SIGNS OF OVULATION
Discussed below are some of the signs and symptoms you may experience during
the time of ovulation. While some will find these to be highly accurate
indications of ovulation, others will not experience them at all.
A RISE IN BODY TEMPERATURE
Following ovulation, your temperature can increase by 0.4 to 1.6 degrees. You
won't feel the shift, but you can detect it by using a Basal Body Temperature
(BBT) thermometer. Its important to take your temperature at or about the
same time each morning, before you get out of bed, in order to establish a
pattern and get an accurate reading.
Because it can take a few days for your body to build up enough progesterone to
raise
your temperature, at that point its too late for fertilization because the egg
can only
survive about 24 hours. Your most fertile period is in the two to three days
PRIOR to the temperature rise.
By having sex frequently prior to ovulation, you increase the chances of
conception,
especially if your cycle is abnormal or unpredictable. If your cycle is normal,
try to have sex during the two to three days preceeding the day your temperature
normally rises.
MITTELSCHMIRTZ
Literally meaning pain in the middle, mittelschmirtz is a mild cramping on one
or both
sides of the abdomen. This pain is caused by the rupturing of the follicle and
subsequent release of the egg. This cramping may last anywhere from a few
minutes to an entire day.
CHANGES IN CERVICAL MUCUS
As you progress through your cycle, your cervical mucus increases. It becomes
wetter, thinner, clear, and more stretchy. You are considered most fertile
when the mucus takes on a raw egg-white quality.
LIGHT SPOTTING
You may experience some pinkish to light brown spotting at the time of
ovulation. This is because ovulation causes some cramping, and may cause some
excess uterine lining to be shed.
BREAST TENDERNESS
INCREASED SEX DRIVE
While these signs may hold true for some, keep in mind not everyone will have
the same symptoms of ovulation.
