuming. So, the next best option would be to use an application that would help you keep track of your cycle with ease. You can use the Women's Health Tracker for this purpose.

As part of figuring out your cycle, you have to consider the length of your menstrual cycle. An average cycle would be 28 days, but it can range from 21 to 35 days, depending upon the regularity of your menstrual cycle. You can start by tracking the first day of your period to the first day of your next period.

From this, you can gain an understanding of your cycle. Here, you can garner information related to the number of days your period lasts. Through this, you can get an estimated number by subtracting your period cycle with 14.

For instance, if your last period was for 21 days, the days of oulation would be anywhere near the seventh day of your cycle. When it is 35 days, you would be ovulating anywhere around the 21st day of your cycle. However, these numbers can vary from 7 to 19 days as well. If you have irregular periods, it might be challenging to find the dates of ovulation.

Changes in Cervical Position

When you are ovulating, your body will undergo slight changes. One of the visible changes is in the cervical position. Even though it is a way to find out if you are ovulating or not, you might take time to understand how it feels.

Your cervical position would go higher up when you are ovulating. You would be feeling soft, and the region would be open. However, after the completion of your ovulation window, the cervical position would come back to its normal stage. It would become firm and closed. Once you have gained a clear understanding of how to check these changes, it would be much easier to find out if you are ovulating or not.

Ovulation Pain

Ovulation pain occurs right before you start ovulating. During this time, there would be a sharp or dull cramp in your abdomen region. In most cases, you would be feeling this sensation in the side from where the egg is getting released.

Even though it is sharp, it would only last for a few minutes or hours. Some women notice light vaginal bleeding along with ovulation pain. However, if you are facing issues consistently, it would be better to consult your doctor.

Apart from ovulation pain, you might be feeling nauseous and have headaches. It is due to the changes happening in the level of estrogen and progesterone.

Increase in Sex Drive

Many people consider an increase in sex drive is nature's way of showing that you are ready to conceive. It happens because of the hormonal changes that are happening in your body. Besides that, there could be changes in your bone structure that would add to your sensualness.

However, it might not be the same for every woman as different factors associated with your life would also come into play under these circumstances. Some of the factors that can affect your sex drive are anxiety, stress, depression, and other psychological issues. Besides these factors, lifestyle and medications can affect your libido drive as well.

Use of an Ovulation Kit

Another way to find if you are ovulating would be using an ovulation kit. It is an efficient way to ensure ovulation as it would be basing the results on your hormones. Most ovulation kits would be testing the luteinizing hormone, which would increase right before the days of your ovulation. Other ovulation kits can check your estrogen level as well, which would also increase before your ovulation.

With these ovulation urine test kits that work similarly to a pregnancy kit, it would be easy for you to check the accuracy of your ovulation dates. While testing, you would have to pee on the stick and wait for the line to appear similar to a pregnancy kit. It is best to perform this test in the morning and ensure that you are taking it at the same time every day.

Another point to note is that you have to reduce the amount of water you drink before taking this test. Through this, you can help in increasing the concentration of your urine, which would assist in improving the accuracy of the result.

However, the results would vary if you have PCOS or if your periods are irregular. It is best to speak with your doctor to know more about your ovulation dates under these conditions. Another way to look into if you are pregnant or not is with the help of fertility monitors. Compared to ovulation kits, these products can be expensive.

Breast Tenderness

You might feel breast tenderness while you are on your period. Similarly, there are chances that you would have tender breasts after your ovulation. Through this method, you can find out when you have ovulated during a month. You can use this information along with others to figure out when you are ovulating in the coming months.

Through these eight different ways, you can find out the dates of your ovulation. It would help you in gaining a better understanding of your body and your menstrual cycle. You can use the Women's Health Tracker to keep track of your ovulation and period cycle with ease. Click here to find out more information.

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