How to know when you’re ovulating

Knowing when you are ovulating is a good thing when you are trying to get pregnant. Getting pregnant requires having sex at the right time, during the peak of your ovulation cycle. There are a few ways to determine if you are ovulating or if you should wait before trying to successfully get pregnant.

• Know your menstrual cycle. Ovulation typically occurs halfway through a 28 day cycle. If you have irregular menstrual cycles, this method will likely not work for you as you will not be able to pinpoint the exact time you will be ovulating.
• Use an ovulation calculator online. These, again, are dependent upon a regular cycle, however, they do allow you to put in the beginning date of your period and can calculate your most fertile days dependent on the accuracy of your entries. Using an online ovulation calculator is very easy, one can be found by searching through a search engine for the term “ovulation calculator.”
• Buy an ovulation kit. Using an ovulation kit can help to measure the amount of LH in your urine. While there is always a trace of the LH hormone, the hormone is heavy in presence during the time when your eggs are released. Using an ovulation kit is much like using a pregnancy test. You can choose between a dip stick test and a midstream test. They are readily available in many places such as drug stores and department stores such as Wal-Mart and Target.
• Your basal body temperature will change when you are ovulating. The change is not significant, but it is noticeable. Your basal temperature will decrease then dramatically increase. This method requires checking your temperature every day so it can be a bit of a challenging method.
• Increase in cervical mucus. This may sound gross, but it is entirely true. When your body begins to ovulate, the cervix softens itself up and produces a lot of mucus which you recognize as discharge. When you begin to see a lot of discharge, it is a sign of your cervix softening up in preparation for ovulation and pregnancy.

An important factor in getting pregnant is to know when you are ovulating. There are several ways to determine when you will be ovulating. Knowing your menstrual cycle is beneficial as well as purchasing an ovulation kit.

Other methods include knowing your body – basal temperature changes and increase in cervical mucus are often strong indicators that you are or will be ovulating shortly.

Once you know when you are ovulating, you can pinpoint the days when you will be most fertile. A good hint, be sure to have sex a few days before ovulation to increase your chances of pregnancy. A man’s sperm can live inside your body for up to 6 days after intercourse which increases the chance that some will be present when your egg is released.