How to know when you're ovulating

If you’re trying to conceive, it can help to pin-point exactly when you’re ovulating each month.
“It’s important women [and transgender and gender non-conforming people] have a working knowledge of how their ovaries function, how their eggs are produced and what the timing of their ovulation cycle is,” says Dr David Molloy, Director of Medical Affairs at Virtus Health.

Here, we look at the basics of ovulation, plus how to tell when it’s happening for you.

You're born with your lifetime’s supply of eggs already in your ovaries. Then, from puberty onwards, one or more egg is released each cycle until menopause.
Once an egg is released, it only survives for 12 to 24 hours. If the egg doesn't meet sperm in the fallopian tube (and get fertilised), the uterus will shed its lining, along with the egg, leading to a period.

Identifying when you ovulate, plus the timespan of your ovulation, can help you work out when you’re most likely to fall pregnant.

There are lots of ways to track your ovulation, including numerous smartphone apps. However, it’s important to be aware that some of these programs use calendars that calculate information based on an average cycle, so they may be inaccurate.
When you’re ovulating, you may experience things like:

• mild cramping
• light spotting
• heightened smell
• an increased sex drive
• tender breasts
• changes in your body temperature
• change in your cervical mucus (which becomes clear and stretchy)
• a softer-feeling cervix.¹

For a more exact indication, you can use an ovulation predictor kit (OPK), which “can be quite reliable,” says Dr Molloy.

Not everyone has a straightforward menstrual cycle. If you suspect you’re not ovulating regularly, this can impact your conception efforts.

If you’re concerned about your ovulation, talk to your doctor. They may be able to measure your hormones throughout your menstrual cycle to give you a better picture of what it looks like.

The good news is that ovulation disorders can usually be corrected with the right medical care.

“The first treatment for ovulation disorders is ovulation drugs,” says Dr Molloy. “If these aren’t appropriate or don’t work, an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) program is a stronger, more firm method of ovulation induction."