Ovulation Explained

Ovulation is a natural part of a woman's life whether trying for a baby or not. Here I will briefly explain the whole process, hopefully quelling a few common pvulation misconceptions along the way!

Every baby girl is born with all the eggs she will ever produce already in her ovaries – about 300,000 to 400,000. At puberty these eggs will start to be released into the womb each month, one by one through the fallopian tubes. If it isn’t fertilised by a sperm then the egg, together with the built up womb lining will break down and become a period in the menstrual cycle.

Ovulation cycles can vary, although the releasing of the egg usually occurs on day 14 of the average cycle, which is 28 days long. However many healthy, fertile women experience cycles slightly longer or shorter than this and so don’t necessarily ovulate on day 14. There are many handy tools available online to help you calculate your ovulation cycle, Askamum’s Ovulation Calculator is a good one, predicting both your menstrual cycle and your ovulation dates, highlighting when you will experience heightened fertility and therefore when you are most likely to get pregnant.

The ovulation cycle in general is triggered by a release of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in the first part of the cycle, which sets off the whole process of maturing the egg ready for fertilisation. The high levels of oestrogen produced at this time triggers a release of Leuteinizing Hormone (LH) causing this mature egg to be released from the follicle and embedded into the womb lining. If it is fertilised then it will remain in the womb and develop into a baby, if it is unfertilised it will be shed from the body in menstruation and the whole cycle will begin again. This is basically what ovulation is all about.

Other than online calculators there are also over the counter ovulation kits that can help determine when it is best to try for a baby. Boots and Superdrug etc will have a large selection.

The body can also alert you to some common signs of ovulation, there are many ways for it to do this, however the main ones you will notice are:

Lower abdominal pain

Around 20% of women can actually feel their ovulation, (not to be mistaken for menstrual cramps) which can range from barely-there twinges of discomfort for a few minutes, to moderate aches for a couple of hours.

Changes in cervical mucus

As your cycle progresses there are changes in the cervical mucus, it will increase in volume and change in texture. A woman is at her most fertile, and ovulating, when it becomes clear, slippery and stretchy. This is to nourish and protect the sperm and allow easier access to the egg in the womb.

For more information about menstruation and ovulation have a look at Askamum's Ovulation Explained page, or the Women's Health site.