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Ovulation is a crucial part of your menstrual cycle and reproductive process.
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.
Key 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 requires the teamwork of your fertility hormones and reproductive organs.
- Ovulation occurs 12 – 14 days before your period. The egg is released about 24–36 hours after the luteinizing hormone begins to rise.
- 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 numerous methods available 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 Is Ovulation?
Ovulation is one of the four phases of a normal menstrual cycle. It comes after the follicular phase and before the luteal phase.
(In case you need a refresher, here are all the phases: Menstruation, the Follicular phase, Ovulation, and the Luteal phase).
During ovulation, 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 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 available and ready to be released.
- 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 begins to break 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 a great deal to facilitate ovulation. 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 also occur in healthy, regular cycles, provided it happens only once or twice a year.
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, preventing conception (at least not without intervention).
Now that you understand the bigger picture of ovulation, let’s get more clarity on the timeline.
Not sure if you’re ovulating? Take our free quiz to find out!
When Does Ovulation Occur?
Ovulation occurs around 12-14 days before day 1 of your next menstrual period. You can expect to ovulate about 8-20 hours after your LH peaks or 24-36 hours after the luteinizing hormone begins rising.
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 understand the signs of ovulation, which you’ll be an expert at after reading the next section!
Read more: When Do You Ovulate After an LH Surge?
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: Your cervical mucus may increase in amount and look like the consistency of egg whites
- Changes in cervix position: The position of your cervix will be higher and softer.
- Ovulation cramping: Also known as 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:
Being well-versed in noticing these symptoms is just one piece of the puzzle, though. Let’s talk about why it’s so helpful to track these symptoms to predict ovulation.
Read more: Ovulation Symptoms: How Do You Really Know?
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 when your chances of conceiving are the highest.
This is related to the duration for which the sperm and egg can survive in the female reproductive tract. While Sperm can survive up to 5 days, 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.
However, each day of your fertile window isn’t equal. In the next section, you’ll see your chances of conceiving on each day.
Read more: Getting Pregnant: When Are You Most Fertile?
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.
Read more: What Are Your Chances of Getting Pregnant on Ovulation Day?
How to Track Ovulation?
Nowadays, there are several 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, however, will provide a limited picture of your cycle.
Read 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:
Read 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, factors like fever, stress levels, and exercise contribute to higher-than-usual BBT besides ovulation. So, it can be difficult to confirm if your BBT rise is due to ovulation.
4. Getting a follicular scan
The most accurate method for cycle tracking is to undergo a follicular scan. 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.
Read 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 be effective for women whose LH levels are naturally higher or lower, or those with irregular cycles.
- OPKs can only estimate your fertile window; they can’t confirm ovulation.
Read more: Your Complete Guide to Ovulation Testing Progression
6. Using a comprehensive fertility monitor
The most feasible ovulation tracking method is to use fertility monitors. It saves you from the hassles of follicular scans and provides accurate results. So, if you’re looking for easy and precise ovulation tracking, 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 only two ways to confirm ovulation.
- First, having a follicular scan to see that the mature follicle actually ruptured (released an egg).
- Second, by measuring progesterone through a blood test or PdG through a urine test.
Since progesterone rises soon after you ovulate, measuring its levels confirms ovulation. However, a progesterone blood test should be ordered by your doctor.
In this scenario, the Inito monitor comes in handy. It saves you the hassle of undergoing a progesterone blood test while allowing 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. Certain underlying conditions can cause 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.
At this point, you may be wondering about how your period factors into ovulation.
Can You Have a Period Without Ovulating?
Technically speaking, yes you can have a period without ovulation. But this wouldn’t be considered a true menstrual period.
Here’s why:
- A drop in progesterone levels cues menstrual bleeding.
- 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).
Read more: Why Am I Not Ovulating But Having Periods
When Can I Take a Pregnancy Test After Ovulation?
For the most accurate results, take a pregnancy test at least one day after your missed period. For most women, this will likely be after 12-14 DPO.
Read more: How Soon After Ovulation Can You Test For Pregnancy?
FAQs
Ovulation is the process of an egg being released from an ovarian follicle. This released egg then travels to the uterus, where it has a chance to be fertilized by a male sperm. Ovulation usually happens around 12-14 days before a woman’s next period.
There are a few ways you may be able to tell if you’re ovulating. The first way is by looking out for physical signs of ovulation. For example, when you are about to ovulate, your cervical mucus becomes like the consistency of egg whites. You’re also likely to have an increased sex drive, and your cervix will be higher. You may notice some spotting as well.
During ovulation, some women also experience cramping (called Mittelschmerz) or even ovulation spotting (though this is less common). And after ovulation, your basal body temperature will rise about 0.5 – 1 degree Fahrenheit.
While these signs can help cue you into ovulation, they are not 100% reliable. To be able to tell with more accuracy, a fertility monitor like Inito is incredibly useful. Inito predicts and confirms ovulation by tracking 4 key fertility hormones in the urine – LH, estrogen, PdG (urine metabolite of progesterone), and FSH.
Ovulation affects women differently. Some women may experience uncomfortable cramping or even spotting around ovulation. Meanwhile, other women may hardly notice any symptoms at all. Your experience of ovulation can also fluctuate with age as your natural hormone levels change.
Women typically ovulate about 12 – 14 days before the first day of their next cycle (when you get your period).
No, you cannot ovulate on your period, but it is still possible to get pregnant from sex during your period. This is because sperm can survive in the body for up to five days. So, if you have a shorter menstrual cycle, a longer period, or you have ovulated earlier than expected, your fertile window can overlap with your bleeding.
You can expect to ovulate between 12-14 days before your next period. So, to backtrack and figure out how many days that will be after your period, you can do some math based on your typical cycle.
Let’s say you usually have a 32-day cycle and your period lasts 5 days. This would mean ovulation would happen sometime between cycle days 18 and 20. So that would be about 13- 15 days after your period.
Keep in mind, this isn’t an exact science, especially if your cycle length or bleed length fluctuates a little each month. But it can at least give you a ballpark idea. If you want to have a more accurate way to track your ovulation, it’s a good idea to use a fertility monitor like Inito.
No. If you aren’t ovulating, you can’t get pregnant. Without the egg, conception can’t take place. If you are unable to ovulate, there are assisted reproductive techniques like ovulation induction, IUI, and IVF that can help you get pregnant.
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- 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
