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Ovulation is a hugely important part of your menstrual cycle and reproduction.
During ovulation, your ovary releases an egg that can become fertilized. Once fertilization is successful, conception is officially underway. Sounds simple enough, right?
But there’s actually a lot your body is doing behind the scenes to make ovulation happen. Read on to learn precisely how it works plus how you can predict and confirm ovulation.
Takeaways
- Ovulation is what makes it possible for you to conceive. It’s when your ovary releases an egg that has a chance of becoming fertilized.
- The process of ovulation takes the team effort of your fertility hormones and reproductive organs.
- Ovulation occurs 12 – 14 days before your period. The egg gets released about 24 – 36 hours after the luteinizing hormone begins rising.
- Some ovulation symptoms to look for include egg-white CM, softer cervix, increased sex drive, and possible cramping and bleeding.
- Knowing when you ovulate will help you better track your fertile window. Your peak fertility is on the two days leading up to ovulation.
- There are a lot of methods out there for ovulation tracking. Some include: ovulation calendars, OPKs, tracking your CM or BBT, follicular scans, and fertility monitors like Inito.
- The best way to confirm ovulation is to track the hormone progesterone and PdG. They rise after you ovulate.
- Typically, you will only ovulate one egg during ovulation. But it’s also possible to ovulate more than one egg or none at all.
- Having a monthly period does not guarantee that you are ovulating.
What happens during ovulation?
Ovulation is one of the four phases of a normal menstrual cycle. (In case you need a refresher, here are all the phases: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase).
In the ovulatory phase, the main event is the release of an egg from your ovary. But to fully appreciate this miraculous event, you’ve got to understand the synchronized effort of your hormones and reproductive organs.
Here’s the gist of what’s going on in your body before, during, and after ovulation:
Before ovulation
- In your follicular phase, low hormone levels signal to your pituitary gland that it’s time to produce follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
- Increased follicle stimulating (FSH) levels help your ovarian follicles (which contain one egg each) to mature.
- A dominant follicle will emerge. This is the one that matures the most and from which the egg will be released. (Your body will reabsorb the other follicles.)
- The dominant follicle releases higher amounts of estrogen.
- This alerts the hypothalamus and pituitary gland that a mature egg is on deck and ready to go.
- This kicks the luteinizing hormone (LH) into action. Your LH surge tells the mature follicle to “let it rip” (aka release the egg).
During ovulation
- From your ovary, the released egg journeys through one of your fallopian tubes.
- The egg is viable for 12-24 hours. During this time, it’s waiting to be fertilized by the sperm.
After ovulation
- The ovarian follicle that released the egg transforms into a structure called the corpus luteum.
- The corpus luteum produces the hormone progesterone.
- If the egg becomes fertilized and implants successfully, the placenta will begin forming and start secreting hCG.
- If the egg does not become fertilized, the corpus luteum stops producing progesterone and starts breaking down.
- When the corpus luteum disintegrates around 9 – 11 DPO, your fertility hormone levels drop sharply.
- This plummet of hormones tells your uterine lining that it’s time to shed. (This happens through menstrual bleeding, aka your period).
As you can see, your body does so much to make ovulation happen. But when it comes to fertility, a lot of people don’t truly understand just how important ovulation is. So let’s dig into that next.
Why is ovulation important?
Whether you’re trying to conceive or not, ovulation tells a lot about your body’s overall health. If you’re not ovulating regularly, it could be a sign of an underlying condition. 
Some factors that could lead to anovulation include:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Unhealthy levels of stress
- Under-exercising, being too “sedentary,” or having a high BMI
- Over-exercising or a very low BMI
While these conditions can cause ovulation troubles, anovulation can actually occur in healthy, regular cycles too, as long as it occurs only once or twice in a year.
Not sure if you’re ovulating? Take our free quiz to find out!
And then there’s the fertility factor, of course. If you don’t ovulate, the egg can’t meet up with the sperm. This means that the egg can’t become fertilized to allow you to conceive (at least not without intervention).
Now that you understand the bigger picture of ovulation, let’s get more clarity on the timeline.
When does ovulation occur?
You can expect to ovulate about 8-20 hours after your LH peaks or 24-36 hours after the luteinizing hormone begins rising.
Read more: When Do You Ovulate After an LH Surge?
Now what about the timing within the larger picture of your cycle? Ovulation occurs around 12-14 days before day 1 of your next menstrual period.
In case you’re wondering the flip side of this: how many days after your period is ovulation? That’s a little harder to answer because it depends on the length and regularity of your cycles.
The best way to know which cycle day to expect ovulation is to begin tracking your unique cycle. A great starting point is to know the signs of ovulation, which you’ll be an expert at after reading the next section!
Ovulation symptoms to look for
If you pay close attention, your body gives you some subtle (and not-so-subtle) clues that ovulation is coming.
Ovulation symptoms don’t look exactly the same for each woman. But in general, they are present for several hours to several days before ovulation.
Here are some of the most common ovulation signs:
- Increased libido – you are ready to get it on in the bedroom!
- Changes in cervical mucus (CM) – your CM may increase in amount and look like the consistency of egg whites
- Changes in cervix position – your cervix will be higher and softer
- Ovulation cramping (aka mittelschmerz) – about 40% of women experience ovulation cramps
- Ovulation bleeding – about 5% of women have very light spotting mid-cycle around ovulation
Increased sensitivity to smells
Know more: Ovulation Symptoms: How Do You Really Know?
Being well-versed in noticing these symptoms is just one piece of the puzzle though. Let’s talk more about why it’s so helpful to track these symptoms to predict ovulation.
Why is it important to track ovulation?
As you’ve seen already, the timing of ovulation is very precise. There are only about 6 days each cycle where your chances of conceiving are the highest.
This has to do with how long the sperm and egg can live in the female reproductive tract. Sperm can survive up to 5 days. Meanwhile, an egg’s lifespan is only 12-24 hours.
This means that if you’re trying to get pregnant, you’ve got to know which days you are most fertile (aka likely to conceive).
In general, your fertile window includes the 4 days before you ovulate, the day you ovulate, and the day after.
Know more: Getting Pregnant: When Are You Most Fertile?
Not each day of your fertile window is equal though. In the next section, you’ll see your chances of conceiving on each day.
How likely are you to get pregnant during ovulation?
One study of nearly 100,000 women found that the day before ovulation was the most fertile day, not the day of ovulation.
Here’s what they found about the probability of conceiving based on when the couple had sex:
As the chart shows, peak fertility was seen the day before ovulation. The next most likely days to conceive were days 2 and 3 before ovulation.
So to answer the question, you have about a 1 in 5 chance of conceiving if you have sex on the day of ovulation. Your best bet is to baby dance within the three days leading up to ovulation.
Know more: What Are Your Chances of Getting Pregnant on Ovulation Day?
How to track ovulation?
Nowadays, you have lots of options for predicting ovulation and your fertile window. Each method has its own advantages and drawbacks. 
1. Ovulation calculators or ovulation calendars
If you’ve been on your phone’s app store lately, you’ve likely seen tons of tools that claim to track your fertility. Many of these work based on the data that you input like your average cycle length and the first day of your menstrual period.
Mainly, they’ll give you predictions by estimating ovulation to take place 12-14 days before your upcoming menstrual period.
Using this cycle tracking method alone though will give you a limited picture of your cycle.
Know more: How Accurate Are Ovulation Calculators?
2. Monitoring your cervical mucus (CM)
Another cycle tracking method is looking out for changes in your CM.
Look at the image below to see what’s typical for CM at different times in your menstrual cycle:
Know more: What Does Your Cervical Mucus Tell You About Your Body?
3. Tracking your basal body temperature (BBT):
Some women carefully track their BBT for ovulation tracking. Here’s why:
- Post ovulation, your progesterone levels rise.
- Higher progesterone causes your basal body temperature to increase
- Your BBT goes up by about 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit during this time
- Tracking your BBT throughout your cycle allows you to see when this increase happens (to estimate when ovulation took place)
There are a few downsides to using BBT tracking though.
First, it doesn’t allow you to accurately predict your most fertile days in advance. Instead, you only notice the rise in BBT after ovulation.
Secondly, your BBT can be impacted by other factors besides ovulation. Stress levels, fever, and exercise can all contribute to higher-than-usual BBT results.
4. Getting a follicular scan
The most accurate method for cycle tracking is having a follicular scan done. A follicular scan is done through a transvaginal ultrasound, and it provides images and measurements of your follicular growth.
This information can help your fertility specialist monitor the growth of your ovarian follicles. It also helps predict when ovulation will occur. Though reliable, follicular scans can only be done at a doctor’s office or fertility clinic. And they also require you to go in several times throughout your cycle.
Know more: A Closer Look At Follicular Scanning For Ovulation Tracking: Is It Worth All The Inconvenience?
5. Using ovulation predictor kits (OPKs)
How do ovulation tests work? An ovulation predictor kit includes urine strips that help you “predict” ovulation by testing your LH levels.
Remember that ovulation occurs about 8-20 hours following your LH peak. So ovulation test kits work by detecting increases in your LH levels. OPKs can be helpful in some cases, and they’re an affordable and accessible option.
But there are some cons with this method too:
- Some LH strips may give inaccurate results due to low sensitivity or cross-reactions with other hormones
- Most OPKs are based on threshold values (aka “typical” LH cutoff levels). This means they may not work for women whose LH levels are naturally higher or lower or those who have irregular cycles.
- OPKs can only estimate your fertile window; they can’t confirm ovulation.
Know more: Your Complete Guide to Ovulation Testing Progression
6. Using a comprehensive fertility monitor like Inito
Don’t have the capacity for a follicular scan but still want an accurate ovulation tracking option? The Inito fertility monitor will be your new bestie!
Here’s how Inito helps with fertility tracking:
- From a single test strip, you get numerical values of the four fertility hormones – LH, estrogen, PdG (urine metabolite of progesterone), and FSH. (No subjective readings based on standard thresholds)
- Inito measures beta LH. This avoids the potential for inaccurate results based on cross-reactions with other hormones.
- You’ll get a reliable picture of your fertile window (through LH, estrogen, and FSH) and be able to confirm ovulation (through PdG).
Here’s a look at how ovulation detection with Inito measures up to other traditional methods:
Method | Accuracy |
BBT | |
CM | |
Inito |
As you can see, Inito is incredibly accurate in detecting ovulation. And the best part is you can use it from the comfort of your own home!
Still have lingering confusion about how to confirm ovulation? The next section will put it all together for you!
How can you confirm ovulation?
There are really only two ways to confirm ovulation. The first is having a follicular scan to see that the mature follicle actually ruptured (released an egg).
The second is by measuring progesterone through a blood test or PdG through a urine test. This is because progesterone rises soon after you ovulate. A progesterone blood test would need to be ordered by your doctor. But the Inito monitor allows you to track and confirm ovulation from the comfort of your own home.
How many eggs get released during ovulation?
In most cases, only one egg is released each time you ovulate. But there are some exceptions to this.
If you undergo ovulation induction or have PCOS, you could experience “hyperovulation.” This is when more than one egg is released in the same cycle.
Hyperovulation can happen naturally as an occasional fluke as well. This is how fraternal twins can be conceived in cycles without assisted reproductive technology (ART).
Know more: Can You Ovulate More Than Once in a Month?
Another scenario that’s possible is not ovulating at all. If you’re wondering about this, get your questions answered in the next section.
What happens if I’m not ovulating?
It may come as a surprise, but it’s not unusual to have anovulatory cycles from time to time. So try not to panic if you think you’re not ovulating.
That said, if you’re consistently not ovulating, you’ll want to see a healthcare professional. Some underlying conditions can lead to ovulation irregularities. And anovulation is the most common cause of infertility in women. So it’s a good idea to see a fertility specialist sooner than later if you have ovulation concerns.
Know more: Anovulation: Everything you need to know about the #1 cause of infertility
At this point, you may be wondering about how your period factors into ovulation.
Can you have a period and not ovulate?
Technically speaking, yes you can have a period without ovulation. But this wouldn’t be considered a true menstrual period.
Here’s why:
- Menstrual bleeding is cued by a drop in progesterone levels.
- In your cycle, this drop happens when the corpus luteum (the ruptured follicle) breaks down.
- If ovulation doesn’t occur though, then no corpus luteum forms.
- Without a corpus luteum, progesterone doesn’t get secreted.
- This causes your uterine lining to keep bulking up since there’s no progesterone around to balance out your estrogen levels.
- The thick build-up of the uterine lining can make your endometrium unstable.
- This can cause you to have bleeding that closely resembles a period. (breakthrough bleeding).
Know more: Why Am I Not Ovulating But Having Periods
When can I take a pregnancy test after ovulation?
FAQs
The ovulatory phase technically lasts from the day before your LH surge through the day after your LH surge. But the egg is released about 24-36 hours after your LH surge.
Ovulation will happen about 8 – 20 hours after the peak of your LH surge.
You’ll want to test at least once a day starting with the 4 days before ovulation is expected. If you have irregular cycles or don’t know when to expect ovulation don’t worry.
Try this: Determine what your shortest cycle was from the previous 6 months. Subtract 12-14 days from that number (that would be your cycle day for estimated ovulation). Start your OPK tests 4 days before this day.
Yes, it is possible. This is because an egg survives for up to 1 day after its release. So you can conceive up to 24 hours after ovulation. Keep in mind though that your highest chances of conception are two days before ovulation.
Some women won’t experience any obvious sensations during ovulation. But about 40% of women may experience painful or uncomfortable cramps or twinges in one of their ovaries. This could last on and off for a few hours up to a day or two.
Was this article helpful?
- Ovulation and fertility – Better Health Channel
- Physiology, Ovulation – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf
- Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Ovary Corpus Luteum – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf
- Ovulation, a sign of health – PMC
- Findings from a mobile application–based cohort are consistent with established knowledge of the menstrual cycle, fertile window, and conception
- Detection of ovulation, a review of currently available methods – PMC
- Validation of urinary reproductive hormone measurements using a novel smartphone connected reader | Scientific Reports
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