Ovulation

What does ovulation mean?

Ovulation: When an ovary releases an egg, usually once per cycle.

How it is used in the Splash library

• It is usually heavier in pregnancy, when you are sexually active or if you use birth control, and it is clearer, wetter and more noticeable around ovulation.

  From “Discharge, decoded”

• After ovulation, progesterone gives it a small nudge up, and it stays higher until your next period.

  From “Basal body temperature, explained”

• Its cervical mucus shifts as ovulation gets closer, and many people also notice its position changes.

  From “Cervical mucus and cervix position”

• Ovulation pain. A brief ache in the middle or on one side of your lower tummy around ovulation is common, says Cleveland Clinic.

  From “Pelvic pain: when to get help”

• The 2023 guideline names letrozole as the first-choice tablet for triggering ovulation in people with PCOS and no other fertility problem.

  From “PCOS treatments: what the 2023 guideline says”

Ovulation explained

Ovulation is when one of your ovaries releases an egg. It happens once in most menstrual cycles, roughly in the middle, and it is the only time in the cycle when pregnancy can begin. The egg travels into a fallopian tube, where it can be fertilised for about 12 to 24 hours.

Ovulation is triggered by a surge of luteinising hormone (LH). The empty follicle left behind becomes the corpus luteum, which makes progesterone. That rise in progesterone is what causes the small increase in body temperature many people track.

What's typical

Ovulation usually happens about 12 to 16 days before your next period, not 14 days after your last one. On a 28-day cycle that is around day 14; on a 35-day cycle it is closer to day 21.

Even in regular cycles the day can move by several days from month to month (Wilcox, 2000). Some cycles, especially in teens, during perimenopause or with PCOS, have no ovulation at all.

Signs include clear, stretchy cervical mucus, a positive LH test, and a one-sided twinge some people feel (mittelschmerz).

When to talk to a GP, nurse or pharmacist

• Your cycles are often shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days, which can mean you are not ovulating regularly.
• You have been trying to get pregnant for a year (or 6 months if you are 36 or over) without success (NHS).
• Mid-cycle pain is severe, lasts more than a couple of days, or comes with fever or heavy bleeding.

In the UK you can call NHS 111 for advice at any time. In an emergency call 999 (UK) or 911 (US). This is general information, not medical advice.