Publication date: Friday, 20th October, 2006
What is ovulation?
Ovulation is when one or more eggs are released from the ovary and is the fertile time of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Each month, many eggs mature inside the ovary.
The largest is expelled into the pelvic cavity and swept into the fallopian tube. Which ovary releases the egg is fairly arbitrary.
The few days near ovulation constitute the fertile phase. The average time of ovulation is the 14th day of an average length (28-day) menstrual cycle.
Sexual intercourse during the period spanning one to two days before ovulation to about 24 hours afterward can lead to pregnancy. Unlike sperms which can live for two or three days, an egg survives no more than 24 hours after ovulation.
Ovulation signs in human are not readily discernable by people other than the woman herself. Humans are said to have a concealed ovulation. However, she can tell from the following:
Mucus: Women near ovulation experience changes in the mucus produced by the cervix. It increases in volume and changes texture because of the body’s rising levels of oestrogen. A woman is considered most fertile when the mucus becomes clear, slippery, and stretchy – like raw egg whites.
The mucus is supposed to nourish, protect, and speed the sperm on its way up through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes for the rendezvous with the egg. The mucus stage, just before ovulation, usually only lasts about two to three days and most women can learn to recognise it.
Lower abdominal discomfort. About one-fifth of women actually feel ovulatory activity, which can range from mild aches to twinges of pain. The condition, called ‘mittelschmerz’, may last a few minutes or a few hours.
A rise in body temperature. Temperature can increase by 0.5 to 1.6 degrees centigrade. A woman may not feel the shift, but can detect it by using a basal body temperature thermometer.
This temperature spike comes because releasing an egg stimulates the production of the hormone progesterone which raises body temperature.
Other signs include swollen breasts, a heightened sense of smell and mood changes (both good and bad). However, these types of signs are not very reliable in pinpointing your fertile or infertile phases, but they may help support your other observations.
Studies have also suggested that women’s preferences in men shift during ovulation, appealing toward a more primitive drive to find a suitable mate. Another study has concluded that women subtly improve their facial attractiveness during ovulation.
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