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Whether you’re trying to conceive or are trying to avoid pregnancy, knowing when you’re ovulating is a crucial first step.
“A woman’s fertile window describes those days of her menstrual cycle during which intercourse or insemination can result in a pregnancy,” explains Dr. Wendy Chang, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and OB-GYN at Southern California Reproductive Center. “Knowing when ovulation occurs is so empowering because it enables women to time their intimacy or sperm exposure during their peak fertile day.”
However, despite the importance of being in tune with when we’re ovulating, detecting ovulation still remains a mystery for many. “I know of women who have tried to get pregnant for years without a basic understanding of menstrual cycle,” says Dr. Rashmi Kudesia, an OB-GYN at the Colorado Center of Reproductive Medicine in Houston. “As a society, we don’t do a great job of putting that information out there for young people.”
Fortunately, detecting ovulation doesn’t require deep medical know-how or even a trip to the doctor. Here, five natural ways to detect ovulation at home. Although, keep in mind that none of these are foolproof, and you may want to employ multiple methods at once to get the most complete picture.
Use an ovulation predictor kit
Ovulation predictor kits work a lot like pregnancy tests in that they detect hormone levels in your urine. Luteinizing hormone (LH) triggers ovulation, so it surges in our bodies about 24 to 36 hours before the egg is released.
“Detecting the surge really helps in identifying when ovulation, the peak fertile day, would occur,” Dr. Chang says. Many kits now are now also able to detect the rise of estrogen levels that precedes the LH surge to further identify additional days in the fertile window, she adds.
For many women, ovulation predictor kits are reliable, but their accuracy may rely on whether or not you have a regular period. “There’s going to be a substantial minority of women who don’t have a regular menstrual-ovulatory cycle,” Dr. Kudesia says. “Those women may get confusing results.”
Chart your period
Whether you’re using an old-school calendar or a new-fangled app, keeping tabs on your menstrual cycle is so important that many physicians consider it the fifth vital sign. “It’s telling you something critical about your health,” Dr. Kudesia says. “Being able to understand whether you’re ovulating is important, whether you’re trying to get pregnant or preventing pregnancy.”
A typical cycle is anywhere from 21 to 35 days, and if you have regular cycles, that’s a good sign you’re ovulating. To find out exactly when you’re ovulating, keep a record of when your period begins and how long it lasts.
“Basically, the time frame from ovulation to your next period is right around 14 days. So, somebody who has a 30-day cycle would subtract 14 days to get an ovulation day estimate of day 16,” Kudesia explains. “When you use a fertility app, it takes the length of your cycle, averages it, and guesses your day of ovulation and gives you your fertile window, which is the five days prior.”
Check your cervical mucus
To supplement period tracking, get up close and personal with your cervical mucus. “Cervical mucus varies throughout a natural menstrual cycle, based on a woman’s hormonal activity,” Chang says. “Mucus is usually scant right after menstruation, and then increases in amount. The rise in estrogen that precedes ovulation stimulates the production of profuse, clear, and stretchy mucus that facilitates sperm passage. So, detection of that mucus can be a helpful indicator of good estrogen secretion and impending ovulation.”
Take your basal body temperature
After ovulation, our core body temperature rises by about a half a degree, Dr. Kudesia explains. By taking your basal body temperature first thing in the morning, you can get a sense of if you’ve just ovulated.
“The downside is that it can’t be used prospectively,” Dr. Kudesia says. “By the time that it goes up, you’ve already ovulated and fertile window is over.” However, used in tandem with other methods of ovulation detection, your basal body temperature can help you get a fuller picture of your body’s patterns.
Use a fertility monitor
If you want to go higher-tech with your ovulation detection, try a fertility monitor. “Recently, fertility monitors have been developed that use machine-learning to predict ovulation based on physiological changes in body temperature, heart rate, heart rate variability, and blood flow,” Dr. Chang says. They’re most often used in concert with other detection methods, including ovulation predictor kits and cervical mucus monitoring.
