Predicting ovulation

What is ovulation?

When you ovulate (or release an egg from your ovary), that egg has a chance of getting fertilized. When that egg gets fertilized, you're pregnant!
You're most fertile from two to three days before you ovulate through the day of ovulation. If you know when you'll ovulate, you can time sex accordingly and boost your chances of getting pregnant (or of preventing pregnancy, if that's what you're trying to do). Here are three ways to pin down when it's happening, from the simplest to the most accurate.

 

 

Use the calendar method

The easiest way to estimate when you'll ovulate is to count back. First, figure out what day your next period will probably start. (If your period is very irregular, this method won't work for you.)
From that day, count back 12 days and then another four. You're most likely to ovulate during this five-day range. If you're one of the many women who have a 28-day cycle, there's a good chance you’ll ovulate on day 14. (Day 1 is the first day of your period; day 28 is the last day before day 1 of your next period.)
Get help counting the days
Want BabyCenter to do the math for you? Try our Ovulation Calculator. It tells you when you're likely to ovulate next and what your due date will be if you conceive.

Chart your basal body temperature and cervical mucus

A more accurate way to figure out when you ovulate is to track the patterns in your body temperature and your vaginal discharge for a cycle or two. It's natural and free, but it takes time and effort.
If you pay attention to these cues and jot them down each day, you may start to see a pattern that can help you predict when you'll ovulate next.
Body temperatureYou won't feel the change, but a few days after you ovulate, your basal body temperature rises. (Your basal body temperature, or BBT, is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period.) This tiny uptick is only 0.4 to 1.0 degree Fahrenheit. You can detect it by taking your BBT every morning with a special thermometer.
Vaginal dischargeThe discharge you'll be tracking is cervical mucus, which changes substantially during your cycle. For most of the month, you may have very little of it and feel dry. But as you approach ovulation, you'll notice much more cervical mucus. It'll be clear, slippery, and stretchy – kind of like raw egg whites.
Mild cramping
Some women report that they feel mild cramps or twinges of pain in the abdomen or a one-sided backache around the time of ovulation. This sensation is known as mittelschmerz.
Get help charting your body's signals
First, learn how BBT and cervical mucus can help you predict ovulation. Then follow the steps to charting your BBT and cervical mucus.

Use an ovulation predictor kit

The most accurate method for predicting ovulation is testing your hormone levels with an ovulation predictor kit (OPK).
These pee-on-a-stick tests give you a positive result a day or two before you ovulate, giving you time to plan ahead for baby-making sex. They work by telling you when your level of luteinizing hormone (LH) has gone up, which means one of your ovaries will soon release an egg.


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