How can you detect ovulation?
It is often very difficult to detect ovulation. An exact date or time cannot be determined from physical symptoms. However, based on some symptoms and physical changes, in some cases it is possible to narrow down the approximate period of two to three days when ovulation is expected to occur.
The prerequisite for this is a relatively regular female cycle. One method of determining ovulation is to measure the basal body temperature curve. The basal body temperature is measured with a thermometer, usually in the mouth, and written down for each day of the cycle.
This produces a temperature curve for each cycle. A constant basal body temperature of about 36.5°C during the first half of the cycle is characteristic. Shortly before ovulation, the basal body temperature drops by about 0.4°C, only to rise again with a sharp jump after about 10 to 12 hours.
After recording a few cycles, ovulation can be determined relatively accurately with a regular cycle. In addition, the cervical mucus can provide information about whether ovulation occurs. The cervical mucus is a plug of mucus that sits on top of the cervix and thus represents a natural barrier.
Shortly before ovulation, the cervical mucus becomes thinner and draws threads. It is also known as spinnable mucus. The cervical mucus remains spinnable for about three days after ovulation and is therefore permeable for sperm.
Another sign by which some women recognize their ovulation is the middle pain. This pulling pain in the lower abdomen, which occurs during ovulation, is a very uncertain sign. Most women do not feel the middle pain or only very rarely.
Signs of ovulation
Some women notice exactly when they ovulate, others have no symptoms at all. Ovulation is triggered by an egg being released from the ovary into the fallopian tube due to a change in the hormone composition in the female body. Previously, several egg cells have also grown under the influence of hormones, but only the most developed and largest egg cell passes into the fallopian tube and migrates there towards the uterus.
The transition of this egg from the ovary into the fallopian tube is triggered by contraction of the muscle tissue of the ovary. This contraction is experienced by some women as a slightly painful pulling in the abdomen (Mittelschmerz). Chest pain at ovulation, altered vaginal discharge and back pain can also be signs of ovulation.
The libido may be increased during this time.The body temperature rises slightly at the time of ovulation. The occurrence of menstruation is not a sure sign that ovulation has occurred. As a rule, ovulation cannot be felt.
Most women do not notice their ovulation. However, some women regularly notice changes during their menstrual cycle, which leads them to conclude that ovulation has occurred. Some women feel a slight pain in their lower abdomen during ovulation, which is called a Mittelschmerz.
However, this pain does not necessarily occur every month, so that ovulation cannot be determined with certainty. Some women experience other changes, such as increased lust or increased irritability. If you are more interested in this topic, the woman’s body temperature, the so-called basal body temperature, changes during the course of the cycle.
At the time of ovulation the temperature increases by 0.5 to 1.6°C. This rise is usually not felt by the woman herself, but if the temperature is measured regularly, this rise can be detected. If the temperature rise is detected, this indicates that ovulation has already occurred.
After ovulation, the egg produces the hormone progesterone, which causes the body temperature to rise. The woman’s fertile days are 2 to 3 days before the body temperature rises. Therefore, it is advisable to take the body temperature every morning for a few months and plot a temperature curve.
To be able to make a reliable statement about the fertile days, it is important that the menstrual cycle is regular. Breast pain is one of the possible symptoms of the female cycle. Breast pain should not be considered as pathological, but rather as a normal side effect of hormonal fluctuations in the cycle.
Breast pain is often found in the context of premenstrual syndrome. This is a complex of symptoms which in some women begins about a week before menstruation and can also continue during menstruation. Ovulation, on the other hand, does not occur at this stage.
Ovulation, also called ovulation, takes place around the 14th day of the cycle. Some women experience ovulation as a pulling abdominal pain. Breast pain is rather untypical.
The very short event of ovulation is anyway difficult to limit in time by symptoms. In principle, chest pain, especially in the form of a feeling of tension and pulling, is possible. The chest pain is then usually not limited to a specific area, but often affects the entire breast.
Strongly one-sided, long-lasting and intense pain is more likely to indicate other causes, such as inflammation or tumors, and should therefore be clarified by a specialist. After ovulation, chest pain can occur during the course of the cycle. Mostly they are part of the premenstrual syndrome, PMS for short.
Ovulation takes place around the 14th to 17th day of the cycle. With an average length of 28 cycle days, it takes about one to two weeks after ovulation until the next period. In this so-called second half of the cycle after ovulation, complaints such as breast tenderness, chest pain, an inflated belly, headaches and mood swings are common.
This complex of symptoms is known as premenstrual syndrome. Reasons for the premenstrual syndrome are discussed differently in professional circles. Several factors, such as a certain predisposition, hormonal influences of the female cycle and environmental factors seem to play a role.
During the second half of the cycle, the hormone progestin predominates. In the case of pregnancy, this hormone is intended to maintain the pregnancy. If the egg is not fertilized, the progestin level drops again and menstruation begins.
The high progestogen level after ovulation has an influence on the development of breast pain. Some women experience a slightly increased sensitivity of the nipples around ovulation. This sensitivity is most similar to a slight irritation, but by no means real pain.
The nipples can be sensitive due to hormonal influences during ovulation. Furthermore, constant remodelling processes of the breast tissue lead to the fact that the breast and also the nipples sometimes feel sensitive. These conversion processes are completely natural and also occur due to hormonal influences.
This concerns above all the breast tissue of young women and women in middle age. In case of sensitive nipples it can help to avoid external stimuli such as ungentle touching, but also constricting clothing or unpleasant materials. Ovulation can sometimes be accompanied by abdominal pain and pain in the abdomen, which is usually located in the lower abdomen.Typical for this type of abdominal pain is a pulling or stabbing character.
The intensity of the pain varies from woman to woman. Only a few women actually experience abdominal pain during ovulation. Typically, the abdominal pain is localized on one side, namely the side where ovulation occurs.
It is often called Mittelschmerz, because ovulation occurs around the middle of the cycle. Contrary to what is often assumed, the pain is not caused directly by the jumping egg, but by a slight irritation of the peritoneum. When ovulation occurs, some fluid in the form of lymph or blood leaks out and can irritate the peritoneum.
This then manifests itself as moderate pain. A hot-water bottle can help to relieve the pain. The duration of the pain should not exceed several hours.
Longer lasting pain is more likely to indicate other causes. Severe back pain is rather untypical for ovulation. In some women it occurs during ovulation in combination with the so-called Mittelschmerz.
This pain is mainly located in the lower abdomen and lasts from a few minutes to several hours. The Mittelschmerz can also spread from the lower abdomen to the pelvis and the lower lumbar spine. Slight pain in the lumbar spine and a kind of pulling and tensioning in this region are therefore not unusual.
However, back pain that lasts for several days or is very intense should be clarified by a doctor. Ovulation can cause a slight spotting, also known as ovarian bleeding. This bleeding is also called spotting in medical terminology.
It is not, as is often mistakenly assumed, an intermediate bleeding. Ovarian bleeding does not occur in every woman and is not a sure sign of ovulation, as slight spotting can occur from time to time without any particular reason or medical condition. Therefore, it is not possible to draw conclusions about ovulation on the basis of spotting.
The ovarian bleeding is of very slight intensity. It is a few drops of light to dark red or even brownish blood. The bleeding can be accompanied by a slight, pulling pain in the lower abdomen, but it can also be painless.
The so-called “cervical mucus”, the mucus in the cervix, is also subject to changes during the female cycle. As the eggs mature in the ovary, hormonal processes cause the lining of the uterus to grow and be better supplied with nutrients. This is done to prepare it for possible implantation of the fertilised egg.
At the same time, the mucus in the cervix changes its consistency to make it more permeable for the sperm. The woman notices this when she has a thin, stretchy discharge that can be pulled far apart with her fingers. This consistency of mucus indicates the woman’s fertile days.
Skin impurities and pimples are among the possible changes that can occur around ovulation. Skin blemishes occur in many women mainly immediately before their period and less frequently during ovulation, due to hormonal changes during the cycle. They often belong to the symptom complex of the premenstrual syndrome.
