Do you know when you ovulate?
Do you know when you ovulate? I can’t tell you how many women I meet who have no idea. And sometimes these are women who are already pursuing advanced reproductive therapies!
I don’t blame you though. Instead of teaching us about the power and inner workings of our bodies when we reach the age of menarche, “Sex Ed” is limited to the dangers of STIs, why to use a condom and how abstaining from sex is the only way to not get pregnant.
As much as I was thankful that my mom taught me all about what menstruation is and why it’s important, understanding ovulation and how to identify it was something I had to seek out for myself. In moments like these, I remind myself that it’s my sole responsibility to inform myself; my parents, my doctors (if I had them) and my community are ultimately not responsible for what I learn.
Did you know that in a normal cycle, a healthy woman is only fertile (read: can get pregnant) for 3-7 days??
The female body is a miraculous system that, in a state of hormonal balance, creates cervical fluid in the days leading up to ovulation (egg release). This fluid is intentionally designed to nourish and sustain sperm for up to 5 days! Women in their 20s are typically fertile for 6-7 days while women in their late 30s and early 40s are, naturally, typically fertile for 2-3 days in their cycle.
So if you were to ovulate on day 21, produced cervical fluid for 5 days leading up to it and had intercourse on day 17 of your cycle, it’s very possible that you could get pregnant. In this same example, if you had intercourse on day 14 (the day when most women are told they ovulate) and weren’t producing cervical fluid, it’s not possible to conceive.
Of course there are many true cases of infertility out there, but how many women are convinced that they can’t conceive when they don’t even know if they’re timing sex appropriately?
In my course, Resilient Motherhood: a self-paced guide to preparing for conception and beyond, I dive into topics like this because sadly, your doctor is likely not sharing this information. As much as I’m educating about what foods to eat to promote ovulation, I’m also teaching about basic biology and how to empower yourself to be in control of your fertility.
Here are some clear signs of ovulation:
Egg-white cervical mucus/fluid (CM) followed by a dry day. This is the one sign that can be predictive of ovulation because CM should get more sticky/stretchy the closer you get to ovulation.
A thermal shift in basal body temperature (BBT): 3 consecutive temps that are higher than the previous 6 temps (this cannot predict ovulation but it can confirm it)
A shift in cervix position from high, soft and open to low, firm and closed (usually secondary to BBT or CM).
A positive Ovulatory Predictor Kit (OPK) urine test
A positive progesterone urine test (proov), (confirms ovulation 7-10 days after)
These are other normal sensations you may experience around ovulation but are not used to confirm ovulation:
Ovulatory pain (Mittelschmerz)
Increased libido
Increased strength and energy
Don’t think you’re ovulating?
Anovulatory cycles can occur when you have no period, skipped periods, short cycles (less than 21 days) or your cycles last longer than 35 days.
These are some reasons you may not be ovulating:
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Hypothyroid (underactive thyroid)
Post Birth Control Syndrome
Pituitary Dysfunction
Ovarian Dysfunction
Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Stress
Overexercising/Undereating
Pregnancy
Lactational Amenorrhea
Perimenopause/menopause
Are you ready to Unlock Your Fertility and transform your habits for optimal pregnancy success?
Why is ovulation important?
If you’re trying to conceive (TTC), your body has to release an egg to be fertilized by sperm. After the egg release, the “corpus luteum” releases progesterone which supports the healthy thickening of the endometrial lining, providing nourshment to an fertilized egg once it’s implanted. One reason why shorter cycles are associated with infertility is because progesterone hasn’t had enough days to thicken the lining to make it a “happy” place for an implanted, fertilized egg to reside and develop into an embryo.
The thickness of the lining (if it were that easy to measure) is directly correlated with the ability for a fertilized egg to survive.
But even if you’re not interested in getting pregnant right now, ovulation is still super important! Why? Because if you ovulate, you will be increasing your progesterone levels which (according to various research studies) appears to be protective against several cancers, reducing risk for breast cancer and endometrial cancer while simultaneously supporting optimal bone density. Progesterone is also known for reducing anxiety levels and improving sleep and metabolism.
Both estrogen and progesterone have important roles in the female body and if you desire optimal fertility and well-being, hormonal balance is key.
If you’re interested in taking back control of your fertility and positively influencing ovulation, I would love to help identify the leading barriers to hormonal balance for you and guide you on a path of using food and lifestyle to nourish your fertility.
