3/4 The menstrual cycle. Ovulation

Two weeks ago, we began exploring the female hormonal cycle, also known as the menstrual cycle. After looking at the period or menstruation phase, then the follicular phase, let’s now dive into the ovulatory phase, or ovulation.

This very short moment in the cycle is central and crucial. It’s at this precise point in the woman’s cycle that fertilization can occur. The body has worked hard and done everything it can to welcome sperm. A time of fertilization and fertility, ovulation is the high point of the female cycle. With Loulou’s help, you’ll know everything about the ovulation period: explanations, symptoms, tracking, temperature, duration.

As we explained in our previous articles (on menstruation and the follicular phase), the female menstrual cycle is a finely tuned cyclical and hormonal process.

The secretion of certain hormones, particularly in the brain, triggers various changes in the ovaries and the uterus. This natural and remarkable phenomenon repeats itself over and over from puberty to menopause. The goal? Quite simply to allow a woman to conceive. The body prepares again and again for a possible fertilisation. When fertilisation doesn’t occur, the cycle starts over, a new period begins and everything resets.

In an average 28-day cycle, ovulation (the ovulatory phase) occurs after the follicular phase, which lasts around 14 days. Ovulation therefore takes place after your period, right in the middle of the cycle.
That’s in theory. In reality, the female hormonal cycle fluctuates, varies and can last more or less time (from 25 to 45 days). With more irregular cycles, it becomes harder to pinpoint the exact date of ovulation. The ovulatory phase happens 14 days before your next period. So if your periods are particularly irregular, it’s difficult to know exactly when you ovulate.

Ovulation lasts only 24 hours, i.e. 1 day. It sits between the follicular phase and the luteal phase in the menstrual cycle.

If you’ve been following along, your body has shed the endometrium that had thickened during the previous cycle (your period). Then come several fairly calm days (the follicular phase), the pre-ovulatory phase. One follicle emerges mature from this period. It contains a developed egg or oocyte ready to be fertilised. With each ovulation, a single egg is released from one of the woman’s two ovaries. However, it is possible to ovulate twice in the same cycle. That’s how fraternal twins are formed.

Ovulation is the moment when the mature egg is released from the follicle under the effect of LH hormone. It detaches from the ovary and begins its journey to the uterus in search of a sperm. Fertilisation takes place in the Fallopian tube.
No fertilisation? The released egg simply disintegrates in the uterus and another cycle then begins.

While the egg released from the ovary is only viable for about 24 hours, sperm are more robust and survive longer. The fertility window is therefore wider than 24 hours. Sperm can live for 2 to 5 days.

If you’re trying to get pregnant, it’s recommended to maximize your chances by having sex 3 days before the estimated ovulation date, then as often as possible after that. The fertile window lasts about a week. The closer intercourse is to ovulation, the higher your chances of conceiving. It’s therefore important to have sex during your fertile days.

In other words, how can you calculate your ovulation period and know when you’re most fertile? It’s important to understand your ovulation. For some women, knowing their fertile window is essential when they’re trying to get pregnant. For others, on the contrary, it’s important to know their ovulation period to reduce the risk of unprotected sex at fertile times.

It’s fairly easy to estimate your ovulation date when your cycles are regular and your periods are consistent. Ovulation occurs 14 days (roughly 12 to 16 days on average) before your period. These are only estimates and approximations, nothing exact. That’s why it’s hard to give a precise ovulation date. It’s even trickier when you have irregular cycles. 

Several tools can help you figure out when you’re ovulating. You can use mobile apps that calculate your menstrual cycle and estimate your ovulation for you. This works if your cycles are relatively regular. If not, you can turn to ovulation tests sold in pharmacies. They’re quite reliable.

You can also take your temperature upon waking. At the time of ovulation, your body temperature increases by 0.3 to 0.6°. You can also observe your cervical mucus and familiarize yourself with it throughout your cycle to notice its difference during ovulation. During the ovulatory phase, cervical mucus is present and clear. 

At the time of ovulation, you may notice clear, fairly stringy discharge. The cervical mucus produced is stretchy and transparent. Your body temperature also rises slightly. Some women—but not all—may feel a small pain in the right or left ovary at the moment of ovulation.

Yes, absolutely, this is called an **anovulatory cycle**. Without ovulation, pregnancy is not possible. Ovulation can be prevented for various health reasons (**thyroid** issues, **hyperprolactinemia**, etc.), but not only that. Stress, smoking or even diet can directly affect ovulation.

**Polycystic ovary syndrome** or **PCOS** is one of the main causes of infertility worldwide. More than one in ten women is thought to be affected by PCOS.