How Do You Know You’re Ovulating?

Women’s cycles can vary and are not always as regular as clockwork, so to know that you are ovulating and on which day of your cycle you are ovulating, observe your fertility signs throughout your cycle and record them on a chart.

The most accurate methods of working out when ovulation is about to occur are:

1. Keep an eye out for changes in your mucus. Around the time of ovulation, you may notice your vagina’s mucus is clear, slick and slippery, the consistency of egg white. This is the best sign of when ovulation is actually happening. It’s prime time for action.

2. Use an ovulation predictor kit. You can start testing with your ovulation predictor kit a few days before your estimated day of ovulation. A positive result means you are going to ovulate within the next 24 to 36 hours.

3. A special basal body temperature thermometer will ensure accurate measurement. Your BBT rises about half a degree Celsius after ovulation has occurred. By charting your temperature, it’s easy to see when the rise in temperature and ovulation happens. This can help you work out your own pattern of ovulation.

However, because at that stage ovulation has already passed, it does not help you pinpoint the fertile window but may guide you for next month.

4. Use the ovulation calculator available in various app or websites. you need to know the date of your last period, the length of your cycle and your cycle is regular, this will identify your ‘fertile window’ and predicted ovulation date.

5. If you can learn to recognize the other common signs of ovulation listed below, it could help you predict when ovulation is likely to occur.

• Heightened sense of smell.

• Breast soreness or tenderness.

• Mild pelvic or lower abdominal pain.

• Light spotting or discharge.

• Libido changes.

• Changes in the cervix.(During ovulation, the cervix will be soft, high, open and wet. For most women, it will take some time to be able to differentiate between what their cervix normally feels like and the changes it goes through during ovulation.)

• A rise in basal body temperature as explained above.

• Saliva ferning.

• LH levels in urine.

• Increased sexual desire.

• Nausea or headaches.