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.

When Can You Get Pregnant?

For women still trying to conceive, the looming question remains, when exactly can you get pregnant? When you ovulate? Have your period? While using a condom? ... read more »

Obesity and Reproduction: Impact and Intervention

Obese women undergoing fertility treatment should lose weight and be advised about fertility and pregnancy risks of obesity. ... read more »

When to Have Sex While Using Ovulation Predictor Kits

This may sound like a surprise, but having sex only after first getting a positive OPK may not get you pregnant at all. ... read more »

Is Late Ovulation a Problem?

Late ovulation (after CD 20-21) increases the risk of implantation failure and miscarriage. ... read more »

Multivitamins May Decrease Ovulatory Infertility

Regular use of multivitamin supplements may decrease the risk of ovulatory infertility. ... read more »

Pregnancy, Fertility, and Trying To Conceive

Check out our top fertility and pregnancy FAQs first, and then find valuable resources to help you on your journey to a healthy pregnancy! ... read more »

Cervical Mucus, Implantation, and Pregnancy

Can I find out if I am pregnant from my cervical mucus? It's a question many women ask. ... read more »

Ejaculate and Cervical Mucus

When can CM be checked after intercourse? ... read more »

Egg White Cervical Mucus (EWCM)

Egg white cervical mucus ( EWCM) is a type of cervical fluid that is produced right before ovulation, during a time when you are most fertile. ... read more »

Getting Pregnant After Miscarrriage

How long after a miscarriage should I wait before getting pregnant? ... read more »

Ovulation Induction Stimulation of Ovulation

Induction of ovulation is usually done with medications to help a woman ovulate and get pregnant. ... read more »

Medical Therapy in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

PCOS is characterized by oligo-amenorrhea, clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovaries, and, often, morbid obesity. ... read more »

Periconception and Preconception Interview

The periconception and preconception interview will help you identify issues and help you have a healthier pregnancy. ... read more »

OPK Ovulation Predictor Calculator

The OPK Ovulation Predictor Calculator calculates when to start testing for the LH surge as well as your expected date of ovulation based on the first day of your last period and your cycle length. ... read more »

hCG Levels and Pregnancy Testing

This article is about normal hCG pregnancy hormone levels implantation symptoms and bleeding and early pregnancy tests ... read more »

Preconception and Periconception Care and Trying To Conceive

Preconception and periconception care are important aspects of your prenatal care and your way to improve your chances having a healthy pregnancy ... read more »

Ovulation Pain (Mittelschmerz) Before or After Ovulation?

Does ovulation pain (Mittelschmerz) come before or after ovulation? ... read more »

The BIG O - It's All About Ovulation

Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary. Ovulation is essential when trying to get pregnant and unless you are pregnant your period usually begins 14 days after ovulation ... read more »

Getting Pregnant: Understanding Conception

There are three primary steps in conception: Ovulation, Fertilization, and Implantation. Ovulation is the first step, the ejection of a mature egg from the ovary. ... read more »

Clomid-What is it?

Clomid is a synthetic chemical whose chemical name is Clomiphene citrate. It induces ovulation by fooling your body into believing that there is less estrogen. ... read more »

How Many Months Can Clomid Be Taken?

How many months can Clomid be taken? Clomid is an oral fertility medication used to induce ovulation in women who have are not ovulating to help them get pregnant. ... read more »

Best Time To Get Pregnant Faster

The best time to get pregnant fast is to have sex or sexual intercourse once a day every day during the 4-5 days before and on the day of ovulation. ... read more »

Detecting Ovulation Issues With OPK

Ovulation issues and detection of ovulation such as with OPKs and typical ovulation symptoms are among the most important issues in trying to get pregnant couples. ... read more »

How Many Days Am I Fertile Each Month?

Many couples want to know how many days each month they can get pregnant but there are things you need to know first, such as, when do you ovulate and how long are your menstrual cycles? ... read more »

Roll of Progesterone in Fertility, Pregnancy and Corpus Luteum

Progesterone is a steroid hormone initially secreted by the corpus luteum, an area in the ovary which develops after ovulation. ... read more »

Ovulation - It's All About the BIG O

At the beginning of a menstrual cycle, several ovarian follicles begin to mature and develop in the ovaries under the influence of pituitary hormones. ... read more »

How to Do Basal Body Temperature Charting

Here are instructions to make charting ovulation and your BBT easy. ... read more »

Your best tips for trying to conceive (TTC)

Trying to conceive and getting pregnant can sometimes be more difficult than expected and many couples want to learn more about how to conceive. How can you improve your chances of getting pregnant? ... read more »

Anovulation - Why Some Women Don’t Ovulate

Ovulation is necessary for getting pregnant, and some women have trouble getting pregnant because they do not ovulate (anovulation). ... read more »

The BabyMed Interactive Infertility Specialist Tool

Interactively find out if and when you should see an infertility specialist when trying to conceive. ... read more »

When Am I Most Fertile?

Couples who are trying to conceive naturally wonder when they are more fertile. They are several ways to track your most fertile days to conceive. ... read more »

Tests Before Starting Clomiphene (Clomid)

Before starting Clomid you need to make sure there is no male infertility, no ovarian cysts, and that FSH and liver functions are normal. ... read more »

Clomid

When you do not ovulate you often need medications to help you ovulate. Clomid, also known as clomiphene citrate, is most commonly prescribed medication to women to cause ovulation. It is usually taken for 5 days early on in the cycle (it is a pill). ... read more »

Sperm Survival in Cervical Fluid

How long can sperm survive in cervical fluid? ... read more »

Probability Determination of Ovulation

How does BabyMed rate the probability, such as the probability of ovulation, in the BBT curve? ... read more »

Not Enough Cervical Mucus

Q: Is this a problem to not have enough cervical mucus  when we TTC? ... read more »

Not Enough Cervical Fluid

What should if I don't have enough cervical fluid? ... read more »

Chapter 8: Cervical Mucus

Checking your cervical mucus for fertility charting can improve your chances of getting pregnant. ... read more »

Cervical Mucus EWCM Ovulation Fertility Pregnancy

The cervical mucus is produced by the cervix and changes consistency throughout your menstrual cycle based on hormones associated with ovulation. ... read more »

Can I get pregnant while breastfeeding?

Can we still get pregnant while I am breastfeeding? ... read more »

Anovulation: Not Ovulating- An Overview

Anovulation refers to a condition in women in which an egg is not released from the ovaries. It is the #1 cause of female infertility. ... read more »

Fertility Awareness and Natural Family Planning For Contraception

Information about fertility awareness helps to fulfil the broader definition of the services many family planning clinics offer. ... read more »

What is the best time to get pregnant for conception

The best time to get pregnant fast and conceive are the 4-5 days prior to ovulation, and the day you ovulate. Making love after ovulation or more than 5 days before ovulation won't get you pregnant. ... read more »

Breastfeeding as Birth Control - Not a Good Idea

Breastfeeding is not a good birth control and it does not effectively prevent pregnancy. Once you resume sexual relations after delivery, there is a good chance you could get pregnant. ... read more »

Infertility is When You Have Problems Getting Pregnant

A couple is considered to be infertile if they have not conceived after 12 consecutive months of unprotected intercourse (6 months if the woman is over 35 years old) or earlier if there are known issues. If pregnancy does not happen as expected, or there are are infertility issues, both  male and female partners need to get tested for fertility. ... read more »

Spotting With Positive HPT

Some bleeding early in pregnancy, maybe some drops or brown discharge, is also called 'spotting.' Spotting happens in 20-30% of pregnant women, usually around the time of the missed period. ... read more »

Missed Period But Negative Pregnancy Test: Why Is My Period Late?

Wondering why you have a missed period but a negative pregnancy test? It is normal for a pregnant woman to get a negative early pregnancy test result after a missed late period. ... read more »

How to Get Pregnant Again in 12 Steps

So you already have a child and now you are trying to get pregnant again. Easy? Maybe not. Read our 12 step program. ... read more »

Fertility 101: Lesson 09 - Create Ovulation Fertility Chart

Learning about your fertility through a BBT chart is a very exciting way to get pregnant! It makes you understand your body and often gives TTC more of a purpose. ... read more »

Iron Intake Diet and Risk of Ovulatory Infertility

Consumption of diet with iron supplements and nonheme iron from other sources may decrease the risk of ovulatory infertility. ... read more »

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