What is ovulation?
During each menstrual cycle a single egg will develop and mature in the ovaries. Ovulation is the time when this mature egg is released into the fallopian tube. This usually happens around 14 days after the first day of your last menstrual period.
Why is ovulation relevant?
If you want to become pregnant, the best time to have intercourse is 1-2 days before ovulation, or on the day ovulation occurs. In this way sperm will be released into the vagina and travel towards the egg at just the right time - this gives you the best chances of fertilization.
This process of ovulation is triggered by the release of a hormone from the brain called luteinising hormone (LH) and the levels of the hormone increase significantly in blood and urine about 1-2 days before ovulation. Test of ovulation is done by measuring the increase in LH.
This hormone, LH, causes the egg to be released into the fallopian tube in readiness for fertilization. During the few days after ovulation the egg will travel down the fallopian tube to the womb. It stays there for two or three days and if it is has not fertilised it is expelled with the womb lining at the start of menstruation, usually 12-16 days later.
How to detect ovulation?
The most traditional method used to detect whether a woman is ovulating is based upon measuring her basal body temperature (BBT) using a clinical thermometer. This is still the typical first line test that a doctor may use to assess whether or not a woman is ovulating each month.
The temperature of a woman's body at rest rises very slightly after ovulation has occurred. This small increase in temperature is caused by rising levels of the hormone progesterone which is released after ovulation has occurred.
In order to detect this rise in temperature a woman must take her temperature as soon as she wakes each morning and before she gets out of bed. In addition the woman must not eat or drink before she takes her temperature otherwise false temperature readings may occur. As soon as a small rise of temperature is spotted, which is usually around 0.2-0.4C, the woman can assume that ovulation has just taken place, or at least has taken place within the last few days.
This method is useful to confirm that a woman is ovulating each month and by recording her temperature on a chart over several months she can begin to predict when the most fertile days of her cycle are going to be.
The biggest concern with this method is that the temperature rise occurs after ovulation has occurred. This means that it has little practical value for women wishing to become pregnant now. However, for those that have regular menstrual cycles, the ovulation periods can be predicted.
The BBT method is simply not very easy to use or convenient. It relies on detecting small differences in BBT and this can be unreliable in practice because it is hard for a woman to comply with the testing regime. In addition the results can be influenced by numerous factors including eating spicy food, drinking alcohol, lack of sleep or having a cold. All these things make this method difficult to use and in practice even experienced doctors can find the charts difficult to interpret.
This method is useful to confirm that a woman is ovulating each month and by recording her temperature on a chart over several months she can begin to predict when the most fertile days of her cycle are going to be.
The biggest concern with this method is that the temperature rise occurs after ovulation has occurred. This means that it has little practical value for women wishing to become pregnant now. However, for those that have regular menstrual cycles, the ovulation periods can be predicted.
The BBT method is simply not very easy to use or convenient. It relies on detecting small differences in BBT and this can be unreliable in practice because it is hard for a woman to comply with the testing regime. In addition the results can be influenced by numerous factors including eating spicy food, drinking alcohol, lack of sleep or having a cold. All these things make this method difficult to use and in practice even experienced doctors can find the charts difficult to interpret.
Viscosity of Vaginal Fluids
This method involves checking the mucus secreted by your vagina every day. For most of the cycle, the mucus will be absent or white, quite thick and sticky. As you get nearer to the time of ovulation, levels of the hormone estrogen rise, stimulating the cells at the cervix to produce more mucus. Just before ovulation the mucus changes character and becomes a clear, watery, elastic texture like raw egg white, feeling wet and slippery, which means that it is receptive to sperm at this time - you may be able to stretch the mucus between your thumb and forefinger without it breaking. Immediately after ovulation, the mucus becomes thick and cloudy again. This method may be difficult to use as changes in mucus can also be caused by infections and certain medicines and can be masked by intercourse.
Info taken from cahayaclinics
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