Tap ovulation if you want to get pregnant

Dr Uzma Fatema

 Image by Thomas Breher from Pixabay

Ovulation is an important part of a female's entire reproductive life. In a healthy, regularly menstruating woman having a cycle of 28 to 30 days, ovulation plays a crucial role in helping them get pregnant. Ovulation occurs on every 14th day of menstrual cycle or it is better to say it occurs 14 days ahead of the expected period date (bleeding).

You have only 24 hrs

In a woman's body, an ovum can survive only for 48 hours after its release from ovary out of which it remains viable only for 24 hours. This means the sperm can fertilise it only in this time period. and after that the ovum can't be fertilised. This is the most suitable time for fertilisation if the sperm wants to meet with it in the fallopian tube. 

How to detect ovulation?

Now a question will rise in your mind that is it possible for you to detect an exact timing for ovulation? Or how you will come to know when it is coming out of an ovary?

Fortunately we have an answer for this question as well. Knowing one's ovulation timing is a ray of hope for women who are having a hard time in conceiving a baby.

Monitor these three simple factors if you want to be a mother

Natural changes

You can detect your ovulation has started or not by seeing at whether any naturally occurring changes are taking place in your body. This happens due to a rise in hormonal level. But it requires a very sharp and regular monitoring of patterns of hormonal levels. As at the time of ovulation, the level of estrogen hormone rises causing following symptoms.

1. Fertile cervical mucus

2. Mood changes in females (becoming more social and friendly)

3. Sudden fall in core body temperature

4. Cramps may occur

5. Leutinizing hormone surge (as LH hormone reaches its peak value) can cause mood swings and trigger more sex appetite.

Just after ovulation graffian follicle turns into corpus leuteum and secretes progesterone to nullify action of estrogen. Hence can cause vasodilation and a sudden vasodilation can cause vertigo sometimes.

Drawback

Natural detection of ovulation only through sign and symptoms requires a very sharp and regular monitoring of hormonal patterns so that a woman can observe faint changes also. As most of women with infertility issues face hormonal imbalance it is very hard to detect ovulation using this method.

A one-step ovulation kit

Ovulation detection kits are highly sensitive to LH hormones. A dark line on the kit shows ovulation would be occurring within twenty four hours.

Drawback

One-step ovulation kit may give a false result in women suffering from Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease and in those who have cyst in their ovaries as they always have a high level of LH hormones due to presence of cyst.

Follicular study

It is a more confident and an accurate method for detection of ovulation. Follicular study is a study of follicles through sonography focusing only on ovaries. It contains three episodes of a scan. 

Two episodes of a scan is done before ovulation and one after ovulation to confirm the result. Hence according to length of cycle or according to doctor's advice, a woman undergoes follicular study's first episode mostly on 12th day of her menses, next on alternate day i.e. on 14th day, and finally to confirm ovulation on 15th or 16th day of her menses.

However, women should remember that charges for follicular study may vary from centre to centre.

Conclusion 

Ovulation can be detected through through three different methods. First is just by observing signs and symptom but it requires a very sharp and regular monitoring of hormonal patterns. As most of women face hormonal imbalance it is not reliable method.

Second is using one-step ovulation detection kit. Sometimes it gives a false result for women with PCOD and for those having a cyst in their ovaries.

The third and the last one is follicular study which is a very clear and confident method for ovulation detection.