Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsProcessSignsPregnancyWhen Ovulation Doesn’t OccurAssisted Reproduction
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Process
Signs
Pregnancy
When Ovulation Doesn’t Occur
Assisted Reproduction
Ovulation occurs when a person’s ovaries release a mature egg. This usually happens about halfway through the menstrual cycle, on or about day 14. After ovulation, the egg travels from the ovaries to the fallopian tubes, where it can be fertilized if sperm is present. If an egg is fertilized and implants in the uterus, a pregnancy results.
Knowing when you ovulate can help youget pregnantor avoid pregnancy. You are most likely to get pregnant if you have unprotected sex up to three days before, or within a day after, you ovulate. That’s because sperm can survive in the reproductive tract for days, but once an egg is released, there’s only a small amount of time that it can be fertilized in the fallopian tubes.
Who Ovulates?Most people with ovaries who have gone throughpubertybut have not yet gone throughmenopausehave amenstrual cycleand therefore ovulate.
Who Ovulates?
Most people with ovaries who have gone throughpubertybut have not yet gone throughmenopausehave amenstrual cycleand therefore ovulate.
Ovulation occurs when an egg is released from the ovaries. The cycle begins on the first day of your period and lasts until the day before your next period. On average, a menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, although it can be longer or shorter.
Ovulation occurs roughly in the middle of the cycle, or 14 to 16 days before the beginning of your period. Although most people with a uterus have two ovaries, only one egg is released each month in most circumstances.
A person’s cycle includes two phases.
The follicular phaseis the first half of the cycle when your body produces both follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
The luteal phaseis the second half of the cycle when the actual release of an egg from the ovaries occurs. This is typically 10 to 12 hours after LP peaks.
How Many Eggs Do Women Have During Their Lifetime?
Signs of Ovulation
Some people experience subtlesigns of ovulation, like bloating,painon one side of the stomach, or spotting.Other ways to track ovulation track include:
Changes in Cervical Mucus
The cervix naturally produces mucus, which changes in color and consistency through the menstrual cycle. In the days before ovulation, your cervical mucus may increase in volume and take on an egg-white consistency.
Many people have a sensation of wetness during those days. After you ovulate, your cervical mucus will become sticky and cloudy looking, and there will be much less of it.
Basal Body Temperature
Most people experience a small increase in their body temperature around ovulation. The change is very small—between 0.4 and 0.8 of a degree Fahrenheit. Because of that, in order to predict ovulation using temperature, you must buy a special basal body thermometer (which will measure temperature to two decimal places) and take your temperature every day at the same time, usually before you get out of bed.
Tracking Signs of Ovulation
Many apps are available to help people track their basal body temperatures, cervical mucus, and other symptoms in order to predict ovulation. These include:
At-Home Ovulation Tests
Many people use at-home ovulation tests, which track the LH surge, allowing you to know what are most likely your most fertile days.
Cycle Syncing: How to Attune to Each Menstrual Phase
Knowing when you ovulate can help you become—or avoid getting—pregnant:
Most people who experience a regular menstrual cycle ovulate. However, there are some times when you will not ovulate, including:
Does Birth Control Prevent Ovulation?Most forms of hormonal birth control—including the pill and hormonal IUDs—stop ovulation. Your cycle will return when you stop these forms of birth control. The time it takes to ovulate again will depend on which type of birth control you were using.
Does Birth Control Prevent Ovulation?
Most forms of hormonal birth control—including the pill and hormonal IUDs—stop ovulation. Your cycle will return when you stop these forms of birth control. The time it takes to ovulate again will depend on which type of birth control you were using.
Some people—including those withPCOS—do not ovulate regularly. This can cause or contribute to infertility.
With assisted reproduction, medications can be used to stimulate the development of multiple eggs, which may be released during ovulation. Other medications that stimulate LH are then used to “trigger” ovulation to occur—these are known as trigger shots.
Insemination or sexual intercourse can be timed around ovulation, in order to increase the chances of pregnancy.
Getting Pregnant Without OvulationDuring in-vitro fertilization, eggs are retrieved directly from the ovarian follicles. For people who do not ovulate even with assistance, this can allow for pregnancy.
Getting Pregnant Without Ovulation
During in-vitro fertilization, eggs are retrieved directly from the ovarian follicles. For people who do not ovulate even with assistance, this can allow for pregnancy.
A Word From Verywell
Understanding ovulation is a key part of taking care of your health. Knowing when you ovulate can help you get pregnant more quickly or avoid unwanted pregnancy.
For most people, ovulation takes place around day 14 of their menstrual cycle. However, this can vary from person to person. Tracking signs in your body, like an increased amount of clear cervical mucus or a change in basal body temperature, can give you more accurate information on when you are ovulating.
Although there can be a learning curve to tracking your menstrual cycle and understanding when you ovulate, apps make it easier than ever to take charge of your fertility. You can also try to use an at-home ovulation test to increase your chances of accurately tracking ovulation.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Office on Women’s Health.What happens during a typical 28-day menstrual cycle?
The Center for Reproductive Health.The menstrual cycle.
Office on Women’s Health.Trying to conceive.
Johnson S, Marriott L, Zinaman M.Increased likelihood of pregnancy from sex on the two days before ovulation [5b].Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2018;131(1):20S-20S. doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000532907.57204.dd
The Center for Reproductive Health.Conception: how it works.
Vigil P, Lyon C, Flores B, Rioseco H, Serrano F.Ovulation, a sign of health.Linacre Q. 2017;84(4):343-355. doi:10.1080/00243639.2017.1394053
Huang JYJ, Rosenwaks Z.Assisted reproductive techniques. In: Rosenwaks Z, Wassarman PM, eds.Human Fertility. Vol 1154. Springer New York; 2014:171-231. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-0659-8_8
American Society for Reproductive Medicine.Assisted reproductive technologies.
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