How Ovulation Works: The Basics
Tiny eggs develop in sacs called follicles in your ovaries. Follicles develop for several months before they are ready to release their egg, . At any given time, there are follicles at several stages of development in your ovaries .
Early scientists once mistook the follicle for the egg itself.
Follicles undergo incredible changes leading up to ovulation, developing many parts and layers, each with their own functions. Most follicles, though, will never reach ovulation, dying off at different phases of development or pre-development.
At the beginning of each menstrual cycle, a few developing follicles are considered candidates for that cycleâs ovulation . By about midway through the follicular phase, one follicle becomes dominant.
Just like a superstar athlete being selected from the pack, all resources then go to preparing that single follicle, and the other potentials die off.
When the follicle is ready, it releases its egg. The egg travels out of the ovary and is taken up by the fallopian tube . After its release, the egg has about 12â24 hours to be fertilized by sperm in the fallopian tube. If the egg isnât fertilized within this short window, it begins to degrade. If it is fertilized, it travels to the uterus over the following 6â12 days, to possibly implant for pregnancy .
This first part of the cycle is called the follicular phase .
Ovulation Test During Menstruation
LH tracking by ovulation tests can be used during menstruation. In addition, tests that track the crystallization of saliva will be indicative.
If you have a short menstrual cycle 21-23 days, then ovulation may well occur already on the 5-11th DC. It is better to start testing with the help of tests for LH from the 3rd DC, when the menstruation bleeding is already weak.
Such a large difference in the estimated date of ovulation is due to the fact that your real luteal phase length is unknown. If you know it, then it will not be difficult to calculate the date of rupture of the follicle. Tests should be taken 2 days before this day to compare the strips in dynamics.
Ovulations And Regular Periods
Assuming a normal menstrual cycle of 28 days, a healthy woman who is not using hormonal birth control will ovulate on the 14th day of her cycle. During ovulation, your ovaries release a mature egg that is ready for fertilization. After the egg is released, it remains alive for an amount of time between 12 and 24 hours. If the egg isnt fertilized, it disintegrates and gets absorbed into the uterine lining called the endometrium.
Two weeks after ovulation, the lining of the uterus will discharge from the vagina in the form of menstrual blood. This is called a true period, as the bleeding comes from the lining of the uterus, cervical mucus and blood.
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How Many Days After A Period Is Safe To Avoid Pregnancy
Is your menstrual cycle regular? One can have either a regular or an irregular period cycle. A woman’s menstrual cycle can last from 21 days to 35 days, in general. However, an ideal menstrual cycle is 28 days.
Unprotected sex at any time during the menstrual cycle does not nullify the risk of getting pregnant, whether it is during the period, just after the periods, or any time.
Many of us might be wondering, “Is it safe to have sex after periods?”
Ideally, there is no terminology as ‘safe time’ to have sex without using contraception in the month. There are phases during the entire menstrual cycle when you are most likely to conceive and most unlikely to conceive.
If you are trying to avoid getting pregnant, you have a minimal chance of getting pregnant if you have sex within the initial seven days after periods, when the eggs are not released from the ovaries.
Nevertheless, if you have a shorter cycle, you may ovulate around this time, thus using appropriate contraception is necessary.
Chances Of Getting Pregnant On Your Period
In essence, menstruation is the monthly shedding of the endometrium, the inner membrane of the uterus. Menstruation lasts between three and seven days for most women. By the third day, levels of progesterone and estrogen are rising and working to rebuild your endometrium. Around day four, follicle ripening begins to go on the uptick, meaning the ovaries will start preparing eggs for release.
Unless you’re a very early ovulator , there’s little chance your man’s sperm will actually have any eggs to work with during this phase of your cycle.
Your chances of conceiving: Almost zero. It’s not detrimental to have intercourse, though, and some women see menstruation as a breather from the rigors of frequent procreation-oriented sex.
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Can You Get Pregnant Right After Your Period
Many people get confused about their menstrual cycle’s affect on fertility. We spoke with experts to learn whether you can get pregnant immediately after your period.
You might’ve heard that you can’t get pregnant right after your period. But in actuality, people sometimes can conceive by having sex immediately following menstruation, if the sex involves penis in vagina intercourse. We spoke with experts to learn more.
When Do I Take An Ovulation Test
You can test any time of the day, but itâs best to do it at the same time each day.
Ovulation test kits recommend picking a time when you havenât urinated for 4 hours before testing, or had excessive fluid intake. LH typically rises in the morning, between 4â8am . If you test before it first rises, you may get a negative result that day, but you should still get a positive result the next day. If youâre trying to detect the earliest rise of LH, or if you’re having trouble getting a positive result, try testing at different times throughout the day and see what works best for your body.
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Changes In Your Periods
Your periods can change for example, they may last longer or get lighter. This does not necessarily mean there’s a problem, but it does need to be investigated.
You can see your GP, or visit your nearest women’s clinic or contraceptive clinic.
Bleeding between periods, bleeding after having sex, or bleeding after the menopause needs to be checked by a doctor.
It might be caused by an infection, abnormalities in the neck of the womb or, in rare cases, it could be cancer.
You could be pregnant if you miss a period and you’ve had sex. See your GP if you’ve taken a pregnancy test and the result is negative and you’ve missed 3 consecutive periods.
They will investigate the cause and recommend any necessary treatment.
Read more about stopped or missed periods.
Can You Get Pregnant During Period
Can you ovulate right after period? You already know the answer. Can you get pregnant on your period? Yes, you can get pregnant during your menstrual period. However, getting pregnant during a menstrual period is highly unlikely. If this occurs, the ovulation process occurs very early during a menstrual cycle and you need to have unprotected sexual intercourse which led to conceiving.
Usually, the egg is still developing while you are having your period. However, many factors can complicate the normal ovulation process and make you ovulate earlier than normal. A hormonal imbalance, a poor diet, thyroid gland disorders, use of certain medications and even stress can have a great impact on the ovulation process, making you ovulate and get pregnant during period.
Mistaking Spotting for a Regular Period
However, another chance to get pregnant during “period” is that you are not having your period.
Spotting between menstrual periods is common for women who have irregular menstrual periods. Spotting around the time of ovulation is often a sign of ovulation along with other ovulation signs such as abdominal pain located just on one side, etc. Spotting can also occur due to breakthrough bleeding, especially within the first few months after starting to use hormonal contraceptives.
If you are not planning a pregnancy, use a contraceptive birth control method. Also, dont forget to use protection against sexually transmitted diseases and practice safe sex.
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Your Follicular Phase Is Considered Plastic Compared To Your Luteal Phase
That means it can commonly change in length, from cycle-to-cycle. If you know the length of your typical luteal phase you can count backwards to get an idea of when you ovulated. Changes in the length of your cycle are usually pinpointed in the follicular phaseâthe time it takes a follicle to reach the point of ovulation.
Itâs common not to ovulate on a regular basis when you first start menstruating. Itâs also common to have irregular ovulation just after pregnancy and breastfeeding, and during the years approaching menopause.
Ovulation: How Many Days After A Period Is It
If your cycle is always exactly 28 days long, ovulation occurs about 14 days after the first day of your period. But according to the research, if your cycle is always exactly 28 days long, youre practically a unicorn.
One study measured the cycle lengths of women who identified as having regular menstrual cycles, and found 46% of them actually had cycles that varied within a 7 day range. An additional 20% had cycles that varied within a 14 day range . Couple that with the ~18% of women who identify as having irregular menstrual cycles , and its safe to say that most peoples cycles are not always exactly 28 days long.
Although cycles lasting anywhere between 21 and 45 days are considered normal , you cant accurately predict your ovulation timing by simply counting 14 days after your period starts if you deviate from the average 28 day cycle.
More detective work is needed, and this article is your guide. It covers:
- Why ovulation timing depends on the length of your cycle
- How to know when ovulation occurs if your cycles are longer or shorter than 28 days
- Why ovulation isnt just a fertility concernits a big deal for your period, too!
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Chances Of Getting Pregnant During Ovulation
Welcome to prime time for conception! No matter the length of menstruation, ovulation generally starts about 14 days before your next scheduled period. When it happens, your body temperature rises about a half a degree but bear in mind that this also takes place after you’re already ovulating, which could be too late for conception.
“That’s where ovulation test kits become so helpful,” Dr. Bayer explains. These kits detect a surge in luteinizing hormone that happens about 36 hours before you ovulate. After the test kit shows this surge, Dr. Bayer recommends having sex in the next 24 to 36 hours. Sperm can survive for some time in the reproductive tract, so it will be ready to meet the egg once it’s released during ovulation.
Another good indication of fertility is a change in the consistency of your cervical mucus. “You’ll see vaginal discharge that increases in amount and has the consistency of egg whites, signaling it’s the perfect time to have intercourse,” Dr. Bayer says. Test yours by sticking your index finger and thumb in your vagina to get a sample, then tapping your finger and thumb together. If the consistency is thin and spreads easily between two fingers, you’re good to go.
Check Your Basal Body Temperature
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to the signs that your body is ready to ovulate. Checking your basal body temperature is one way to do this.
The BBT is your temperature first thing in the morning. Just after you ovulate, it rises slightly — sometimes by less than a degree — and stays higher until your period starts. If you record your temperature every day, you can spot the subtle changes that mean one of your ovaries has released an egg.
To take your BBT, you need to:
Use a basal body thermometer. It’s more sensitive than a standard one and will show temperature changes down to a fraction of a degree. You can get them at many pharmacies for less than $20.
Continued
Take your temperature at the same time each morning. Always do it before you get out of bed. Even getting up to go to the bathroom can affect your body temperature. So can smoking, drinking, or getting a bad night’s sleep.
Remember, your BBT won’t tell you exactly when you’ve ovulated, and it may take a couple of months before you start to see a pattern. You’re most likely to get pregnant 2 or 3 days before your ovary releases an egg, and then another 12 to 24 hours after that. When your temperature has spiked for 3 days, your chances of conceiving drop.
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Changes In Cervical Fluid
When ovulating or approaching ovulation, the body produces more estrogen, causing an increase in cervical fluid secretion. When a person is fertile, the cervical fluid in their vagina may be:
- clear
- stretchy
- the consistency of raw egg whites
This type of cervical fluid helps sperm swim into the uterus and fallopian tubes to fertilize the released egg.
To test the cervical fluids consistency:
If the fluid is stringy, the person may be close to ovulation. After ovulation, there is less cervical fluid and it thickens.
How To Know When Ovulation Occurs For Cycles Longer Or Shorter Than 28 Days
Because the length of the luteal phase is relatively rigid, its easy to determine when you ovulated once your period starts: about 14 days ago. Its not as easy to determine when you will ovulate. But a few tools can help you estimate:
Tracking your cycle
Tracking can help you identify patterns in your cycle and estimate a cycle length thats typical for you. You can roughly calculate your ovulation day by subtracting 14 days from your average cycle length.
Say your average cycle is 32 days . A 14-day luteal phase would put your ovulation day around Day 18 of your cycle.
Say your average cycle is 22 days. A 14-day luteal phase would put your ovulation day around Day 8 of your cycle.
Keep in mind its normal for your cycle length to fluctuate from month to month, so this method is just an estimate.
Also keep in mind this method assumes your luteal phase is 14 days long. While 14 days is typical for most, the luteal phase can vary between 10 and 16 days. If youre on either end of that range, its more accurate to determine your average ovulation day using an ovulation test strip, or by taking your temperature.
Ovulation test strips
Ovulation test strips are over-the-counter sticks you pee on, and they reveal when youll ovulate. Its recommended you start using ovulation test strips no later than Day 8 of your cycle, then continue to test every day until you see a positive test. A positive test usually means youll ovulate within the next 24 to 36 hours.
Mild pelvic pain
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