Can someone please explain to me....

[Ange&Seth]

when ovulation occurs, generally? I've had a look at the links in the 'How it happens' sticky but it just confused me :o

I think I've heard that it occurs 2 weeks after AF, but is that true? Is it 2 weeks from the onset of AF, or the end? Around about how many days a month is a woman fertile?

Thanks girls, I appreciate any help you can give me :D

[RedPanda]

It's roughly two weeks from day one of your period. However, that can vary. I usually ovulate around day 10. If you have a regular 28-day cycle, chances are you ovulate around the middle somewhere. However, if your cycle is shorter or longer, your ovulation day may be harder to pinpoint.

I think you're only fertile for a few days, however the egg only lives for up to 24 hours. If you have sex a few days before ovulation, the sperm can live for several days and may still fertilise the egg. If you have sex after ovulation, you're much less likely to conceive. If you're trying, and you have a 28-day cycle, I'd probably be active on days 9,11 and 13/14.

[Ange&Seth]

Thanks Hazellew. I have no idea about this stuff. Our first baby was a complete surprise and just lately I've started wondering about how it all works. When #2 is on the cards, I think I'd like to be a little bit better prepared than I was with #1 :D

[AquaDevil78]

Ok so in laymans terms based on a 28 day cycle:

Ovulation happens on usually day 14 of your cycle (this is the 14th day from the first day of your LMP)

The egg then lives for 12-48 hours. If it is not fertilized then it will disintigrate and so 14 days later you will have your next period.

You fertile stage starts 4-5 days prior to ovulation and last 12-48 hours after Ovulation. See above.

Your day of ovulation depends on your cycle length and the luteal phase (this is the number of day past ovualtion DPO usually 12-16 days).

So to work out your ovulation day you would subtract the number of your luteal days by the length of your cycle.

Does that help :confused::D

[Ange&Seth]

Aquadevil - thanks for that! It did help - up until you started talking about luteal phases and stuff :o That just completely made me do this :confused: LOL!!

But I understand now about fertile days and ovulation :thumbsup: Thanks heaps!

[AquaDevil78]

That's ok LOL, Just ignore the luteal phase bit.

Just in real basic terms Ovulation is around the middle of your cycle so if TTC.

You should BD say 4-5 day before you think you are ovulating to "catch" the egg (either BD daily or every second day during this time) and also a few days after.

:D

[Tam-I-Am]

The luteal phase is just the fancy term for the time between the release of the egg (ie ovulation) and the time that your period starts...

The time between when your period starts, and when you ovulate is called the follicular phase, if you were interested :p (just to really confuse you :p)

And just because you're 'supposed' to ovulated on the 14th day of your cycle, doesn't mean it will actually happen then...I have a 31 day cycle and ovulate on or about the 20th day - which is much later than you'd expect...

The best way to know when you ovulate is to get in touch with your body - sometimes quite literally. There are several physical symptoms that happen when you're ovulating...ie your cervix drops quite low in your vagina, and opens slightly, you start to produce EWCM (egg-white cervical mucous), which is very slick, extremely elastic, clear mucous....Often women because quite...umm...excited :o around the time of ovulation (as a GP once said charmingly to me "You're horny when you're fertile" :p), and some women experience 'Mettleschmerz" (pronounced 'middle schmitz') which is essentially ovulation pain. It generally happens on either the left or right side, somewhat below the belly button, and often feels remarkably like AF cramps...

Some women also chart their temperatures to find out when they ovulate, but I don't know a great deal about that...

[SpecialMumma]

the girls have explained it well. :yelclap:

Now im gonna confuse you abit. :laughing:

I have a 34 day cycle. Which means I OVULATE on day 20. so a 36 day cycle would mean ovulation on day 22. etc etc.

Ovulation happens 14 days before your period.

does that make sense?

[*Sparkles*]

I have learned a fair bit from reading this thread lol. I should already know it all as my cycles get tracked because we have fertility treatments.
I just wanted to add that I do OPK (ovulation prediction kits) to tell me when I Ovulate (then I go into the hospy for insemination).
Getting back to the OPK's... they are like a PG test and when you get 2 lines you are fertile. The extra line is due to the LH surge, which is an extra hormone released during ovulation. You can buy the kits from a chemist or supermarket.

[Butterflies&Hurricanes]

Not to confuse you but its actually more acurate to say you generally ovulate 14 days BEFORE you AF! Luteal phases do vary though but generally if you have a 14 day luteal phase it'll stay that way.. maybe vary a day or 2 here and there. (mine was generally 11 days but occaisionally 12) But your cycles can vary - from 28 days one month to 35 days the next but you will still ovulate 14 (or whatever your luteal phase is) before AF.
Hope that made sense...

[macca27975]

I wish you all the vert best and I am sending you lots of positive sticky vibes and lots of baby dust. :babydust2:

I found the following on the net and I thought it might help.

:idea: You are most fertile 12 to 14 days before the start of your next period, as ovulation (the release of the egg by the ovaries) generally takes place on about day 14 of your menstrual cycle. The mucus that lines the canal of the cervix is usually thick, but becomes easy for sperm to swim through at the time of ovulation. During this time you have a small window, that is, a few days, in which to get pregnant. Ovulation is geared to the next period not to the one that has passed. For the egg to be fertilized, sperm must be present in your body at the same time that you release an egg. This is not always easy to achieve because although sperm can fertilise an egg for many hours after ejaculation, the egg is fertile for only a very short space of time after it has been released.

Maybe a Home ovulation kit might help also :fingerscrossed: Home ovulation tests are available that will help you predict when ovulation will take place. One type of test works by detecting an increase in the amount of luteinising hormone (LH) in your urine. It is this surge in your LH level that brings about the release of your egg. Levels of LH peak in the urine 24 to 36 hours before the egg is released. To use the test, you need to dip a disposable test stick into your urine at varying times during your cycle.
Another type of home ovulation test involves testing your saliva for subtle microscopic changes that occur during your menstrual cycle. The test kit contains a magnifying lens that is used to examine samples of saliva, which changes appearance when your oestrogen level rises several days before ovulation. Home ovulation tests can take the guesswork out of the process and help you to find the times when you are most likely to get pregnant.

or

Temperature chart — a guide to ovulation
Taking daily body temperature readings and recording them on a temperature chart is the easiest method to determine the time of ovulation, but is less accurate and reliable than home ovulation kits. You will need to take your temperature every morning, starting on day one of your menstrual cycle. Do this before getting out of bed and before eating or drinking. Just before ovulation takes place your temperature will be at a low point. Then if ovulation occurs the temperature will rise and stay higher until your next period starts. Digital thermometers are easy to read and are very accurate. The easiest way to see the temperature rise is to plot your recordings on a graph. After a few months, you should have a good idea of which day ovulation occurs in your cycle.
Another clue that you are just about to ovulate is an increase in the amount of cervical mucus that appears in the vagina and a change in its consistency. The mucus is clear and slippery and increases in amount on the day of ovulation.
Ultrasound monitoring of the developing follicles is another accurate, though more complex, method of monitoring ovulation.

[AM]

I found the book "Taking Charge Of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler awesome. It really allowed me to understand it all so much better, and it also has charts and takes you through charting step by step so you can learn your own body rhythms.:)