What Is Ovulation?
Ovulation is a phenomenon that occurs in every female of reproductive age right from the start of their menstrual periods somewhere around age 10-14 which is termed as menarche till the time she reaches menopause. Ovulation is a phenomenon in which an egg is released during menstruation. Coming to how this phenomenon of ovulation occurs, the ovarian follicle which is a part of the ovary, discharges an egg. This egg after being released travels down the fallopian tube where it is ready and waiting to be fertilized by a male sperm. Once fertilized, the female is said to have conceived or has become pregnant. The phenomenon of ovulation and the entire menstrual cycle is controlled by the part of a brain called hypothalamus. The hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland to secrete luteinizing hormone and the follicle stimulating hormone which then discharges the egg during ovulation.
Couples or females who are looking to get pregnant are more interested in knowing when the ovulation process is likely to take place as this is the time when they are most likely to get pregnant.
When Do You Ovulate: Methods to Detect Ovulation Period
The main question that every female or couple who dearly want to expand their family and have children ask is when exactly does a female ovulate and what are the symptoms if any through which one can find out if the female is ovulating. To answer this, there is no way to exactly predict as to when a female will ovulate. However, there are certain methods with which you can approximate as to when you are likely to ovulate and be most fertile to conceive.
Calendar Method: This is the most followed method of estimating as to when you are likely to start ovulation. However, this method of calculation is not at all reliable. It is based on an assumption that the female has a regular menstrual period and each period lasts the same number of days. According to this method, you need to count 14 days backwards from when the date when the next menstrual period is approximated to start. A female is most fertile for the preceding five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation. Thus if the menstrual period of a female starts on the 1st and the next period is supposed to start on the 28th then the female will most likely be fertile and ready to conceive from days 10th to 15th. This is quite an easy way to find out as to when a female will ovulate but this method is not accurate as not every female has the same menstrual cycle and moreover it is very unlikely for ovulation occur exactly 14 days before the next menstrual period.
In fact a study found out that only 10% of females of child bearing age ovulated 14 days before their next menstrual period. Thus there is every chance that a couple may miss the fertile window by following this method.
Ovulation Predictor Kit: Another method to find out if you are ovulating is by using an ovulation predictor kit. This kit is easily available in a drug store and does not require a prescription so it is pretty easy to buy this kit. This is a more reliable way to find out an approximate time as to when ovulation may start in a female, although it may not work for every female. There are two type of kits used to predict ovulation. One kit makes use of the saliva while the other makes use of the urine.
The kit which uses urine as a tool to find out when a female can ovulate is the most commonly used. Both these tests will give a positive result a few days before you start ovulation. Thus a couple can plan to have a sexual intercourse in the next few days timeframe for the best chances of conceiving. The kit which uses urine as a tool indicates when the luteinizing hormone level is up which means that an egg will be released soon from the ovaries.
With the saliva test, dried saliva will be tested under microscope to look for patterns suggestive of an increase in estrogen levels which usually happens a few days before ovulation. These kits may cost about $50 but is definitely a nice method to find out the precise time when a female is most likely to be fertile and ready to conceive and answers the question of when do you ovulate?
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