Ovulation is the point in your menstrual cycle when an egg is released from an ovary and conception can occur. Your body provides clues that can help you determine when you ovulate, and you can use this information to help you achieve or prevent pregnancy. To increase your chances of conceiving, you should have intercourse around the time of ovulation; to reduce your risk of pregnancy, you should avoid sex or use a form of birth control during this time.
Step 1
Keep track of your cycle with a calendar. Mark the first day of your period each month, and count the days from the first day of one period to the first day of the next to see how long your cycle usually lasts. To find out when you are likely to ovulate in any given cycle, figure out when your next period should start and count back 14 days. This will give you a good idea of your ovulation date, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. To be safe, you can count back 12 to 16 days and try to conceive, or avoid conception, during this time.
Step 2
Check your cervical mucus. Cervical mucus, the fluid secreted by the cervix, is typically dry after your period, and it increases leading up to ovulation. When you notice an increase in vaginal secretions that are slippery, clear and stretchy, you should be ovulating or close to ovulation, according to the American Pregnancy Association. This cervical mucus is sometimes compared to egg whites because of its consistency and appearance.
Step 3
Chart your basal body temperature. Each morning, take your temperature with a basal thermometer before you get too active, preferably while you are still in bed. Make note of your temperature on a calendar. You will notice a slight increase in your temperature, usually one degree or less, within one or two days after you ovulate, and it will remain elevated until your next period. After a few months, you can use this information to anticipate when you will have a temperature spike, and you can mark the two days before the expected spike as the time ovulation will likely occur.
Step 4
Notice other signs of ovulation. Some women experience slight discomfort in the lower abdomen or breast tenderness during ovulation. Your cervix, which is the entrance to your uterus at the top of your vagina, also will soften as you approach ovulation. You can insert a clean finger into your vagina to see if your cervix feels soft, high, open and wet, which means ovulation is near. If the cervix feels firm, low, closed and dry, ovulation has already occurred, according to BabyCenter contributor Toni Weschler.
Step 5
Purchase an ovulation predictor kit. These kits predict ovulation by testing your urine for luteinizing hormone, which increases just before ovulation, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Ovulation predictor kits can help you pinpoint ovulation in a single month without charting, but they can sometimes measure hormone surges not associated with ovulation, leading to false-positive results, according to the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board.
Tips and Warnings
- If you have irregular cycles and you have a hard time deciphering your fertility clues from month to month, talk to your doctor about the best way to achieve or prevent pregnancy.
- If you want to avoid pregnancy, know that the ovulation method of birth control has a failure rate of 25 percent with typical use, according to the American Pregnancy Association. With perfect use, it can be effective around 90 percent of the time. If preventing pregnancy is important to you, talk to your doctor about proper use of the method or choose another method of birth control.
Things You'll Need
- Calendar
- Basal thermometer
