Ovulation is one of the most talked about topics amongst women trying to conceive. Why? Because without it, pregnancy becomes impossible. But what is it and why is it important in your journey to conception? Dr. Caleb Mawutor Dzunu, Family Physician at St. Luke Catholic Hospital, Ghana, breaks it down for us.
What is it?
“Ovulation is the release of an egg from your ovary into your fallopian tube,” explains Dr. Dzunu, “And pregnancy occurs when sperms fertilize this egg in the fallopian tube. A woman is most fertile around the time of ovulation. This usually occurs halfway through your cycle.”
But how do you identify signs of ovulation? According to Dr. Dzunu, since you’re likely to ovulate halfway through your cycle, it’s important to pay attention to your body around this time. This means you’re looking at days 10-16 from the first day of your period, especially if you have a regular cycle.
Signs to look out for
Here are a few ovulation symptoms to look out for, according to Dr. Dzunu:
- Your body temperature usually rises to about a degree difference during this period. To find out, you can check your body temperature first thing upon waking up in the morning. However, in order to determine if your temperature is high, you should already know your basal body temperature.
- Your cervical mucus becomes clearer and thinner with a more slippery consistency.
- You may also feel slight pain or mild cramps in your lower abdomen.
- Your sex drive may increase.
“A more accurate way is to use an ovulation test kit, which is able to predict ovulation 12 to 24 hours in advance,” cautions Dr. Dzunu. “A urine sample is placed on it and you watch the indicator per the manufacturer’s instructions for results.”
Are there false signs? If so, how do you identify them?
“This is a tricky one,” responds Dr. Dzunu. “There are false signs of ovulation. These are subjective ways of assessing ovulation. It is possible to have the above signs and symptoms, mentioned earlier, and not ovulate. This can happen especially in ladies with irregular menstrual cycles and also women with conditions such as poly cystic ovarian syndrome.” (Read about how to manage menstrual cramps)
“You have to study your body over time to tease out your personal consistent signs and symptoms. This, however, is still subjective,” he asserts.
While there are other ways, such as the use of an ovulation calculator or ovulation tracker, Dr. Dzunu advises that a more objective option is the ovulation kit.