Ovulation Symptoms: 10 signs of ovulation to know

To help you work out when you're ovulating and give you the best chance of conceiving each month, you'll find everything you need to know about ovulation below, with expert advice from Dr Amin Gorgy, fertility consultant and co-director of the The Fertility & Gynaecology Academy in London.

What is ovulation?

Ovulation is the name given to the phase of a woman's menstrual cycle when an ovary releases an egg, also known as an ovum. It usually happens in the middle of a cycle, although this can differ depending on each individual.

"Most people ovulate two weeks before they start their period. So, for example, if you have regular 28-day cycle you will ovulate around day 14," says Dr Gorgy. When the egg is released it travels down the fallopian tube where it waits to be fertilised by a sperm.

Want to dig a bit deeper and know the science behind this fascinating monthly occurrence? Ovulation is triggered by a hormone released by the brain's hypothalamus region, which causes your pituitary gland to secrete two hormones: FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH causes follicles in one ovary to mature while LH makes the ovary release the egg. If the egg is fertilised your body will then start producing more progesterone to help the uterus prepare for pregnancy.

How long does ovulation last?

The process of ovulation typically lasts for between 12 and 24 hours, after which the released egg will die if it is not fertilised by a sperm.

If the egg isn't fertilised your body reabsorbs it and the egg and the uterine lining will be shed in the form of a menstrual period around two weeks later. Twelve to 24 hours might seem an impossibly short amount of time to try and conceive, but the good news is that sperm can live much longer than eggs so even if you have sex a few days before you ovulate, live sperm may still be ready and waiting for the newly released egg.

"Normally sperm will live in the reproductive tract for up to five days," says Dr Gorgy. "So, you don’t have to have sex on the spot when you think you’re ovulating. Having intercourse just before ovulation is the best time, but there's no need to get yourself too stressed about the timing. If you have unprotected sex twice a week throughout the cycle that should be more than enough."

While noting physical changes in your body is a great way to see when ovulation occurs, you might also want to track ovulation by charting your menstrual cycle for a few months before you start trying for a baby. By charting your menstrual cycle you'll be able to see how long your usual cycle is and which day you are most likely ovulating on, so you can then keep an eye out for the physical symptoms.

Ovulation symptoms

So how exactly do you know when you're ovulating? Is it possible to feel ovulation happening? And if so, what does ovulation feel like? As with most things to do with the menstrual cycle, the signs of ovulation differ from woman to woman but there are some common symptoms that many women experience.

The majority of these ovulation day symptoms are very subtle and until you start looking out for them you may never have noticed them before. You'll find that many of the symptoms we've listed below happen in the five days before ovulation, on the day itself and sometimes the day after too.

However don't worry if you don't experience any of the below: "Some women won’t experience any ovulation symptoms, but it’s not a cause for concern," says Dr Gorgy. "It’s just the way it is."

10 signs of ovulation

1. Changes in your basal body temperature

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is the lowest temperature your body reaches when at rest and usually occurs after a period of at least three hours sleep.

If you're tracking your BBT to help you see when you're ovulating you'll want to take your temperature as soon as you wake up after a night's sleep and before you get out of bed. Over the course of your menstrual cycle you basal body temperature will change and on the day after you ovulate it will go up by around 0.2-0.6°C due to a rise in the hormone progesterone. It may also dip slightly just before you ovulate. Your BBT will then remain slightly elevated until your next period.

While tracking your BBT can't help you predict ovulation if you record your temperature when first wake up for a few months you'll start to see a pattern and be able to work out which day of your cycle you normally ovulate on. As the temperature increase isn't huge you can buy specific basal body temperature thermometers that can accurately record your temperature to two decimal places.

2. Changes to your cervical mucus/discharge

If you're trying to conceive you'll want to keep an eye on your underwear (no one said trying to conceive was glamorous!) as your vaginal discharge will change over the course of your cycle, alerting you to when you're close to ovulation. After your period ends you'll have a dry spell with little or no discharge followed by a few days where the mucus is sticky, and white or cloudy in appearance.

In the week before you ovulate however, you'll notice an increase in the amount of discharge, which reaches its peak in the 2-3 days before you ovulate. The texture of this discharge will change too – becoming thin and watery around the time of ovulation similar to the consistency of egg white. If you hold this mucus between your fingers you'll be able to stretch it out a couple of centimetres without it breaking. Once ovulation has occurred the discharge will reduce significantly in amount again and become thicker.

3. Appetite and mood changes

One of the most annoying phrases known to womankind – "Is it that time of the month?" – actually has some legs to it (although we'll never admit it to men!) because throughout your menstrual cycle, different hormones can alter both your mood and your appetite.

Everyone knows about PMT (pre-menstrual tension), but conversely, when you're ovulating you're actually likely to be in a much better mood because of a rise in oestrogen, which is linked to the production of serotonin (also known as the happy hormone). Serotonin can make you feel more self-confident and more attractive and so sex may feel different when you're ovulating as you may be more aroused.

Just before you ovulate you may have a few days of reduced appetite and naturally just eat less because the surge in oestrogen can cause appetite loss. However, after ovulation, the rise in progesterone has the opposite effect and you'll suddenly feel hungrier and may have one of those days where you just can't stop raiding the fridge.

4. Breast tenderness

Another sign of ovulation that you can use to track your cycle in the months before you try to conceive is breast tenderness. Just after ovulation, the rise in progesterone can lead to increased breast soreness and tenderness, especially around the nipples and the feeling of heavier or achier breasts.

5. Mild lower abdominal pain

Can you feel ovulation actually happen? According to some women and doctors, yes you can, and it feels like a mild, dull ache or sharp pain on one side of the abdomen. This is called Mittelschmerz and happens when the ovary releases the egg. It can last mere minutes or a couple of hours and if you are one of the women that experiences this sign of ovulation then it's an excellent indicator that you should have sex pronto!

6. Changes to the cervix

A less well-known symptom that you're in your fertile window and ovulating is that your cervix changes shape. During ovulation, your cervix becomes softer and wetter as well as higher and more open.

The only way you'll be able to use this as a sign that you're ovulating is by acquainting yourself with your cervix at different points in your cycle. With clean hands insert a finger into your vagina and if your cervix feels hard and closed you're probably not ovulating or near your fertile window whereas if it feels soft and open then it's a good time to have sex.

7. Spotting

Another symptom that can help you know if you're ovulating is if you see any spotting in your underwear when you're not due on your period or at the point when you don't think you could be pregnant yet. When the follicle ruptures and releases a mature egg this can cause a small amount of bleeding that'll show as spotting or brown discharge by the time you see it. Lots of women don't experience any spotting at ovulation though and as spotting can occur at other points of the cycle this isn't a particularly reliable way to check that you're ovulating.

8. Heightened senses

Some studies show that women who are ovulating or in the second half of their menstrual cycle (the luteal phase) have a heightened sense of smell, which is believed to help them become more attracted to the male pheromone called androstenone. Some women even have a stronger sense of taste and sight during ovulation too.

9. Increased libido

Wondering why you suddenly want more sex? That's probably because you're ovulating. It's nature's way of keeping the human race going by encouraging the body to want sex right at the time you're most fertile. The increased sex drive usually kicks in at the same time as the luteinizing hormone, so a few days before ovulation and lasts until just after ovulation – perfect timing for baby-making sex!

10. Feeling bloated and retaining fluid

You can blame those hormones for this not-so-pleasant sign that you're ovulating... bloating and fluid retention. The side effects of all those clever hormones working in tandem inside your body to release an egg can also lead to slower digestion and wind!

How to predict ovulation

There are a number of ways you can predict when you're ovulating, including tracking your menstrual cycle on a calendar or online tracker for at least three months before you start trying to conceive and working out your own body's cycle.

A normal cycle is between 25 and 35 days with ovulation occurring around 14 days before menstruation. Once you get to this point in your cycle you can then use the signs and symptoms above such as increased discharge, tender breasts, and cramping to predict when ovulation occurs.

To narrow down your fertile window even more you might want to consider buying an at-home or over-the-counter ovulation predictor kit. Ovulation Predictor Kits measure the amount of luteinizing hormone in your urine and, like pregnancy tests, are most effective first thing in the morning. A positive result on an OPK indicates that you are likely to ovulate within the next 24 to 36 hours. If you have charted your cycle and know the week you're likely to ovulate, you'll know when to start using the OPKs and will avoid using a whole month's worth each cycle!

"Ovulation prediction kits look at hormone levels to tell you when you're about to ovulate and for use at home they are good enough," says Dr Gorgy. "However, occasionally women will see hormone levels rise, but the follicle does not rupture and release the egg. As the prediction kit is monitoring hormone levels, it will not tell you that you have ovulated, just that it is likely that if you will ovulate. The best way to tell that you're actually ovulating is more medicalised, however – having scans and blood taken."

You might also want to consider using a fertility monitor to help you work out when you're ovulating. Fertility monitors are more expensive as many of them record your data from the months you use them to really help you pinpoint the best moment to have sex. There are a range of different fertility monitors including ones that you wear overnight to measure your BBT, ones that test hormones in your urine and ones that monitor your vaginal mucus.

Remember that not everyone will experience these signs of ovulation but if you don't, it doesn't mean that you're not ovulating or in your fertile window. Try not to get too stressed about predicting your exact ovulation day and instead enjoy the process of trying for a baby with your partner!

What are the signs you might not be ovulating, and what can you do about it?

If you're struggling to get pregnant even though you've been having unprotected sex at least twice a week for several months you might be wondering if you're ovulating at all! "Women are meant to ovulate each month," says Dr Gorgy, "but occasionally there may be a cycle or two every year that they don’t ovulate in. The frequency of cycles that women don’t ovulate in often increases with age or if you have a cycle that is longer than 35 days the potential for anovulation is higher."

If you've been monitoring your cycle and tracking ovulation and you think something might be wrong then it's best to speak to your doctor. "Current CDC guidelines state that if you are 34 or less and you have been having unprotected sex for a year and not getting pregnant you need to seek medical advice," says Dr Gorgy. "From 35 to 38 that goes down to six months and from 38 to 40, it's 3 months because as you get older the problems that can stop you from getting pregnant accumulate."

And if you're over 40? "Some people advocate that if you’re over 40 maybe you need to seek medical advice before you try to get pregnant because time is against you," says Dr Gorgy. "You could have tests to check your ovarian reserve such as an Antral Follicle Count where the follicles in each ovary are counted as well as a blood test called an AMH test (Anti-Müllerian hormone test). Another test can see if your Fallopian tubes are patent. Sometimes a woman can have a subclinical (meaning you don't feel anything at the time) infection that can cause damage to her Fallopian tubes."

The two main reasons you might not be ovulating are Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and low ovarian reserve. In these cases: "doctors can give something to make ovulation happen or monitor exactly when you ovulate, so you can use that time to have sex or intrauterine insemination (IUI), where we inject the sperm into the uterus," says Dr Gorgy.

Pics: Getty Images

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