For women who are trying to conceive, it can be very beneficial to be able to calculate when you ovulate. Knowing when exactly it is that you are going to ovulate allows you to time your attempt at conception so that you can maximize the potential that you will be successful. Fortunately, there are some ways that you can, with a reasonable amount of certainty, calculate when you ovulate.

it is important, first, to understand when exactly during your monthly cycle ovulation occurs. Generally speaking, ovulation is going to occur 14 days prior to the start of your next period. If you have a 28-day cycle, you will ovulate around day 14. If you have a longer cycle, for example a 31 day cycle, you will ovulate later, on day 17 for example. Having said all of that, not every woman will ovulate exactly 14 days before her next period, and many women have a cycle that will vary as much as several days from one month to the next. Because of this, you need to be able to use other methods to calculate when you ovulate.

One way that you can calculate when you ovulate is to track the changes that take place to your cervical mucus, and to watch for what is known as “egg white cervical mucus.” A day or two before you ovulate, you should notice an increase in cervical mucus. In addition, cervical mucus will appear at this time to be almost transparent, and similar in consistency to the white of an uncooked egg.

You can also calculate when you ovulate by charting your Basal Body Temperature. Just after you ovulate, your Basal Body Temperature will increase. By tracking your rise in Basal Body Temperature for several cycles, you can begin to get a feel for when exactly it is that you are going to ovulate.

Finally, there are also a variety of ovulation predictor kits and tests that can help you to calculate when you ovulate. Many of these products look for the surge in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) that occurs just before ovulation. Most women who want to calculate when they ovulate will use a combination of these various methods to calculate when they ovulate.

This entry was posted in Getting Pregnant.