Once you start paying attention to your body, it's amazing how
many hints it delivers about the various stages in your cycle - and
ovulation symptoms are often quite noticeable and easy to detect
once you know what to look for.
Don't forget that any form of birth control using synthetic
hormones (such as birth control pills, implants or injections) will
suppress normal ovulation symptoms and other indications of the
different stages in your menstrual cycle.
Ovulation symptoms can be quite subtle. They involve your body's
normal response to the natural changes in hormones that occur at
different stages of the ovulation cycle.
These symptoms often precede ovulation and give you some really
good hints that you are in your most fertile period, the four or
five days in the lead-up to ovulation.
Some common ovulation symptoms are:
- increased libido (sexual desire)
- change in cervical mucus
- change in the position and firmness of cervix
- tender breasts
- heightened senses of smell and taste
- abdominal cramps (Mittelschmerz)
- rise in basal body temperature
Ovulation symptom: increased libido or sexual desire
Many women won't be surprised by this ovulation symptom - and it
certainly makes good sense biologically.
The increase in certain hormones in the lead-up to ovulation
often trigger higher-than-usual levels of sexual desire in
women.
The hormones thought to affect desire in women at this time are
oestrogen, testosterone and luteinising hormone.
If you're planning to fall pregnant, this pre-ovulation symptom
of increased female libido is good news, because you're more likely
to fall pregnant if you have sex as often as possible in the four
to five days leading up to ovulation.
There are many anecdotal reports from women who believe that
they look more sexually attractive in the lead-up to ovulation too;
oestrogen can deliver plenty of side-effects that may contribute to
this, including the inhibition of production of oil in the skin,
which reduces the incidence of pimples.
And at least one study backs this up; a 2006 UCLA study found that women pay more attention
to their appearance, grooming and dressing just prior to ovulation
than at other times in their cycle.
Ovulation symptom: change in cervical mucus
The change in cervical mucus that occurs just prior to ovulation
is one of the most consistent and reliable of ovulation symptoms in
most women.
The volume of cervical mucus starts to increase as ovulation
draws closer. Shortly after menstruation, cervical mucus may be
sparse, but it will slowly increase in volume as the days progress.
At first, it will usually have a slightly sticky consistency and be
a white or cloudy colour.
In the days just before ovulation, the rise in oestrogen causes
more cervical mucus to be produced. The mucus at this time is
usually fairly clear and the texture becomes more slippery and
stretchy - it is often compared to raw egg-white in colour and
consistency.
The cervical mucus produced in the period before and during
ovulation is designed to allow sperm to move freely through the
cervix and into the fallopian tubes and to enable its survival
until the release of the egg.
Ovulation symptom: a change in the position and firmness of the
cervix
To spot this sign, you need to be familiar with the usual 'feel'
of your cervix.
Proponents of this method suggest that you check your cervix
once a day at around the same time. The cervix is usually smooth
and round and slightly firmer than the vagina and is found at the
top of the vagina. It is best checked with one or two clean
fingers, while in a squatting position
When the time of ovulation approaches, the cervix will become
higher (so is therefore more difficult to reach) and generally
feels softer and more open.
Many women don't feel comfortable with assessing the state of
their own cervix, so this is an ovulation symptom that is not
commonly self-assessed.
Ovulation symptom: tender breasts
Only some women experience this ovulation symptom, and it's
generally thought to be a side-effect of high oestrogen levels.
Women who experience breast tenderness will usually find it occurs
in a similar way each month.
The effects of the oestrogen diminish significantly after
ovulation however they may recur in the lead-up to
menstruation.
If you suffer from breast tenderness mid-cycle, it's worth
taking note of this as an ovulation symptom, noting when it occurs
and to what extent, so that you can use it in conjunction with a
range of other ovulation symptoms to help you recognise your most
fertile period.
Ovulation symptom: heightened senses of smell and taste
Some women report that they have a more intense experience of
various smells and tastes at the time of ovulation.
Once again, this is an ovulation symptom commonly associated
with raised levels of oestrogen.
When the egg has been released at the time of ovulation and
oestrogen levels drop, this symptom generally fades.
Ovulation symptom: abdominal cramps (Mittelschmerz)
An estimated twenty percent of women feel a mild cramp-like
abdominal pain or twinge at the time of ovulation.
This ovulation symptom has the clinical name of Mittelschmerz,
which is a German phrase meaning 'middle pain.'
The pain can last from a few minutes to a few hours and is more
common in the right side of the lower abdomen, although some women
report pain on both sides of the abdomen and other women report
that the pain moves from side to side each month.
Several possible explanations for the ovulation symptoms of
mittleschmerz include:
- the growth of follicles in the ovaries prior to
ovulation
- the rupture of the ovarian wall that occurs each month at
ovulation
- muscular contractions of the fallopian tube and the ovaries that
occur after ovulation
Ovulation symptom: rise in basal body temperature
Immediately after ovulation, a rise in the body's level of
progesterone generates the almost universal ovulation symptom of
ovulation temperature.
At this time, most women will experience a rise in their resting
body temperature of around 0.5 degrees Celsius, and their
temperature will remain at that level for the rest of the
month.
Basal body temperature is best measured first thing in the
morning, before you get out of bed, using an accurate thermometer
and recording your temperature on a chart each day.
By Fran Molloy, journalist and mum of four