What are the signs that you are ovulating?

Question

Do women differ in signs? What if you don't produce any discharge during your ovulation, does it matter? How then will you know? If it is claimed that you ovulate after 14 days, but I have always counted but I never get the discharge, is it normal? Or maybe i dunno how to count? Please help, as i've been trying to conceive for as long as i can remember!!

Answer 1

A lot of things are claimed. Most of them aren't true. This is true of the claim that you ovulate on day 14 of your cycle.

Women ovulate *on average* on day 14 of their cycle. This means that it is not true for *most* women. Take this as an example. Suppose that the average woman is 5'4" tall. If you were to use this and assume that *every* woman is 5'4" tall, you would be wrong almost every time.

A woman ovulates an average (yes, *average* again) of 2 weeks before her *next* period starts. For most women, this is 12-16 days before, but there can be some variation. So if you have 32 day cycles, you probably ovulate between days 16 and 20. But not necessarily. You could ovulate on day 15, or you could ovulate on day 24 (but in this case, you are infertile).

For any *individual* woman, she will always ovulate the same number of days (within a day or two) before every period. So you may discover that you always ovulate 12 days before your next period. Or 12-13 days before.

To determine *precisely* when you are ovulating, you need to have multiple ultrasounds done every few hours around the clock for at least several days. But you *can* determine close enough (within a day or so) by checking your fertility signs. The two main signs are basal body temperature and cervical fluid (*not* discharge). Basal body temperature will tell you, with a high degree of accuracy, when you have *already* ovulated (and it's too late to get pregnant this cycle), but will not tell most women when they are about to ovulate. (Some do have a temperature shift downwards just before ovulation, but most do not.)

Cervical fluid, however, will tell you when ovulation is approaching. You need to check the fluid every day at the vaginal entrance. When it is wet, you are fertile. When it is very wet, clear, and stretchy, you are very fertile (you are about to ovulate).

If you don't see any cervical fluid at any time in your cycle, you probably aren't checking correctly. If you *are* checking correctly and still don't have any obvious fluid, you are probably not ovulating or having periods (vaginal bleeding that does not follow ovulation is *not* a period; it is withdrawal bleeding or breakthrough bleeding). Even if you *are* ovulating, with no cervical fluid, you may be infertile. The purpose of the fluid is to take over the job of the semen following ejaculation--to keep the sperm alive--and to direct them towards and through the cervix. With no wet cervical fluid, the sperm will likely die before they could possibly reach your egg.

For more detailed explanations of all of the above (and lots more!!), please read _Taking Charge of Your Fertility_ by Toni Weschler.

Answer 2

It is not true that women all ovulate 14 days from the first day of their period. All women have different cycles. Your cycle can be anywhere from 28-36 days long. If you are a 28 day cycle then yes day 14 is the most likely day for ovulation but if you have a 33-34 day cycle like I do then you would ovulate around day 16 or 17. The best way to tell you are ovulating is to check your cervical fluid everyday. On the day that you notice your fluid is more sticky and stringy like eggwhite, then you will ovulate within 24 hours so have sex that day! Once you chart for a few months you will know exactly when you ovulate and can start having sex a FEW DAYs before to insure better chances of getting pregnant. Good luck!!!

PS. Do not rely solely on Basal Body Temperature. I say this because if you are charting your temperature everyday and one morning it spikes a degree, this does not mean that you are ovulating. THis means that ovulation ALREADY happened. You can therefore use BBT to calculate around when you would ovulate from then on and make sure you have sex BEFORE the spike in temperature. Please read Taking Charge of Your Fertility for more information. It is awesome!

Answer 3

If you do not have the discharge, its either one of two things. You either, dont notice it, because you do not know what to look for, or you are not ovulating at all. Some woman do not ovulate, and in most cases, they have something called PCOS. PCOS makes it difficult to get pregnant, but it is not impossible! I have known MANY woman that have PCOS get pregnant and deliver healthy babies. It just takes them longer to get pregnant, because they need a doctors help and special medicines to help them ovulate. Only your doctor can tell you if you have PCOS, and it is very common, I do not know if you have it or not, but I think you should be aware of it. Check out this site, http://www.pcosupport.org/ and do your own searches for PCOS and discuess it with your doctor to see if you may have it.

If you do not have PCOS, it is possible that you just may not know how to look for ovulation. Here are a few sites that I like, they are very informative and will teach you easily how to look for ovulation. http://hometown.aol.com/cystershell/osigns.html and http://www.womenshealth.org/a/ovulation_fertility.htm

Also, not all women not have a straight 28 day cycle. If you do not, then you will not ovulate exactly 14 days after your period. The best way if do this is to either chart your temp with a basal body thermometer, or to buy a clear blue easy fertility monitor. Check out www.fertilityfriend.com they are the #1 site on the web for charting Basal Body Temps.

Good luck to you and tons of baby dust your way!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

This is my standard answer......... go get a book called Taking Charge of your fertility by Toni Weschler. It will help you understand your body and all the myths about it. It will help you time when you are ovulating and the best times to conceive. My Doctor recommended it to me and after 1 year of trying I got the book. It worked the very next month. It turns out that my timing was wrong due to mis-information. I hope it helps you, too! It's not only about getting pregnant. It's about knowing your body and knowing when you are fertile or not. You can pick and choose what you do with your info. Good luck and don't listen the all the myths!

Answer 5

No one is the same, but as ovulation approaches, you feel very wet and slippery mucus. That mucus is of fertile type. Some people feel actually the release of the egg(s). It's called middle pain. There are some kits for detecting ovulaton on the market. Good luck.

Answer 6

you are ovulating when you see egg white discharge it is slippery you will see it a few days after your period leading up to day 14 of your cycle and have sex the day after you ovulate. Yes it matters if you ovulate because you wanna get pregnant mybe you have an irregular cycle my cycle don't always be 28 day cycle sometime 32cycle .Have sex a.s.ap after your cycle goes off every other day the best time to have sex is in the morning that when your husband or boyfriend sperm is high. never give up pray also it helps. one day i had sex to the break of dawn then got pregnant.

Answer 7

When you are most fertile, you'll have cervical mucus that is clear and runny. That means you are approaching ovulation. After you ovulate it becomes thick and white.

You may also feel some twinges at ovulation in your lower abdomen.

Those are the most obvious signs

Answer 8

Have you ever considered an ovulation calendar?

Here are tons of articles on ovulation. There are lots of different signs:
http://parenting.ivillage.com/ttc/ttcsigns/topics/0,,4rwm,00.html?ice=ivl,searcht

Answer 9

You will know when you are ovalating because it is usually around 14 days after your period and your discharge will go sticky that's when you are ovalating. Have you thought of bying an ovalation kit

Answer 10

take a look at www.fertilityfriend.com for tips and advice and what to look for. Some say charting their CM works for them, others their temp and others the position of their cervix. Take a look at the site for tips and ideas on what will work for you.

Good luck