Free, Online Ovulation Tracker

The menstrual cycle lasts an average of 28 days, but varies between individuals. Typically menstruation lasts between 21 and 40 days and almost half of all cycles last longer than 28 days!

If you are aiming to get pregnant that knowing where you are in your cycle is essential. After all, the ovulation period is very short: usually lasting only 24 hours out of the total cycle.

Fortunately, there are many ways to calculate ovulation in order to know when to conceive your future baby. Let's take a look.

What is ovulation?

Ovulation is a reproductive mechanism present in all mammals. The ovaries are responsible for producing several oocytes on a regular basis. After a period of maturation, only one of these oocytes becomes an egg.

The egg contains half of the woman's genetic material and therefore the future child. Once fertilized by a spermatozoon, the ovum is transformed and becomes the first cell of life.

When the egg matures in the ovary, it is expelled and aspirated through the fallopian tubes. The egg remains there for a short period of 24 hours. If it is not fertilized by a sperm during this time, it disintegrates and is passed by the body.

The window of ovulation is therefore extremely limited. Therefore, knowing how to calculate the date of ovulation as accurately as possible is absolutely essential if you want to conceive a child!

How to calculate the date of ovulation?

As a general rule, ovulation takes place in the middle of a 28-day menstrual cycle, i.e. 14 days after the beginning of the period and 14 days before the beginning of the next period. But that's in theory!

Indeed, as we explained earlier, not all menstrual cycles last exactly 28 days. Some cycles are longer, some shorter and the duration can vary month to month! This makes it even more difficult to determine the exact date of ovulation. As we have seen, precision is important: you only have 24 hours to fertilize the egg.

To know your ovulation date more precisely, you can rely on three main tools:

• carefully note the length of your menstrual cycles, to look for when you are halfway through your cycle and when you are 14 days away from your next period (ovulation should theoretically take place in this interval)
• look for symptoms related to ovulation
• use an ovulation test

There is no miracle method to calculate the date of ovulation accurately. It is a clever mix of all these methods that will allow you to have the most accurate idea possible about this moment. Let's see how these three methods work together.

How to interpret an ovulation test?

The urine ovulation test will analyze the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your body. This is a hormone that appears about 24 hours after your fertility peak is likely that your fertility peak is near! Testing positive for ovulation over several days is possible.

When you perform an ovulation test, you will have a white area on your test with two letters: T and C. You then have 3 possibilities:

• either a red strip appears only on the C. The test is then negative: your ovulation period is not within the next 24 to 36 hours.
• either a red strip appears on the C and a light red strip appears on the T: your level of l, likely, starts to rise, but it is likely that it is not sufficient for ovulation to have taken place yet
• two red stripes appear, or the red stripe on the T is brighter than the one on the C: you have a positive ovulation test. It is then advisable to multiply intercourse for 4 to 5 days to maximize your chances of conception.

You can also use an ovulation cycle tracker that will give you results just as reliably, but with a more easily interpreted yes/no.

The Clearblue ovulation test is probably the best known and most effective for determining if you are close to your ovulation period. However, it can be expensive since you will have to repeat the test every 24 to 36 hours in case of a negative result.

Is the ovulation test always positive if there is a pregnancy?

An ovulation test allows you to know if ovulation is taking place, but is not a pregnancy test. It does not test for the same hormone. There can, of course, be ovulation without insemination.

So an ovulation test can be positive without necessarily resulting in pregnancy. Similarly, an ovulation test will not always be positive in the case of pregnancy, since once insemination has taken place, the level of LH decreases in the body.

What are the symptoms of ovulation?

The second way to know if you are ovulating is to pay attention to the different symptoms you experience. Be careful as these are only an indication! An isolated symptom does not necessarily mean ovulation, so it is better to look for a set of concordant symptoms.

Possible signs of ovulation include:

• sensitivity in the upper body
• increased libido
• a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, bloating or even abdominal cramps
• a slight rise in temperature, especially in the morning
• changes in discharge or saliva

Keep in mind, however, that sometimes there are no particular symptoms. So take this non-exhaustive list with a grain of salt and as an additional tool. Keep in mind that it is by combining all the methods that you will be able to determine the exact moment of your ovulation.

How to make a personalized ovulation calendar?

Whether your cycle lasts 25, 28 or 34 days, ovulation takes place about 14 days before the date of your next period. The first step is to determine the length of your cycle. Sometimes the cycle can vary by a few days. For some people, the length of the cycle can vary greatly, in which case it is best to consult a doctor.

Once you have determined the length of your menstrual cycle, start a new ovulation calendar at the beginning of each period. That moment marks the beginning of a cycle.

For example, if you have determined that your entire cycle lasts 30 days, you will know that your ovulation will take place around the 16th day following the beginning of your period (30-14). You will then need to take a wider range as a safety margin (three days before and three days after this date), during which you will pay attention to the symptoms listed above. This is when you can draw your ovulation test. For more precision, you can do one every 24 hours during this period.

In our example, it will be between the 13th day and the 19th day following the beginning of your period that you will have to be particularly vigilant.

To make this calendar, the best thing to do is to take a paper calendar and mark the beginning of each period with a red cross. After three cycles, you should notice an average duration. If you do not have a paper calendar, you can use an online calendar, a dedicated application or simply a sheet of paper and a pen where you mark each day of a cycle and the day of ovulation.

How long does the ovulation period last?

The first phase of ovulation is slow and lasts several days. It starts with the production of oocytes that will mature and one of them will become an egg about 14 days before the next period. Ovulation itself is very fast: between the transformation of the oocyte into an egg and its expulsion from the ovary into the fallopian tubes, it takes 24 to 72 hours. Once expelled, the egg remains available for insemination only between 24 and 72 hours.

Why is ovulation painful?

First of all, it should be noted that not all women experience pain during ovulation. As with the length of the menstrual cycle, not every woman is on the same level on this subject.

There are several factors that can explain the pain. It is important to know that just before becoming an egg, the egg selected by the ovary grows very quickly. This puts a lot of pressure on the wall of the ovary, which eventually expels it. Both the pressure and the expulsion can cause intense discomfort and even severe chest or side pain. Having a stomach ache 4 days after ovulation is therefore normal.

Is it normal to feel a tightness in the lower abdomen after ovulation?

Just before the ovulation phase, the body prepares for a possible conception followed by the reception of the fertilized cell, which is called implantation. This takes place in the endometrium (the lining of the uterus), which grows to about 10 mm in thickness. This can sometimes cause pain and tightness in the lower abdomen.

During and just after ovulation, the endometrium continues to grow and create neovessels and can reach up to 14 mm in thickness. Again, the swelling of the endometrium can be very painful.

Finally, if conception does not take place, the endometrium suddenly retracts, and the uterine lining detaches and is eliminated through the natural channels: this is what is more commonly known as menstruation. Again, this process can lead to tightness in the lower abdomen and severe pain.

It is therefore normal to feel this kind of discomfort in the lower abdomen after ovulation since it announces the beginning of the period.

What is the discharge like right after ovulation?

At the time of ovulation, some discharge may appear. More commonly known as white discharge or clear discharge actually cervical mucus.

Cervical mucus is made up of water, minerals and proteins. It is watery, clear and stringy in appearance before ovulation. About four days before ovulation, it is slippery and looks like raw egg white. This discharge becomes increasingly opaque, elastic and sticky as ovulation approaches. White discharge after ovulations are sticky and opaque. A yellow discharge after ovulation may indicate a problem with vaginal bacteria or an STI.

So observing the composition of the discharge is another good way to determine if ovulation is approaching or has occurred.

How is the mucus if fertilization has occurred?

Cervical mucus is very useful in the reproductive process: it helps guide the sperm to the egg, matures them and allows them to survive up to 5 days in the woman's body. This mucus is produced under the effect of estrogen.

As we have seen, if conception does not take place, the endometrium suddenly retracts and eliminates the uterine lining. This is due to the appearance of progesterone, which signals to the body that it is time to eliminate it and start a new cycle.

In the case of insemination, on the other hand, the levels of estrogen and progesterone totally different! Estrogen does not go down and progesterone does not appear. Cervical mucus after fertilization continues and can be extremely abundant and viscous. The white discharge we mentioned earlier continues and becomes a sign.

Blood loss during ovulation: is bleeding normal?

Some women experience episodes of bleeding during ovulation (also called ovulation spotting). This is completely normal and is not serious. It is believed to be due to several factors:

• a sudden hormonal change
• to the thickening of the endometrium

To thicken, the endometrium creates neovessels that can sometimes swell very strongly. If some of them burst, they can create small bleeding.

Does late ovulation delay my period?

Ovulation takes place 14 days before your period, with more or less 3 days in between. Late ovulation, therefore, extends the total length of the cycle likely lasting more than 28 days. Conversely, early ovulation always occurs 14 days before your period, but this simply indicates that your cycle will be shorter than the average 28 days! It is therefore the length of the first part of the cycle that is variable, with the ovulation period always occurring at the same time overall.

Once again, this is completely normal: menstrual cycles vary according to every individual. It is also important to realize that ovulation can exceptionally occur outside of the 14 days before your period, and it is even possible to have a month without ovulation!

Can an ovulation test detect pregnancy?

Contrary to popular belief, the ovulation test detects the presence of the hormone LH, while the pregnancy test looks for the hormone HCG. They are therefore two different things, and it is not possible to use an ovulation test to detect a pregnancy! The only thing you can detect is that you are ovulating more, which can give you a clue about a possible pregnancy. But generally, many other symptoms will put you on the way before.

Does late ovulation delay my period?

Ovulation takes place 14 days before your period, with more or less 3 days in between. Late ovulation, therefore, extends the total length of the cycle, and the cycle likely lasts more than 28 days. Conversely, early ovulation always occurs 14 days before your period, but this simply indicates that your cycle will be shorter than the average 28 days! It is therefore the length of the first part of the cycle that is variable, with the ovulation period always occurring at the same time overall.

Once again, this is completely normal: menstrual cycles vary according to each woman. It is also important to realize that ovulation can exceptionally occur outside of the 14 days before your period, and it is even possible to have a month without ovulation!

Can an ovulation test detect pregnancy?

Contrary to popular belief, the ovulation test detects the presence of the hormone LH, while the pregnancy test looks for the hormone HCG. They are therefore two different things, and it is not possible to use an ovulation test to detect a pregnancy! The only thing you can detect is that you are ovulating more, which can give you a clue about a possible pregnancy. But generally, many other symptoms will put you on the way before.