If you're trying to conceive, ovulation is something you likely have read a LOT about. But did you know that ovulation is essential for not just pregnancy, but hormone health and balance in general? While most of us were raised to think that if you have sex, ever, you WILL get pregnant, the truth is, there are only about 5 days in your ENTIRE cycle that pregnancy is possible, and only ONE day where an egg is actually released. Shockingly, although we know what our period looks like, most women I work with really have no idea what ovulation looks like or that their body actually gives clear signs of ovulation (or lacks clear signs when something is amiss!).
OVULATION
Ovulation signals the end of your follicular phase and the beginning of your luteal phase. While estrogen is the hormone responsible for the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge that will cause the follicle to release the egg, after the egg is released, estrogen goes down and progesterone becomes the dominant hormone, preparing the uterus for potential implantation of a fertilized egg. Ovulation, quite simply, is the release of an egg (or eggs). This step of your menstrual cycle is absolutely essential for pregnancy; no egg, no baby. And it come BEFORE your period. In other words, you can get pregnant before you ever have a period (as a teen, or after having a baby!), so don't rely on your period to signal that you're fertile!
Cervical mucus is pretty amazing. Typically, or outside of ovulation, the vaginal pH is pretty acidic. This helps fight off bacteria and keep the vagina healthy. However, that acidic pH is also pretty hostile to sperm. So, during ovulation, that cervical mucus we see when we're in our fertile window leading up to ovulation, actually INCREASES the vaginal pH, making the environment more alkaline, which makes sperm happy! The cervical mucus also helps keep sperm alive (for up to 5 days!). This is why you might have sex and not ovulate until 2, 3, 4, or even 5 days later and STILL get pregnant! Finally, cervical mucus is nice and slippery, supporting sperm motility and helping those little swimmers reach their desired destination to meet up with the egg. Remember, whether clear and stretchy (peak mucus) or white/cloudy and lotion-like (non-peak mucus), all mucus is fertile!
 | Internally, there are multiple cervical changes that also occur as you approach ovulation. The cervix softens, becomes higher, opens, and faces down. All of these positional changes help assist the sperm in getting to the egg. When not fertile or post-ovulation, the cervix tends to be |
lower, firmer, and closed. And as mentioned above, hormonal shifts happen leading up to ovulation, as well. The increasing estrogen is what causes cervical mucus development, as well as the LH surge that triggers the follicle to release the egg and the body to ovulate.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Ok, so you're not trying to get pregnant; why does a healthy cycle - and ovulation, specifically - matter? Well, when we don't ovulate*, the risk of endometrial cancer and breast cancer go up. So does the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and
bone loss. Remember, estrogen is the hormone responsible for that LH surge, and therefore, ovulation. When we don't ovulate, we're often exposed to more estrogen because the second half of our cycle is delayed. Until ovulation, estrogen levels don't go down. This increased exposure to estrogen, like in PCOS, creates a number of negative effects, as well as problems, like heavy bleeding and cramping, since the uterine lining continues to proliferate as more and more estrogen exposure occurs. So, not only do your long-term health risks increase with lack of ovulation**, but in the short-term, your periods are more likely to be a lot more uncomfortable, even painful, and your chances of conception significantly impacted.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
You ovulate once per cycle. That's it. Your body can release more than one egg per ovulation, but any and all eggs that are going to be released in a cycle are released at the same time. Once the egg bursts out of the follicle, it can live for about 12-24 hours, then rapidly starts to breakdown. In order for pregnancy to occur, sperm must already be in the fallopian tubes, waiting for the newly released egg. That's why sex needs to actually happen BEFORE ovulation, not at ovulation. Those sperm have a long journey ahead of them to meet the egg and waiting until ovulation to try to time intercourse only gives them a few hours to make it!
Beyond the physical signs I mentioned above, there are a few other ways to monitor when/if you ovulate. One of the most popular options are the OPK (Ovulation Predictor Kits) strips. These strips actually measure the amount of LH (luteinizing hormone) in your urine. When the test line is a as dark or darker than the control, it suggests your LH surge is occurring. Remember, your LH surge comes BEFORE ovulation, typically 24-36 hours before, so this is a great time to have sex if you're trying to conceive. As its name suggests, the OPK PREDICTS ovulation, it does not and cannot confirm that ovulation actually occurred! While an LH surge is required to release an egg from a follicle, just because there's an LH surge, it doesn't mean an egg is actually released. The only way (at home) to confirm ovulation is a temperature shift (or if you get pregnant... lol). Pre-ovulation, basal body temperature will be lower than post-ovulation. If you ovulate, you should see an uptick in your basl body temperature pattern, which will continue until your period (or beyond, if you're pregnant). Typically, ovulation will fall between days 10 and 23 of your cycle. This can vary from cycle to cycle. It's then ideal for 12-14 days to elapse before your period for a healthy luteal phase. If your luteal phase is 10 days or less, that's cause for concern, especially if you're trying to conceive, as it doesn't allow enough time for the fertilized egg to get comfy in the uterus for successful implantation.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
You ovulate once per cycle. That's it. Your body can release more than one egg per ovulation, but any and all eggs that are going to be released in a cycle are released at the same time. Once the egg bursts out of the follicle, it can live for about 12-24 hours, then rapidly starts to breakdown. In order for pregnancy to occur, sperm must already be in the fallopian tubes, waiting for the newly released egg. That's why sex needs to actually happen BEFORE ovulation, not at ovulation. Those sperm have a long journey ahead of them to meet the egg and waiting until ovulation to try to time intercourse only gives them a few hours to make it!
Beyond the physical signs I mentioned above, there are a few other ways to monitor when/if you ovulate. One of the most popular options are the OPK (Ovulation Predictor Kits) strips. These strips actually measure the amount of LH (luteinizing hormone) in your urine. When the test line is a as dark or darker than the control, it suggests your LH surge is occurring. Remember, your LH surge comes BEFORE ovulation, typically 24-36 hours before, so this is a great time to have sex if you're trying to conceive. As its name suggests, the OPK PREDICTS ovulation, it does not and cannot confirm that ovulation actually occurred! While an LH surge is required to release an egg from a follicle, just because there's an LH surge, it doesn't mean an egg is actually released. The only way (at home) to confirm ovulation is a temperature shift (or if you get pregnant... lol). Pre-ovulation, basal body temperature will be lower than post-ovulation. If you ovulate, you should see an uptick in your basl body temperature pattern, which will continue until your period (or beyond, if you're pregnant). Typically, ovulation will fall between days 10 and 23 of your cycle. This can vary from cycle to cycle. It's then ideal for 12-14 days to elapse before your period for a healthy luteal phase. If your luteal phase is 10 days or less, that's cause for concern, especially if you're trying to conceive, as it doesn't allow enough time for the fertilized egg to get comfy in the uterus for successful implantation.
DELAYED OVULATION
There are a number of things that can delay ovulation. We'll talk in more detail about these influences in a later post, but know that despite an increasing estrogen level and LH surge, stress, exercise (too much or too little), insulin imbalances (PCOS), and more can all delay ovulation. Your body is looking for an environment most suitable to a healthy conception and pregnancy. If it senses the conditions aren't optimal, ovulation is often delayed to prevent "wasting" an egg.
Just like if your overall cycle is off, ovulation is a part of that cycle and its presence/absence is a huge clue to the health of your cycle and hormone balance. Especially if you're struggling to get pregnant, knowing when and IF you ovulate is crucial to success.
*when we don't ovulate regularly. It's actually quite normal to have an anovulatory cycle (a cycle when no egg is released) here and there, but shouldn't be a regular/monthly thing
**if you're not ovulating/having a cycle because you're newly postpartum/nursing, that's ok! That's normal and doesn't fall into this context of concern about not ovulating for a long period of time
There are a number of things that can delay ovulation. We'll talk in more detail about these influences in a later post, but know that despite an increasing estrogen level and LH surge, stress, exercise (too much or too little), insulin imbalances (PCOS), and more can all delay ovulation. Your body is looking for an environment most suitable to a healthy conception and pregnancy. If it senses the conditions aren't optimal, ovulation is often delayed to prevent "wasting" an egg.
Just like if your overall cycle is off, ovulation is a part of that cycle and its presence/absence is a huge clue to the health of your cycle and hormone balance. Especially if you're struggling to get pregnant, knowing when and IF you ovulate is crucial to success.
*when we don't ovulate regularly. It's actually quite normal to have an anovulatory cycle (a cycle when no egg is released) here and there, but shouldn't be a regular/monthly thing
**if you're not ovulating/having a cycle because you're newly postpartum/nursing, that's ok! That's normal and doesn't fall into this context of concern about not ovulating for a long period of time