About Ovulation:
Ovulation is a phenomenon that occurs every month in females of reproductive or childbearing age. Ovulation usually occurs in and around the 14th day of the menstrual cycle considering the standard menstrual cycle of 28 days which is not always correct and differs from female to female. During Ovulation, an egg is released from the follicles of the ovaries and travels from there to the fallopian tube to get fertilized. However, there are many processes that take place prior to ovulation occurring. The follicle in the ovaries starts to mature between the 6th and 14th day of the menstrual cycle. Around the 10th to 14th day an egg is developed. This egg is normally released in and around the 14th day of the menstrual cycle.
Ovulation is quite an important factor in deciding whether a female will get pregnant. Thus, if you are planning on expanding your family and trying to conceive, then it is important for you to know the process of ovulation and the timing of ovulation so that you can plan accordingly. This article gives a brief overview of how exactly ovulation occurs.
How Does Ovulation Occur?
As stated, ovulation occurs every month supposedly on or around the 14th day of the menstrual cycle of a female. Ovulation takes place as a result of a lot of processes that goes on during the menstrual cycle of a female. The process of ovulation begins with certain hormonal changes triggered by the hypothalamus that controls the ovulation process. These hormonal changes begin about two weeks into the menstrual cycle before the nest period starts.
There are millions of eggs in the ovaries of a female. When a female attains puberty and starts having menstrual periods every month one egg from these millions of eggs gets matured.
As a female comes close to ovulation, the body starts producing excess of a hormone called estrogen which causes thickening of the lining of the uterus to create an atmosphere which is conducive for conception and where a sperm can survive. The high level of estrogen activates and increases the levels of another hormone known as the luteinizing hormone. It is this luteinizing hormone that causes the mature egg to detach from the ovary and go down the fallopian tube in expectation of meeting a sperm which can fertilize it.
This is precisely how ovulation occurs. The egg is detached from the ovary usually after about 36 hours of the increase in the luteinizing hormone. Thus an increase in the level of the luteinizing hormone suggests that ovulation is about to occur and if the female is trying to get pregnant then that is the best time to try as this is the time when she will be most fertile to conceive.
It should be noted here that an egg survives only for 12-24 hours after it detaches from the ovary after which it starts to dissolve. If the egg is not fertilized within this time then the chances of the female getting pregnant goes down dramatically.
As sperm can survive in a female for up to five days it is highly recommended for females trying to get pregnant to start trying four to five days before ovulation for best chances of getting pregnant.
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