How to determine ovulation at home?

Knowing the exact time of ovulation allows women to control the process of fertilization or protect themselves from it, if they do not want to have a child. Approximately in the middle of the menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs – the release of a mature egg into the fallopian tube, where during the day it has the opportunity to be fertilized by a sperm cell.

Determining ovulation with a test

In the body of a woman, there is always a small amount of human luteinizing hormone (LH), which increases significantly the day before ovulation. It is most easily detected in urine and blood. To determine the date of ovulation, you can use a one-time test, the action of which is based on comparing the concentration of LH in the urine with a control indicator.

The test is used in the same way as a pregnancy test, but it is required to be performed daily for a certain period after menstruation, therefore, from the financial point of view, this method is considered expensive.

Rules for conducting an ovulation test:

• Do not urinate within 4 hours before use;

• Drink liquid to a minimum so as not to reduce the concentration of the hormone in the urine and not get a false result;

• Dip the tip of the test strip into the urine for 20 seconds, or hold it under the stream of urine for 5 seconds, wait 3 minutes.

After the required exposure time, the results obtained should be evaluated. Criteria for evaluation:

• The appeared strip is lighter than the control – there was no ovulation, so the LH level remained low;

• The strip that appears is brighter than the control one – the LH level has risen sharply, 24-36 hours are left before ovulation.

If you have sexual intercourse within 2 days after the release of luteinizing hormone, it will most likely end with the conception of a child. After fertilization of the egg, it is pointless to continue testing.

A reusable test, which is a device with a set of test strips, operates in a similar way. Using it, you can perform testing up to 20 times a month. The device shows the date of the beginning of ovulation, the periods in which the probability of fertilization is highest, the periods when you can not use protection, because the woman at this time has a reduced level of fertility.

Calculate ovulation calendar online

Using this calendar, you can accurately find out the day of ovulation, the days most suitable for conception and the days of the least fertility.

To use this computer program, the following data must be provided:

• Day of the beginning of the last menstruation;

• The duration of the menstrual cycle;

• duration of menstruation.

The method may have an error if a woman with an irregular cycle uses it.

How to determine ovulation by basal temperature?

Using this method, you need to take the temperature in the rectum or in the vagina every morning at the same time. For measurement, a conventional mercury thermometer is used, which is kept for 5-7 minutes to obtain an accurate result.

To avoid inaccuracies, it is necessary to keep a thermometry diary for several months, where all the results are scrupulously recorded. The measurement time was not chosen by chance, because at this time you can get the most accurate results. The time of ovulation is determined by a jump in temperature by a few tenths of a degree upwards in relation to normal values.

Example:

• From the first day of menstruation, the basal temperature values ​​were in the range of 36,1? C-36,6? C;

• From day 13, this value was 36,6? C;

• On the morning of day 14, there was a jump to 37,3? C, therefore, ovulation occurred.

• Until the next menstruation, the basal temperature will be elevated.

Women with an established cycle can accurately calculate the days of the upcoming ovulation even before this process begins.

How to determine ovulation by secretions and sensations?

Normally, in the cervical canal of the cervix there is a certain amount of a special secret – cervical mucus. It is quite thick, but at the time of ovulation, the mucus becomes more liquid, viscous and watery. If you stretch it between your fingers like used chewing gum, you get a kind of thread up to 10 cm long. During ovulation, the amount of vaginal discharge increases.

Attentive women can determine the moment of ovulation by their feelings.

They do not have to use test strips, take tests, it is enough to analyze the following signs:

• There are aching pains in the lower abdomen;

• The mammary glands are swollen, they are tense and slightly painful;

• There is emotional instability, irritability;

• Increased libido;

• A small amount of spotting may appear;

• The abdomen is swollen due to flatulence.

A combination of 2-3 signs of the above symptoms indicates the onset of ovulation.

How to determine ovulation with an irregular cycle?

The most accurate time of ovulation with an irregular cycle is determined using daily ultrasound scanning. During ultrasound, the doctor accurately determines the date of release of the mature egg from the ovary, because he is able to track the process of growth and maturation of the follicle, to see the moment of rupture of the follicle.

Daily monitoring can be carried out to determine the most favorable moment for conception if the spouses are undergoing treatment for infertility, or have a low probability of fertilizing an egg.

Determination of ovulation by saliva crystallization

If you prepare a preparation from female saliva during the period of ovulation for viewing it under a microscope, you can see how the secret crystallizes, acquiring the shape of a fern leaf. These changes are called “fern syndrome” and arose as a result of hormonal changes that crystallize saliva in such a bizarre way.

Determination of ovulation by the level of progesterone in the blood

With the onset of ovulation in the female body, the level of progesterone increases sharply and remains at this level until the start of the next menstruation. If you measure this level several times since the beginning of the cycle, you can determine the date of ovulation by a jump in the level of the hormone in the blood.

When applying methods for determining ovulation in practice, it must be remembered that the egg remains viable for a day after leaving the ovary, and the spermatozoa for 4-6 days.