Ovulation: What it is, Symptoms, Pain, How to track it, and More

What is ovulation?

Ovulation is the process of an ovary releasing a mature egg for fertilization during the menstrual cycle. The ovulation period, i.e. the ovulation day and the two days before it, is your peak fertile time and the best time to get pregnant.

The released egg can be fertilized for around 24 hours. If sperm are present in the fallopian tubes, where they can stay viable for days, then the egg can get fertilized. If fertilized, the egg moves down to the uterus and gets implanted in the uterine lining, resulting in pregnancy. As a result, periods stop happening. 

If unfertilized, the egg breaks down and the uterine lining is shed. This marks the start of the next period. 

Ovulation and the menstrual cycle

The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in the female reproductive system and hormone levels that happen on a monthly basis. Your body goes through these changes to prepare for a possible pregnancy. The first day of your period marks the start of your menstrual cycle. 

The menstrual cycle has four phases, one of which is ovulation. Ovulation usually occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle, give or take a few days. 

The four menstrual cycle phases are as follows:

• Menstruation: In this phase, since there is no pregnancy, your body sheds the thickened lining of your uterus. This starts your period, which could last from 3 days to a week.

• Follicular phase: In this phase, your body creates follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which prompts the ovary to produce 5-20 follicles, each housing an egg. The hormone usually helps one of the eggs to mature and get ready for release. This phase begins on the first day of menstruation and ends with the start of ovulation. 

• Ovulation: In this phase, your body produces a lot of luteinizing hormone (LH), which triggers the ovary to release the mature egg. Ovulation usually occurs around Day 14 of your menstrual cycle, and typically occurs in the 24-48 hours after the LH surge.

• Luteal phase: In this phase, if you conceive, reproductive hormones will keep the thickened uterine lining from shedding. Otherwise, for a typical 28-day cycle, bleeding will start around Day 28 of the cycle. With this, the next menstrual cycle will begin.

Signs and symptoms of ovulation

Ovulation symptoms are a result of the hormonal changes that happen during ovulation, and monitoring them can help you track your most fertile days.

Just before ovulation, you start producing more vaginal discharge or cervical mucus. This discharge is stretchy, wet, slippery, and clear, like egg whites, to enable sperm to fertilize the egg released during ovulation. After ovulation, this discharge decreases in amount and turns thick, cloudy, white, or dry.

Some other signs and symptoms of ovulation that you could experience:

• Sore or tender breasts and nipples

• Increased sense of smell or taste

• Mild pain in the pelvic or lower abdominal region

• Light spotting or bleeding

• Raised basal body temperature 

• Increased sex drive

• Changes in the cervix

• Nausea, vomiting, and headaches 

Note: You may not experience any of these ovulation symptoms. Using ovulation tools and tests could help you track and predict your ovulation period more accurately.

How to track ovulation

Here are a few methods to track when you ovulate:

• Track your menstrual cycle. For a typical 28-day cycle, ovulation usually occurs around Day 14, counting from the last period’s first day (Day 1). However, cycle length can vary from 21 to 35 days from woman to woman and from month to month. If you have irregular periods, you need to track your cycle over three months to calculate your average cycle length. As a rule of thumb, ovulation happens mid-cycle, give or take a few days. Note: Irregular or absent periods could indicate that ovulation is not happening each month.

• Monitor your basal body temperature. After ovulation, your basal body temperature increases slightly for a few days. This rise is usually between 0.4°F and 1.0°F. You can monitor this change by recording your temperature every morning over several months. Note that this temperature rise could also be due to factors such as illness or alcohol consumption.  

• Track your vaginal discharge. You’ll notice an increase in the volume of discharge when you’re about to ovulate. This vaginal discharge is stretchy, clear, wet, and slippery.

• Use ovulation test kits. These over-the-counter ovulation tests usually work by detecting the level of LH in your urine. If your ovulation test is positive, it means that there is LH in your system, which, in turn, means that you’re about to ovulate (within 24-48 hours). 

• Use fertility monitors. Available over the counter, fertility monitors can help you find out your fertile window by tracking your estrogen and LH levels. Fertility monitors are costlier than the other ovulation tracking methods mentioned above. Some of the fertility monitors claim to detect 4-5 fertile days each cycle with 99% accuracy. 

Note: To get more accurate results, use two or more of these methods together to track ovulation or use our ovulation calculator. 

Ovulation pain

During ovulation, ovulation or pelvic pain is fairly common. Also known as mittelschmerz or “middle pain” in German, it usually happens every month. 

Ovulation pain is often felt in your pelvis and the left or the right side of your lower abdomen, depending on which side the egg is being released. The pain could be mild or severe, and feel like an ache or a sharp cramp. It may be accompanied by light spotting or bleeding, vaginal discharge, and nausea as well.

Pain during ovulation may feel like period pain, but it occurs mid-cycle, two weeks before your next period. 

While mild ovulation pain can be managed with rest and over-the-counter medications, for severe ovulation pain, please consult your Doctor. This will help you find out if you need to use birth control pills or undergo further testing and treatment. 

In some cases, ovulation pain could also indicate an underlying health issue, such as:

• Endometriosis

• Abdominal scar tissue

• Sexually transmitted infection or STI

Irregular ovulation

While tracking ovulation over months, you may observe that your ovulation day varies from month to month or you’re not ovulating at all (anovulation). In such a case, you should consult your Doctor as irregular ovulation could be a sign of an underlying medical condition.

Medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and thyroid disorders can cause irregular ovulation or stop ovulation completely. Stress and a poor diet can also make you ovulate irregularly. 

Some other symptoms of irregular ovulation are:

• Irregular or absent periods

• Difficulty in getting pregnant

• Infertility (in some cases)

How often should you have sex if you’re trying to get pregnant?

Having sex during the fertile window, i.e., the 5 days before ovulation and the ovulation day, boosts your chances of getting pregnant. 

While you could conceive after having sex just once during your fertile window, having sex every 1-2 days during this time improves your odds.

However, the best time to get pregnant is your ovulation period, i.e., the 2 days before ovulation and the ovulation day. 

What if you’re not trying to get pregnant?

Avoiding having sex during the fertile window could help if you’re not planning for a baby. However, the best way to prevent pregnancy is to use birth control, especially during your most fertile days.

While barrier birth control methods like condoms offer some protection, it is better to use a more effective method, such as a contraceptive implant, an intrauterine device, or birth control pills.

Consult your doctor to choose the right contraception for you. 

When to See a Doctor

If you’re planning for a baby, start by making a preconception appointment with a Doctor. 

Also, consult a doctor if: 

• You need more advice on ovulation and fertility, ovulation tracking, and how to increase your odds of getting pregnant.

• You’re experiencing irregular ovulation or other unusual symptoms.

• You want to choose the right contraception for you.

If you have any more questions or concerns about ovulation and pregnancy, you can also ask our Doctors for advice.