Signs Of Ovulation.

Ovulation is when one or more eggs are released from one of your ovaries. This happens toward the end of the time you're fertile between periods.

Each month, between 15 and 20 eggs mature inside your ovaries. The ripest egg is released and swept into one of your fallopian tubes. Your fallopian tubes connect your ovaries to your uterus (womb).


Your ovaries do not necessarily take it in turns to release an egg. It happens quite randomly.

To become pregnant naturally, one of your eggs and your partner's sperm have to meet in your fallopian tube. Your egg survives no more than 24 hours after you've ovulated. So the meeting of egg and sperm has to occur within this time.

However, sperm can survive for up to seven days. They'll happily live in your vagina, uterus or fallopian tubes for this length of time.

This means that you don't have to time sex to the exact moment you ovulate to get pregnant. You actually have a fertile window of about six days.

This window includes the five days before and the day of ovulation itself. So, if you have sex at some time during your fertile window, your freshly ovulated egg could meet live, healthy sperm and be fertilised.


Many women can tell when they are ovulating just by paying attention to their body and watching for fertility signs. Not everyone knows what signs of ovulation are or what to look for. You may have heard that you ovulate around day 14 of your cycle. This is a myth. Women ovulate at different times of the month so paying attention to signs of ovulation is a good way to ensure that you are having intercourse during the right days each month. BBT charting and ovulation prediction kits are even better but for some women charting and testing takes away from the natural process of trying to get pregnant. If you are not interested in charting or want to watch for other signs of ovulation that do not require morning temperature taking, you may just want to watch your body for signs that you are ovulating.

Typical Signs of ovulation:

Increase in cervical mucous- Cervical mucous will increase before ovulation and right around ovulation you will notice slippery “egg white” looking cervical mucous.

Increased sex-drive- You may be more interested in sex or be more easily aroused around the time of ovulation. Some people believe this is a biologically designed way to ensure reproduction.

Breast tenderness- Some women will notice breast tenderness or other premenstrual symptoms around the time of ovulation.

Bloating and water weight- You may be bloated or retaining water around the time of ovulation.

Swollen vagina or vulva- Your labia or vagina may become full and more sensitive.

Ovulation pain (Mittelschmerz or midpain)- You may feel cramping or achiness around the time of ovulation.

Cervix position is high and soft- If you are checking your cervix it will feel high, soft and more open around the time of ovulation. It will be more difficult to reach during ovulation.

Moodiness or increased energy- You may have mood swings around the time of ovulation. Some women may feel a boost of energy prior to ovulation.
Less common signs of ovulation:

Ovulation spotting - some women notice light spotting around the time of ovulation.

Headaches or nausea - Some women are sensitive to hormonal changes and may have headaches or nausea before ovulation.