Gynecology And Obstetrics-

Knowing ovulation yourself

How can I tell when I am ovulating?

Ovulation, known as ovulation in technical terms, is repeated about every 28 days in the female cycle. Ovulation occurs between the 12th and 15th day of the cycle.

These days some women can feel this process in their body; This period is sometimes also associated with pain in the chest or in the abdominal and lower abdominal area.

A woman's fertile days are around the time of ovulation; the chances of getting pregnant are particularly high here.

What symptoms indicate impending ovulation?

There are a variety of symptoms that can be signs of ovulation. However, they can differ from woman to woman or not at all and change again from cycle to cycle. A common symptom is what is known as middle pain.

This describes an unpleasant stinging or pulling in the abdomen, which is one-sided and can also change sides depending on the cycle. The female breasts are also more sensitive to touch and pain before ovulation.

Another sign that you are about to ovulate is a change in the cervical mucus (the mucus from the cervix, also known as a discharge). This becomes thinner under the influence of hormones before ovulation. In some cases, this change in mucus is also accompanied by a small bleeding, the ovulation bleeding. The mucus is briefly brownish-reddish in color.

Some women also feel an increased desire for sex shortly before ovulation. Another way of recognizing that ovulation has occurred is to regularly measure your basal body temperature (body temperature at rest before you get up in the morning).

However, this does not change until shortly after ovulation by up to 0.5 ° C.

Read more on the subject under: These symptoms accompany ovulation

How does the mucus change?

Shortly before ovulation, the so-called cervical mucus (mucus from the cervix, also known as discharge) becomes thinner, more flexible and more transparent. In addition, the amount of mucus produced increases during this time and the vagina feels damp.

It is also possible that so-called ovulatory bleeding occurs around ovulation, which can briefly discolour the mucus brownish-reddish.
All of this is caused by the influence and interplay of hormones in the female cycle and serves to facilitate the man's sperm on the way to fertilization.

In the rest of the cycle, especially immediately after the period, many women have little or no discharge, which also appears relatively thick and whitish-crumbly when it occurs.

The consistency of the cervical mucus can be used with regular self-examination, taking into account the basal temperature, to determine his fertile days using the symptothermal method.

Read more about this under: Hormone-free contraception

How does the temperature change?

During the female cycle, the basal body temperature is usually lower in the first half of the cycle up to ovulation, while it increases by up to approx. 0.5 ° C in the second half of the cycle after ovulation.

It is important, however, that the basal body temperature is involved, which must be measured at rest before physical activity.
This means that the body temperature must be determined every morning before you get up, otherwise no reliable and comparable results can be obtained.

The temperature should preferably be measured vaginally (in the vagina) or rectally (in the anus) over a period of three minutes and taken at about the same time each morning.

An increase in basal temperature then takes place within 48 hours of ovulation. In order to be sure that the increased measured temperature has not been caused by other influences once, this increase should be measured on at least three consecutive days.

Next article might also be of interest to you: Ovulation and Temperature

How does the discharge change?

The mucus in the cervix, also known as cervical mucus in technical terms, changes over the period of the female cycle and ovulation.

If this is thick, whitish-crumbly and small in the first half of the cycle, which begins shortly after the period, its consistency and the amount produced change the closer you get to ovulation.
Shortly before ovulation, the vagina feels more humid, the discharge appears thinner and can pull threads due to its increased elasticity.

A temporary, short-term reddish-brown discoloration of the discharge is harmless and indicates what is known as ovulatory bleeding (bleeding at the time of ovulation).

Would you like to learn more about this topic? Then read our next article under: How does discharge change during ovulation?

Can you tell by the pain?

At the time of ovulation, some women experience unpleasant, stabbing or pulling pain of varying duration in both the chest area and / or in the abdomen or abdomen.

In addition, the female breast is more sensitive to pressure at this point and can have a painful feeling of tension.

The pain in the area of the abdomen is also known as middle pain or intermenstrual pain and is localized alternately on the left or right side per cycle, depending on whether ovulation occurs in the right or left ovary.

Are there any tests or measuring devices to determine ovulation?

In the meantime, a number of tools have been developed to determine when ovulation and thus its fertile days.

First of all, there are conventional apps that calculate the cycle by manually entering your regularly measured basal temperature (body temperature at rest before you get up in the morning).
These apps can be unreliable, however, as it must be assumed that the woman's cycle is regular and the measurements are accurate. Newer measuring devices are based on different measuring methods. In most cases, the hormone concentration in the urine is measured and this determines the time of ovulation.

In addition, some of these devices can also include parameters such as the basal temperature or the consistency of the cervical mucus (mucus of the cervix, also known as discharge) in the calculation.

A new type of bracelet, on the other hand, combines other body parameters to determine ovulation. For example, resting heart rate, skin temperature and various factors measured during sleep are offset against each other.

Read our next article on this under: Desiring children and testing for ovulation

Can you see ovulation on ultrasound?

The process of ovulation itself cannot be seen in ultrasound. However, one can determine whether ovulation has recently occurred by monitoring the progress.

If the doctor was able to detect a mature follicle (egg cell and shell) in the ovary that suddenly cannot be seen after a few days when the ultrasound examination is repeated, it is likely that ovulation has occurred.

This suspicion can be reinforced by a small amount of leaked fluid in the abdomen. It is also possible that after ovulation you can see the yellow body (remainder of the cracked follicle) at the previous point of the mature follicle.

Can I use ovulation detection as a contraceptive method?

The so-called symptothermal method can be used for reliable ovulation detection for the purpose of contraception.
However, certain measuring devices can also be used.

In order to determine ovulation, the symptothermal method takes into account two parameters in particular, the basal body temperature and the consistency of the cervical mucus (cervical mucus). These two characteristics are measured at the same time every day, entered in a table and thus the own cycle certainly.

A so-called cycle computer, which processes the measured values, or a measuring device that measures the time of ovulation via the hormone concentration in the urine or other factors can also be used as an aid to determine ovulation.

Even if these contraceptive methods have no side effects compared to the birth control pill, the safety is not as high as with regular use of the pill. Stress, excessive alcohol consumption or the use of certain medications can disrupt the female cycle and, above all, limit the safety of the Symptothermal method. The reliability of the measuring devices can also vary considerably depending on the manufacturer.

Can you recognize ovulation despite breastfeeding?

During breastfeeding, ovulation is usually prevented by the hormone prolactin released during milk production.
This sterile period of time can last from months to rarely years and usually ends when the mother is weaned.

However, even the smallest irregularities in the frequency of breastfeeding can affect a woman's fertility. In order to detect ovulation despite breastfeeding, either the symptothermal method with assessment of the basal temperature and cervical mucus (mucus of the cervix) or the determination of the hormone concentration in the urine with the help of special measuring devices is recommended.

Read more on the subject under: Reproductive hormone (luteinizing hormone)