What are the popular ways of predicting Ovulation?

Predicting ovulation is vital to successful conception. Ovulation is the release of a single, mature egg from the ovarian follicle following a Leutinising Hormone (LH) surge. When this egg or ovum is fertilized and implanted it results in pregnancy. Knowledge of the ovulation or fertile period can be very useful for women who are trying to conceive.

There are various methods devised to predict ovulation. The best way to determine if you are ovulating is to pay attention to your body and learn to spot the signs that ovulation is imminent.

Counting Days.

The first day of your cycle begins on first day of bleeding. Count from that day until your next period. If you see a regular pattern, you can determine ovulation from the 11th to 14th day of your next period. Note that, to use this method, you must know how long your cycle usually lasts. Our ovulation calendar works well to pinpoint the potential fertile periods for those who have regular cycles.

Change in cervical mucus.

As your cycle progresses, your cervical mucus increases in volume and changes texture. The greater volume and changes in texture reflect your body's rising levels of estrogen. You are considered most fertile when the mucus becomes clear, slippery, and stretchy. Many women compare mucus at this stage to raw egg whites.

Lower abdominal discomfort.

About one-fifth of women actually feel ovulatory activity, which can range from mild achiness to twinges of pain in the lower abdomen. The condition, called mittelschmerz (German for �middle-pain�), may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and is a positive sign of ovulation.

A rise in body temperature.

Following ovulation, your temperature can increase by 0.5 to 1.6 degrees. You won't feel the shift, but you can detect it by using a basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer. This temperature spike indicates that you've ovulated releasing an egg and stimulating the production of the hormone progesterone which raises body temperature. Its important to note, that this method does not predict the time of ovulation but can only help you in knowing whether you have already ovulated or not.

Ovulation Tests / Ovulation Predictor Kits

Ovulation tests work by detecting the pre-ovulation LH Surge in your body. These are very popular, can be used at home and allow you to predict, with great accuracy, your most fertile time of the month.

Clearly, the dynamics of the menstruation differ greatly among women. Length and regularity of the cycle may vary between women or for a particular woman over time. However, if your menstrual cycle occurs more frequently than every 21 days - or if your cycle is longer than 35 days, your cycle can be considered a bit irregular. If it consistently lasts more than 45 days, you may want to talk to your doctor. An irregular cycle or missed period is not necessarily a sign of a medical issue and can be influenced by diet, stress, and increase in physical activity, or illness. However, prolonged irregularities can indicate irregular ovulation, or anovulation (no ovulating at all). In such cases, contact your doctor to discuss your symptoms.