Ovulation – How Long Does It Take? Symptoms of ovulation

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The ovulatory process is a signal that the woman’s body has released a new egg ready for fertilization in the fallopian tube. Its frequency depends on many external factors, but there are many ways to control the fertility process. Ovulation is the pinnacle of the menstrual cycle.

What is ovulation?

Ovulation, or ovulation, is a key stage in the menstrual cycle (menstruation). When the egg is ripe, its cover in the form of a Graaf bubble breaks, releasing the egg as a result. It then travels from the ovary to the fallopian tube, ready to be fertilized upon contact with the sperm. When an egg is released, it stimulates the release of a hormone that stops the next regular ovulatory cycle. Unless ovulation is disturbed, it should be done between the 13th and 15th day before the onset of bleeding, at intervals of approximately 28 days. Due to the individual shifts and differences in the functioning of the body of each woman, it is incorrect to say that ovulation always occurs in the middle of the cycle. On average, taking into account also external conditions, it is the 14th day before the onset of bleeding. Although ovulation is the focal point of the cycle, dividing it into the maturing phases of the egg and the corpus luteum, in most cases their length is not the same.

Do you have a problem with disorders of the menstrual cycle? This may be the first sign of illness and you should see your doctor. On the haloDoctor.pl website, you can quickly and safely make an online teleconsultation with a gynecologist, where you will learn the answers to your questions and get professional help.

Ovulation in women is hidden

Unlike most mammals, human ovulation, meaning readiness to fertilize, is not signaled by readiness to mate, or estrus. Female ovulation takes place covertly. The ovulatory phase is the peak of a woman’s fertility during her menstrual cycle. However, it should be remembered that the mature egg released from the follicle lives in the fallopian tube for a maximum of 6 to 24 hours. On the other hand, sperm can survive in a woman’s genital tract for three to even five days. Therefore, to increase the likelihood of conception, many couples choose to have sex during the periovulatory phase. Thanks to this, sperm residing in the reproductive canals can immediately start the process of piercing the outer cover of the egg in order to reach its cytoplasm.

1. Also read: Sperm – what is it? Structure, life expectancy, male fertility

Determining the date of ovulation

Both to get pregnant and avoid conception, a number of methods are used to help you approximate the timing of ovulation. These include keeping a chart of body temperature (order the Medel Fertyl ovulation thermometer for convenient measurements) and mucus secretion (Billings method), the calendar method (Ogino-Knausa) and special ovulation tests, available at pharmacies. Ovulation from the anatomical side is strictly dependent on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary axis. The hypothalamus, connected with the pituitary gland by a system of blood vessels, transports two gonadotropins to the woman’s body, which is a signal to start the process of ovulation.

At Medonet Market you can buy the Home Ovulation Test – LH Test, which will help you determine when is the best time to conceive a baby. We also recommend the easy-to-use Diather ultrasensitive ovulation test. If you are planning to have a baby, order the Pregnancy Home Test Kit, which includes an ovulation test, pregnancy test and intimate infection test.

1. Check the promotional offer for an ovulation thermometer

Symptoms of ovulation

There are many factors that a woman, after years of observing her body, can identify with the upcoming ovulation process. In addition to the increase in body temperature after the release of an egg and a change in the color and consistency of the cervical mucus in the vagina, there is also ovulatory pain. It occurs around the ovary after the release of the egg from the Graff’s follicle, and is often accompanied by ovulatory spotting.

Among the symptoms, we can distinguish two main symptoms that occur in all women:

1. the mucus becomes thinner, more stringy and transparent;
2. after ovulation, the body temperature is increased by several lines.

Ovulation is also indicated by:

1. pain in the lower abdomen, it can be either on the right or on the left side: it is caused by the rupture of the Graff’s follicle, women feel a slight stinging that lasts from a few seconds to several hours;
2. spotting: discharge with blood appears on the underwear, this condition may last up to 4 days;
3. breast soreness: associated with high levels of estrogen in the body;
4. cervical change: during the fertile days the cervix is ​​soft and tilted forward, and hard and turned back during the fertile days.
5. some women develop acne lesions;
6. sometimes there is an increased libido.

Symptoms of ovulation can be disturbed by, for example, illness, alcohol, medications or simply a change in lifestyle. Therefore, women should remember that they can never be 100% sure when ovulation occurs. Of course, the chance that we will hit with observations is much greater when we observe mucus, temperature or pain at the same time, and of course menstruation must be regular. In the absence of ovulation, pharmaceutical hormone treatment is used.

It is also worth assessing a man’s fertility. We recommend a test kit for couples planning a baby – home cassette tests, which include: ovulation test, male fertility test, pregnancy test.

Thermal method of determining ovulation

This method involves taking your body temperature daily and recording the results. What should be done to make the measurements reliable:

1. take the temperature in the morning, at the same time every day (max 1 hour difference);
2. taking the temperature should be done before getting out of bed after waking up;
3. the night before measuring, should be asleep (at least 3 hours of sleep before);
4. always put the thermometer in the same place (mouth, vagina, armpits, anus);
5. the temperature in the mouth should be measured for a minimum of 8 minutes, and in other places for a minimum of 5 minutes.

At the end of the month, we take the cycle observation chart and connect the markings with a line, creating a chart. It should be remembered that if there are any infections or changes in the measuring time, make a note of this.

1. 1st half cycle: temperature should be 36,6 degrees;
2. before ovulation: you may notice a drop to 36,4 or 36,3 degrees;
3. after ovulation: the temperature rises compared to the first half of the cycle, reaching even 37 degrees.

The period of ovulation can only be recognized after the chart has been drawn up. It is worth devoting at least 3 cycles to this for the results to be reliable. When charting, women should pay attention to additional factors that may disrupt the cycle: runny nose, sore throat, alcohol or stress.

Determining ovulation with the help of a test

Ovulation tests measure the concentration of LH, the luteotropic hormone, in the urine. This type of test can be obtained at the pharmacy without any problems. If the hormone is elevated, ovulation will occur within 48 hours.

1. Learn more about luteinizing hormone (LH)

Please read the package insert carefully before using the test. It contains information about the day of the cycle when the test should be performed. For the next 5 days, the strips in the package are soaked in the urine sample (it cannot be morning, preferably urine is excreted during the day). The strip should be immersed in the urine for about 10 seconds, then removed, lay flat and wait 5 minutes. After this time, stripes should appear on the test.

1. 1st bar: LH hormone absent;
2. 2 dashes: presence of LH hormone.
3. no lines: test incorrectly performed or equivocal.
4. Buy Clearblue Ovulation Test

As many as 3 ovulation tests with 6 pregnancy tests and a test for intimate infections can be found in the Test kit for the expectant mother – home cassette tests.

Observation of the mucus

This method has a slightly over 70% reliability, but only after one year of observation. If a woman has never seen her mucus before or her mucus cycles are irregular, this method may fail her. To properly read mucus, you need to know your body well, the use of additional temperature measurement gives you a chance to more precisely determine the day of ovulation.

The mucus in the first days of the cycle is more dense and sticky, rather sparse. On the other hand, about 6 days before the approaching ovulation, it turns into more slippery and sparse, forms threads (it resembles a bit of a hen’s egg white). The woman feels wetter and slippery, which means she is just having her fertile days. During ovulation, mucus is the rarest and returns to its original appearance after ovulation.