Listening to your body is not always an easy task. This is especially true when it comes to ovulation. If you are going through the process of trying to conceive, it can be frustrating trying to predict when you’re going to ovulate. There’s no guarantee with any given method that ovulation is occurring or has occurred at a certain point. In this article, we will look at a few ways in which you can try and predict when you’re ovulating more accurately – helping you pick the one that will get the best results for your body.
Firstly, the length of your menstrual cycle can help you produce a rough timeline of when you are going to ovulate. This is because ovulation usually occurs somewhere between ten to sixteen days before your period starts. This means if you have a regular cycle, you should then be able to determine from this a window where ovulation may be more likely to occur.
Secondly, your cervical mucus can be an indicator of when you’re ovulating. This is because, during the time of ovulation you may notice wetter, clearer and more slippery mucus, similar in look and texture to egg white. This can be hard to notice, as the qualities of cervical mucus can be different from person to person, so this is hard to recommend as the only way you use to track your ovulation.
Thirdly, your body temperature can also indicate that you are ovulating. After you ovulate, there is a small rise in body temperature. The rise in body temperature can differ from person to person. Using an accurate body thermometer, you may be able to detect this change. This can be a useful method to use if you’re suffering from hormone based issues like PCOS or hyperthyroidism as, unlike other tests, your basal body temperature change isn’t distorted by your hormone levels.
Lastly, an ovulation predictor kit can be a useful piece of technology to help with an accurate understanding of whether you are ovulating or not. These kits measure your hormone levels that are detected in your urine. This is a way of predicting ovulation, as your hormone levels increase around the time of ovulation.
There may be other symptoms too, such as breast tenderness, bloating, and mild pains in your stomach. Not all women experience every symptom, but if you’re experiencing a range of them at the same time as you note a change in your BBT or a surge in the hormones responsible for ovulation, you may be within your fertile window.