What is ovulation?

Signs and symptoms of ovulation include mittelschmerz, light pelvic pain on one side of the pelvis, spotting, changes in cervical mucus, breast tenderness. Learning about signs and symptoms of ovulation help you predict fertility and find out if and when ovulation happens and when you should have sex to get pregnant. Women trying to get pregnant often become frustrated when they miss their period but have a negative pregnancy test. What most don't realize is that when trying to conceive, the single most important factor is finding out if and when ovulation happens. Ovulation is when the egg is ejected from the ovary. If you miss your period and you know if and when ovulation happened then there are only 2 possibilities. Either you are not pregnant and your period comes 15 or so days later, or you are pregnant and your period does not come 15+ days later.

If you don't know if and when ovulation happened, then you don't know when your period is supposed to come. Women who don't ovulate usually do not get their periods or they have irregular spotting and bleeding. There are several ways to find out if and when you ovulate. Some methods of finding out when you ovulate can be easily done at home, while others require more sophisticated testing. If you have a regular menstrual cycle, a fertility or ovulation calculator and calendar may be helpful. Your "fertility window" consists of the 5-6 fertile days of your menstrual cycle 4-5 days before and the day of ovulation when intercourse is most likely to result in pregnancy. This fertile window starting 5 days before the day of ovulation until the day of ovulation. Your most fertile of these days are the 2 days before plus the day of ovulation.

Menstrual Cycle - Regular or Not

My cycles are 28 and 23 days ... read more »

Your Fertile Window: The Best Time For Sex

This time in your cycle when you are most likely to get pregnant is so important. ... read more »

When Do You Ovulate and How Do You Know?

Knowing if and when you ovulate is vital. ... read more »

Charting and Counting: A Man’s Guide to Ovulation

Learn all about ovulation and how to track it using fertility charts and counting. ... read more »

How Long Does Sperm Survive?

Knowing just how long sperm lives is important whether you want to know how to get pregnant or avoid pregnancy. The answer changes depending on where the sperm is and the environment. ... read more »

Important Ovulation Symptoms

Many women look for ovulation symptoms to predict when they are most fertile either to try to get pregnant or to prevent pregnancy. Did you know that the most common physical ovulation symptoms are probably ones you notice, and don’t necessarily correlate with ovulation? ... read more »

Ovulation Pain: Mittelschmerz

Ovulation pain, also known as Mittelschmerz, is the result of the distention of the ovary either shortly before, during, or after ovulation. ... read more »

Infertility Treatments Don't Work

LONDON - A new study calls into question the use of two common infertility treatments for couples who have unexplained problems having children. ... read more »

What is an Ovulation Predictor Kit (OPK)?

OPK stands form Ovulation Predictor Kit. The OPK is a test that checks your urine for the presence of LH, luteinizing hormone. ... read more »

Twins With Two Fathers - Superfecundation and Superfetation

Twins with two fathers are possible with supoerfecundation and superfetation. Superfecundation and Superfetation and two rare events. ... read more »

Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Chart Ovulation Calendar and Ovulation Chart

The BabyMed Basal Body Temperature BBT Chart Ovulation Calendar and Ovulation Chart makes it easy to keep and maintain an online fertility and basal body temperature chart. ... read more »

When Is Your Fertility Window?

You only have 5-6 fertile days in your cycle to get pregnant. ... read more »

Why do I have no menstrual period (Amenorrhea) ?

I had no menstrual period for 2 months. What could be the cause? ... read more »

Tubal Ligation or Sterilization For Contraception

After having children, some women choose to have a tubal ligation to prevent future pregnancies. ... read more »

Sperm Speed To Reach the Egg

How long does it take for sperm to reach the egg? ... read more »

Sex And Basal Body Temperature (BBT)

When should we have sex based on my rise in basal body temperature? When is it too late to conceive according to BBT? When is it too early to conceive? ... read more »

Timed Intercourse

How should we time sex? ... read more »

The Female Body is Your Best Ovulation Predictor

Women often use the body as an ovulation predictor to estimate the time of the month when they are most fertile and increase the chance of conception. ... read more »

Does Ovulation Always Occur on Cycle Day (CD) 14?

The most widely held fertility myth is that women always ovulate on Day 14 of their cycle. Nothing is further from the truth. ... read more »

Can Obesity Prevent Ovulation?

The presence of adipose or fat tissue in obese women leads to a decrease of sex hormone binding globulin, and an increase in androgens (male hormones). ... read more »

What Are Causes of Spotting?

What are the possible causes of spotting? ... read more »

What is Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate)?

What is Clomid and what is it used for? ... read more »

Repronex and Multiples - What are the Chances?

What are the chances of getting pregnant with multiples when getting Repronex to induce ovulation? ... read more »

Progesterone Supplements

When should I take progesterone supplements? ... read more »

BBT Temperature Drop and Ovulation

Does the temperature drop before or after ovulation? ... read more »

Coverline - What Is It?

How do I determine my coverline? ... read more »

Safe Sex Before, During, and After Pregnancy

There are five distinct three-month periods trimesters associated with pregnancy and each one affects your sex life in distinctly different ways ... read more »

Fertility Awareness: Triphasic Curve

 A biphasic curve has two phases: It is a curve that rises and stays up after ovulation. The first phase is before ovulation (follicular phase), the second phase is after ovulation (corpus-luteum phase), when temperatures rise because of progesterone. ... read more »

Does a Drop in Temperature on the BBT Chart Mean Pregnancy

A temperature drop in the basal body temperature BBT chart about a week or so after ovulation could well mean that there was implantation and pregnancy has occured. ... read more »

First Trimester of Pregnancy Guide

Many changes taking place and some may not be quite what you expected! ... read more »

Implantation and Menstrual Cramps and Cramping

For many women cramps and cramping are a normal part of their menstrual cycle, while for others it may signify implantation cramps and pregnancy. ... read more »

No Menstrual Period and Negative Pregnancy Test Not Pregnant

If you have amenorrhea and you don't have a period and are not pregnant, then certain tests can be done to find out why you are not getting your period. ... read more »

Anovulation: Why Am I Not Ovulating?

Not ovulating (anovulation) is the leading cause of female infertility. ... read more »

The Big O: Ovulation

When trying to get pregnant, ovulation is vital. There are several ways to find out if you are ovulating. Some of these you can do yourself at home while others require help from your doctor. ... read more »

Ovulation Symptoms and Signs

When trying to conceive, the single most important factor is finding out if and when you ovulate. Find out what signs to look for that indicate you may be ovulating. ... read more »

Is Ovulation (or Pre-Ovulation) Bleeding Normal?

Sometimes, during ovulation or shortly before, a woman may experience ovulation bleeding, which is different from the regular menstrual flow. ... read more »

Will Aspirin Help Me Get Pregnant?

For the average woman trying to conceive, Aspirin may make a difference in improving pregnancy outcome and where taking a baby aspirin a day may help maintain a pregnancy. ... read more »

Multiple Pregnancy - Twins, Triplets

Ovulation twice or three times can lead to twins or triplets, as well as can a fertilized egg that splits into two or three. ... read more »

Pelvic Pain 2 Weeks Before Period

Pelvic pain about midcycle or 2 weeks before the next period is usually due to ovulation. ... read more »

Top Getting Pregnant, Fertility and Pregnancy Questions

Your top questions answered on getting pregnant, being pregnant, and more! ... read more »

Methods of Finding Out When and If You Ovulate

Predicting ovulation and find out exactly if and when you ovulate is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your chances of getting pregnant. ... read more »

Fertility Course Lesson 6: Chart Your Fertility

If you are anxious to get pregnant soon, learning how to keep a BBT (basal body temperature) chart is vital. ... read more »

Can Ovulation Occur At Any Time During the Cycle?

I've heard that you can pregnant at any time of the month, but I'm not sure that is true. Can ovulation occur at any time during the cycle? Can it happen more than once? ... read more »

Fertility Course Lesson 7: Basal Body Temperature

Your basal body temperature, BBT, is your body's temperature at rest, when you have slept for several hours. The best time to take your BBT is first thing in the morning when you wake up. ... read more »

The Progesterone IUD Intra-Uterine Device and Contraception

Mirena is an intrauterine device system (IUD or IUS) which releases a progesterone called levonorgestrel into the uterus and prevents pregnancy. ... read more »

Two Week Wait (2WW) Symptoms

What are the signs of pregnancy? Here are the 2WW symptoms (or two-week wait symptoms) that you can look for while you wait to see if you are actually pregnant! ... read more »

When To Take A Pregnancy Test To Get Best Results

Despite the claim that home pregnancy tests are effective as little as two to three days before the first day of your next menstrual cycle, the human body does not always live up to this expectation. ... read more »

Diet and Dairy Food and Infertility

High intake of low-fat dairy foods diet may increase the risk of infertility whereas intake of high-fat dairy foods may decrease this risk. ... read more »

Obesity and Time to Get Pregnant

Fertility for overweight and obese women can be significantly improved by losing weight, regardless of menstrual cycle regularity, parity, smoking habits and age. ... read more »

Motrin (Ibuprofen)

Is taking Motrin (Ibuprofen) OK when trying to conceive (TTC)? ... read more »

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