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Symptoms of OVULATION | 03rd August, 2017

If you are trying to get pregnant, you are probably on the look out for ovulation symptoms, in order to work out what day you will ovulate. Once you have identified it, you can then have intercourse, and hopefully it results in a pregnancy. Bear in mind that when you do ovulate, you only have a short window of time to conceive before the egg starts to die. Therefore, to optimise your chances of conception, it is important to understand your cycle.
 
Ovulation Symptoms 
 
Let us start by looking at the important basics of your cycle, as well as the ovulation symptoms you might expect. Understanding Your Cycle Understanding your menstrual cycle can be a great deal easier if you know what you are looking for. You do not need to be an expert! You can become knowledgable enough to be able to detect ovulation after just one cycle. With such simple, yet wonderful knowledge, you could shorten your journey to becoming pregnant.
 
What Causes Ovulation In Your Body? 
 
Your ovaries are amazing almond shaped organs. They develop egg-containing follicles in preparation for ovulation. Every cycle, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) promotes the development of around 5-12 follicles. The most dominant follicle gets released at ovulation. 
 
The growing follicles produce oestrogen. As a result of high oestrogen levels in your blood, Luteinizing Hormone (LH) triggers ovulation in your body. 
 
Ovulation occurs around 12-24 hours after the LH surge, when the mature follicle bursts through the ovarian wall. If sperm is waiting for the egg, or if you have intercourse at this point, you could very well get pregnant.
 
For 90% of women, cycle length can vary from 23-35 days, with ovulation occurring mid-cycle. Other factors (e.g. stress) can result in ovulation being delayed, until as late as the third or fourth week. However, the way our care providers calculate pregnancy due dates is by assuming ovulation on day 14 of a 28 day cycle. You can already see a major reason why due dates are not so accurate!
 
Not every woman has a 28 day cycle, nor ovulates on day 14. A normal, healthy menstrual cycle should be about 26-32 days in length. Find out more about what a healthy menstrual cycle should look like, and when you might need help to resolve any issues.
 
Ovulation Pain or Mittelschmerz 
 
The most uncomfortable ovulation symptom for some women is ovulation pain or mittelschmerz – a German word meaning mid (mittel) pain (schmerz). For these women, ovulation causes a sudden, constant pain in their lower abdomen. It is important to understand that painful ovulation is not normal. A mild sensation is normal, but pain is not. It could be a sign you have ovarian cysts, adhesions from previous abdominal surgery, or other heath issues. It should be investigated right away, especially if you are trying to conceive, as pain can be a symptom of a medical problem that can result in infertility.
 
Drop In Basal Body Temperature 
 
In order to notice a drop in your basal body temperature, you need to chart your cycle, taking your temperature every morning upon waking (close to the same time every day). Charting plays a key role in understanding your cycle, and identifying what your body is doing and what it normally does. If you have not been charting your cycle previously, this information will not be helpful for this cycle. But now is a great time to start. 
 
Read our article, Charting Your Cycle For Conception, and in future you will be able to spot a slight temperature drop before you ovulate. You will need a basal thermometer. These are specifically designed for measuring  slighter than normal fluctuations in temperature. They are accurate to +/-0.05 degrees centigrade, measuring to two decimal places. There are several fertility thermometers on the market these days, but as long as it is a basal thermometer, you are set. 
 
Cervical Mucus 
 
Observing your cervical mucus several times a day is also important, as this is one of the more reliable ovulation symptoms. Your mucus changes in response to being at fertile or infertile stages of your cycle. It is also a good indicator of when your fertility has returned after having a baby. 
 
Cervical mucus changes with fluctuations in hormones (e.g. oestrogen). Following a period, mucus will typically be dry before becoming sticky, then creamy, then watery, before its most fertile state – clear, slippery and stretchy. Highly fertile mucus looks like raw egg white. This best aids the sperm on its passage to the egg, and provides an alkaline protection from the vaginas acidic environment. 
 
As you get older, you will have fewer days of egg-white cervical mucus (EWCM). For example, a woman in her 20s might have up to five days of EWCM, whereas women in their late 30s might have one or two days at most.
 
Other Possible Signs 
 
Here is a list of other possible ovulation symptoms, however they are not as reliable as the above symptoms: 
 
  • Breast tenderness and sensitivity 
  • Increased libido 
  • Increased energy level 
  • Heightened sense of vision, smell and taste Water retention Spotting – mid-cycle spotting is believed to be a result of the sudden drop of oestrogen prior to ovulation. Due to there being no progesterone right away, the lining can leak a small amount of blood until then.
 Your Health Is Our Concern!
 
Mawuena Workartey/ ghanahospitals.org

     
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