10 signs ovulating! you’re

If your menstrual cycle is regular, and you know what to look for, some of the signs of ovulation – when an egg is released from the ovary – are pretty easy to spot. Here are ways to tell when you’re most fertile, writes Tracey Hawthorne

EVERY WOMAN’S MENSTRUAL cycle is different, and it’s normal for it to vary in length by a couple of days from month to month. “If your menstrual cycle is regular and between 21 and 35 days, you can assume your calendar is in check,” says Dr Dalene Barnard, an obstetrician and gynaecologist from Kloof Mediclinic in Pretoria.

If you count day one as the first day of your period, women with regular menstrual cycles tend to ovulate some time between day seven and day 21 of their cycle. “So to fall pregnant, the best time for sexual intercourse is the first 14 days after menstruation has started,” Dr Barnard says.

Those 14 days still represent quite a long range, so if you want to know exactly if and when you’re ovulating, here are 10 ways to do that.

1. TRACK YOUR OWN MENSTRUAL CYCLE

You can track your menstrual cycle manually, by literally writing down when your period starts and ends, and any other symptoms you experience during the month (like changes in your cervical mucus and body temperature – see below), or you can use one of the many free apps available to track your cycle for you. “Remember that if your cycles are on the shorter side, you’re more likely to ovulate closer to day seven, while if you have a longer menstrual cycle, ovulation may occur closer to day 21,” Dr Barnard says. “If your cycle is very short, you may even ovulate while still menstruating.” 2. TAKE YOUR TEMPERATURE

Your basal body temperature (BBT – your temperature when you’re at rest) dips a bit just before your ovary releases an egg. Then, 24 hours later, it rises and stays up for several days as a result of slightly elevated progesterone levels in your body. “You need a very sensitive thermometer to track the differences,” warns Dr Barnard. “Before ovulation, your BBT will average between 36.1°C and 36.4°C; after, it will be between 36.4°C and 37°C.” Remember to take your temperature at the same time every day, preferably right after you get out of bed. (Take note, though: researchers have found that BBT charting correctly predicts the exact day of ovulation only 43 percent of the time.)

3. MONITOR YOUR CERVICAL MUCUS Your cervical mucus changes in quantity, consistency and appearance, depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, from almost dry to sticky, creamy, watery and raw-egg-white-like. “When you’re nearing ovulation, your cervical mucus increases in quantity and becomes perfectly translucent – the raw egg-white consistency,” says Dr Barnard. “This is to help sperm swim up and into your fallopian tubes.”

4. CHECK YOUR LIBIDO

Nature knows how to get you to have sex at the ideal time for conception, which is why your desire for sex increases just before ovulation.

5. FEEL FOR PAIN

Some women experience abdominal pain just before they ovulate. For most, it’s a temporary sharp pain in the lower abdomen. (If the pain is more serious than this, you need to see a doctor.) However, “This is an unreliable sign on its own, as many things cause temporary discomfort or pain in the lower abdomen,” cautions Dr Barnard.

6. TRACK THE TENDERNESS

Your body’s hormones make your breasts more or less tender, depending on the time of the month. Many women have tender breasts straight after ovulation.

7. KEEP A FINGER ON THE CERVIX Your cervix shifts position and changes throughout your menstrual cycle. Just before ovulation, it moves up higher (you may have difficulty reaching it), becomes softer to the touch, and opens slightly.

8. TAKE A HOME PREDICTOR TEST

An ovulation predictor kit works a lot like a home pregnancy test: you pee on a stick or into a cup in which you place a test strip, then follow the packet directions to find out if you’re ovulating. (Researchers say this method of tracking ovulation is accurate about 60 percent of the time.)

9. DO A BLOOD TEST

Your doctor can tell you if you’re ovulating by doing a progesterone blood test, usually on day 21 of your cycle.

10. HAVE AN ULTRASOUND

Your doctor can do a trans-vaginal ultrasound in order to see if follicles are developing in the ovary. “The egg that’s released after ovulation is the biggest cell in the human body, and the follicle containing it can be as big as 3cm in width,” notes Dr Barnard. “After ovulation, ultrasound can detect whether a follicle did break open and release an egg.”