Can I Conceive Now? The Ins and Outs of Ovulation

Ovulation Symptoms and Figuring Out When You’re Most Fertile

Just saying the word ovulation makes my husband want to vomit. (Though not sure why it grosses him out so much.) But, if you want to get pregnant then it’s important to know when you ovulate and also to be able to spot ovulation symptoms that warn you that ovulation is happening. There are a number of ovulation symptoms that you can look out for that will tell you that it is just around the corner, so that you can prepare yourself (and your partner) for doing the ‘deed’ and hopefully, conceiving a baby.

Sign #1: Me so horny…

The first of these is that you will likely experience as an increase in desire for sex. (Boy is this true for me and is especially so as I get older. TMI…sorry.) When you are at your most fertile, your body wants you to reproduce (that whole nature thing at work) and so you will find that you want to have sex more. This is something that you obviously have to gauge for yourself, but if you really start to pay attention to your body, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to judge if you are feeling hornier than normal.

Sign #2: Damn my boobs hurt!

The second most noticeable symptom of ovulation for many women is that ‘the girls’ (i.e. your breasts) will feel tenderer. This isn’t a 100% accurate signal, but is a surprisingly good indicator. You may however find that the tenderness actually comes immediately after ovulation, so in some cases experiencing this may actually be an indicator that the horse has already bolted.

Sign #3: Gotta love that discharge.

The third most noticeable symptom is one that you will need to check carefully and one where you really need to know how your body usually operates. This involves checking the consistency and the amount of your cervical mucus. Typically, when you are ovulating, your cervical mucus becomes far more evident and abundant and becomes more watery in appearance and consistency. This is in direct contrast to periods of time when you are not ovulating where the quantities of cervical mucus go down considerably, and take on a much creamier appearance.

Sign #4: The old temperature trick!

The fourth most noticeable symptom is tracking your body’s basal temperature. After a woman has ovulated, her basal temperature will rise up by fractions of a degree. The reason for this is because of the increased levels of progesterone in your system.

If you track this temperature consistently, then this is a very good indicator of whether or not you have ovulated. Not to mention, a cheap way to keep track of it, because essentially the only special equipment you need is a thermometer.

The downsides to this particular approach are that for some women it can seem a little overwhelming to constantly be taking their temperature and it can also be time consuming, as well as the risk of becoming obsessive. (Don’t make you temperature some huge science experiment!)Take note that the other major downside is that it is NOT 100% accurate because certain factors, such as sleep patterns, can affect how accurate it is.

One good option to determine ovulation, if you are not concerned about the cost, is to buy an ovulation predictor test. The way these work is a bit like a pregnancy test, in that you have to pee on a test stick. It is however quite a bit more involved, because you have to do this every day in the week before you expect to ovulate.

This test determines whether or not you have raised levels of luteinising hormone, which would indicate that you are ovulating.

You can also find ovulation calculators online which claim to be able to do much of the above. But in practice you are better off to look out for the above ovulation symptoms and check in with your body on a regular bas. Here is the link to find out more.