Let’s take a quiz!
Take our ovulation quiz to understand how your hormone patterns and lifestyle factors may affect your chances of ovulating
Know your chances of Ovulation
Understanding Ovulation: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and How to Track It Right
-
Written by:
Team Inito
Health Researchers and Writers
-
Verified by:
Dr. Shruthi Shridhar
Homeopath & Nutritionist
Fact-checkedInito Fact-checking standards
Every piece of content at Inito Health adheres to the highest editorial standards for language, style, and medical accuracy. To learn what we do to deliver the best health and lifestyle insights to you, check out our content review principles.
Fact-checkedInito Fact-checking standards
Every piece of content at Inito Health adheres to the highest editorial standards for language, style, and medical accuracy. To learn what we do to deliver the best health and lifestyle insights to you, check out our content review principles.
-
Written by:
Team Inito
Health Researchers and Writers
-
Verified by:
Dr. Shruthi Shridhar
Homeopath & Nutritionist
Whether you’re trying to conceive or just getting more in tune with your cycle, you’ve probably come across the term ovulation. There’s a whole lot more to ovulation than you may think. For starters, your body doesn’t just ovulate on a set schedule. And contrary to what apps may tell you, ovulation isn’t something you can predict based on math alone. The good news? Your body sends you signs when it’s about to release an egg. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what ovulation is, why it’s important, and how to know when ovulation may be approaching.
Whether you’re trying to conceive or just getting more in tune with your cycle, you’ve probably come across the term ovulation. There’s a whole lot more to ovulation than you may think. For starters, your body doesn’t just ovulate on a set schedule. And contrary to what apps may tell you, ovulation isn’t something you can predict based on math alone. The good news? Your body sends you signs when it’s about to release an egg. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what ovulation is, why it’s important, and how to know when ovulation may be approaching.
What is ovulation?
Ovulation is one of four phases in a normal menstrual cycle: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. It’s when your body prepares for the possibility of new life. During this phase, a mature egg is released from your ovary, ready to be fertilized and if the egg meets the sperm, conception begins. It may sound straightforward, but what’s happening behind the scenes is far more intricate and beautifully orchestrated. In this window, your fertility hormones—especially luteinizing hormone (LH) and estrogen—work together to guide the release of the egg.
When Do You Ovulate?
Ovulation usually takes place about 12 to 14 days before your next period begins. But because cycle lengths vary from person to person .Ovulation tends to occur roughly 24 to 36 hours after your body starts producing luteinizing hormone (LH), and around 8 to 20 hours after the LH peak. However, for many women, ovulation doesn’t always occur as expected. Conditions like PCOS, premature ovarian insufficiency, and hormonal imbalances can lead to anovulation—when the body doesn’t release an egg at all. In fact, anovulation is one of the leading causes of infertility, and many women don’t even realize it’s happening. If you’ve ever wondered whether your body is releasing an egg each cycle, or if underlying issues could be affecting your chances, take our Ovulation Quiz, created by top fertility experts to help you better understand your chances and risks of not ovulating.
Know your chances of Ovulation!
Take our ovulation quiz to understand how your hormone patters and lifestyle factors may affect your chances of ovulating
Why is ovulation important?
If you’re TTC, ovulation is essential—no egg = no fertilization. But even if you’re not trying, ovulation is a sign your hormones are in sync. Regular ovulation usually means your cycle is balanced. If you’re not ovulating (a condition called anovulation), it could point to something like PCOS, thyroid imbalances, or stress. Spotting ovulation isn’t just about conception—it’s about understanding your body. If you’re unsure whether you’re ovulating, or if your cycles feel irregular, our free guide on “Anovulation” is a great place to start.
Decode Anovulation :
What Your Cycle Isn’t
Telling You
Up to 37% of menstrual cycles don’t result in ovulation. Get to know fully about anovulation with a resource trusted by 50k+ women.
Thank you! Click below to download your Ebook
The signs of Ovulation
Your body offers clues that ovulation is approaching. Some are subtle, others obvious. Learning to recognize them can change how you understand your cycle.
1. Cervical Mucus Changes
Cervical mucus is a natural fluid produced by the cervix, and its texture changes throughout your menstrual cycle. After your period, you may notice dryness or little discharge. As ovulation approaches and estrogen rises, mucus becomes clearer, stretchier, and slippery—similar to raw egg whites. This type of mucus helps sperm move more easily toward the egg. To check, you can gently insert clean fingers into your vagina and stretch the mucus between them. If it stretches and feels slick, it’s a good sign you’re in your fertile window.
2. Changes in Cervical Position
On a similar note, your cervix also changes throughout your menstrual cycle.
Outside of ovulation, the cervix is usually lower, firmer, similar in texture to the tip of your nose, and closed. In contrast, during ovulation, your cervix typically becomes softer, higher, and may feel more open and moist to the touch, similar to the texture of your lips. These changes allow the sperm to pass through more easily.
3. Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Shifts
Basal body temperature (BBT) is your body’s baseline temperature (aka, the temperature measured after at least 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep). In the first half of your cycle, your BBT is generally about 97-98 degrees F. After ovulation, you may notice a slight increase in your BBT (by about 0.5-1 degrees F) due to a rise in progesterone.
So, by tracking BBT daily, you can spot this shift. Note that this tells you that ovulation already happened, not that it’s coming.
4. Ovulation Pain (Mittelschmerz)
Some people feel a mild ache or twinge on one side of their lower abdomen during ovulation. This sensation is known as Mittelschmerz, or “middle pain,” and is experienced by up to 40% of women. While the exact cause of this pain is unknown, some research suggests it could be triggered by a rise in LH levels. It could also be due to the fluid that gets released from the ruptured follicle. That fluid can irritate the tissue, leading to a dull cramp or sharp twinge. The discomfort may last just a few minutes or extend to several hours.
5. Increased libido
Another commonly reported symptom during ovulation is a rise in sexual desire. Hormones like estrogen and testosterone tend to peak right before ovulation, which could be your body’s way of naturally encouraging reproduction.
6. Breast tenderness
As hormone levels fluctuate around ovulation, some people experience breast tenderness, heaviness, or sensitive nipples. This can continue into the luteal phase and resolve spontaneously once your period starts.
How to predict ovulation?
1. Ovulation calculators or ovulation calendars
These tools calculate your fertile window based on your average cycle length, often assuming ovulation happens 14 days before your next period.
But here’s the thing: they’re just doing math – they don’t actually measure your hormones. And cycles can vary, so they cannot keep up with your hormonal variations and shifts. So understandably, their accuracy is quite low.
2. Using ovulation predictor kits (OPKs)
OPKs are one of the most popular methods for at-home ovulation prediction. These test strips or digital devices detect the surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine. LH is the hormone that triggers ovulation.
Here’s how they work:
- You start testing a few days before the expected ovulation day.
- A positive OPK means LH levels are high, and ovulation is likely to occur within 24 to 36 hours.
- This is your cue to have intercourse or insemination.
Simple, right? Yes, but with a few caveats. OPKs only detect LH. They don’t show the full fertile window (like the rise in estrogen before LH), and they can’t confirm if ovulation actually happened. Additionally, women with PCOS, irregular cycles, and hormone imbalances or values outside threshold levels may get false positives or confusing results.
Curious about what your other fertility hormones say? After learning that OPKs only track LH, it’s worth exploring the full picture. Take our short Hormone Tracking Quiz to see how your hormones relate to ovulation—and get a personalized sample hormone chart made just for you.
See how your hormones
are related to ovulation
Answer some questions to help us
provide you a free personalized hormone
chart customized to your hormonal
health and conditions
See how your hormones are related to ovulation
Answer some questions to help us provide you a free personalized hormone chart customized to your hormonal health and conditions
Still guessing your
ovulation day?
40% of women misread Ovulation tests and fail to pinpoint their Ovulation. Don’t let OPKs slow your journey, read beyond the lines with Inito.
Thank you! Click below to download your Ebook
3. Using a comprehensive fertility monitor like Inito
Here’s where Inito steps in as a game-changer. The Inito Fertility Monitor tracks four key hormones in your urine in a single test strip:
- FSH – helps monitor follicle growth
- Estrogen – rises before ovulation, helping detect more fertile days
- LH – surges just before ovulation and helps predict ovulation
- PdG (urine metabolite of progesterone) – rises after ovulation and confirms that it actually occurred
This means you don’t just get a heads-up—you get the full picture of your fertility cycle. You’ll know when ovulation is coming, and you’ll know if it actually happened. Inito is 96% as accurate as a blood test and confirms ovulation with more than 99% specificity.
Why top fertility experts recommend Inito over OPKs
Brought to you by Inito
This free resource was created by Inito, the only fertility monitor that provides real numerical values of all 4 pregnancy hormones (Estrogen, LH, PdG (urine metabolite of progesterone) & FSH) on a single test strip in just 10 minutes.
- TRUSTED BY 75,000+ COUPLES
- FREE U.S. SHIPPING
- HSA/FSA ELIGIBLE
Get $50 off (auto-applied at checkout)
FAQs
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 (urine metabolite of progesterone) 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. By using the Inito fertility monitor, you can measure PdG and confirm ovulation from the comfort of your own home.
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).
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
Technically speaking, yes you can have a period without ovulation. But this wouldn’t be considered a true menstrual period.
Know more: Why Am I Not Ovulating But Having Periods
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.
Know more: How Soon After Ovulation Can You Test For Pregnancy?
* Your email address is safe with us! By entering your email address, you agree with Inito’s Privacy Policy. Your information will not be shared. You can choose to opt out at any point in time.
10k+ women got their sample
hormone chart. See yours!
