What is ovulation?

Ovulation plays a very important role in pregnancy. Ovulation is a period where the egg is released into the ovary. This egg is ready to be fertilized. During this period, the egg must be fertilized by the sperm for the pregnancy to occur.

When the egg is released, the sperms must be available in the fallopian tubes to fertilize that egg. In simple words, sexual intercourse must happen before the ovulation period to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

When do most women ovulate?

Regular cycles play an important role in detecting the ovulation period. The average number of days between the two cycles is 28 days approximately. A woman with a normal cycle rate tends to ovulate between the 11th to 21st day of her cycle. This means that the days between the 8th to 21st day is the most fertile window period.

If you have a longer cycle span, the ovulation may occur close to the 21st day. If you have a shorter cycle span, the ovulation will most probably occur close to the 11th day. For this reason, you must keep track of your period dates in order to predict your ovulation period. It is practical to have sexual intercourse during these days for higher chances of getting pregnant.

How can I track my ovulation period?

You can easily track your ovulation period by these simple steps:

1. The length of your menstrual cycle is the number of days from the first day of bleeding in your last period, to the first day of bleeding in your next.
2. From this figure, subtract 14 days from the end of your current cycle to determine the approximate day you ovulate.

What are the common signs of ovulation?

The signs of ovulation are easy to determine. Some of the common signs by which your fertile window can be determined are as follows:

• Increased sexual desire
• Breast tenderness
• Fertile cervical position
• Ovulation pain
• Fertile quality cervical mucus
• Endured increase in basal body temperature
• A positive result on an ovulation predictor kit

Is it important to do it before the exact ovulation date?

Like everything else, it is not 100% foolproof. The basic thing is that “It doesn’t matter”. As long as you have had sex in the predicted fertile window, your chances of getting pregnant are high.

What if my periods are irregular?

This can be a major sign that you have ovulation problems. There are many reasons why you could not be ovulating. They can happen due to:

• Irregular cycles
• Extremely short or long cycles
• Months without any periods
• No basal body temperature rise
• No positive result on an ovulation test

Visit Tamara Hospital and IVF center today to meet our experts and allow them to help you to make your dream of having your own baby come true.

Written By

Dr. Aishwarya V. Mathikatti

MS (OBG), Diploma in Reproductive Medicine (Germany), Diploma in Ultrasonography, Consultant Obstetrics & Gynecology Infertility

Dr. Aishwarya has an experience of over 7 years. She is very passionate about artificial reproductive techniques and she constantly updates herself with the latest techniques.