Ovulation is the act of releasing the mature egg or 'Ovum' by one of the ovaries. Since it is the best time ( Ok..THE ONLY TIME ) to get pregnant, it is important for young couples to keep a track of it. Whether you are trying to conceive or avoiding it.
Since the ovum remains viable only for a window of 12 to 24 hours after its release, couples planning for a baby need to time their intercourse 2-3 days prior to the expected ovulation date. That is because the sperm can stay alive and kicking up to a period of 5 days ( but we will take it as 3 to be on the safer side ).
Knowing the exact date of ovulation would be quite ideal but since it is rather tough to predict, we can follow the below mentioned guidelines to find the most probable 2-3 days when chances of getting pregnant happen to be the highest:
1. Keep a track of your basal temperature. A specially designed temperature can be used to measure the basal temperature every morning upon waking up and before getting out of bed. Since the basal temperature records an immediate increase (about half a degree)when the ovum is released, it can be monitored to predict the day when ovulation occurs during each cycle.
2. Keep a check on your vaginal discharge. The discharge tends to be more around the time of ovulation and it has a clear appearance and is quite stretchy if you feel it with your hands (Very different from the thick gummy discharge that one has immediately after the periods). Other than lubricating the vagina for comfortable intercourse, it also carries the sperms to the egg.
3. Notice any pain in the lower abdomen around the expected date of ovulation. This is also called 'ovulation pain' and occurs either on the left or right side (depends on the ovay from which the egg was released).
4. Revisit your high school biology books. Ideally ovulation should occur between the 12-14th day of a menstrual cycle (which is 28 days long). Since a menstrual cycle varies from 23-35 days i different women, the ovulation date would vary accordingly.
5. Get a Ovulation Predictor Kit (OPK). They measure the hormone (Luteinizing hormone) levels in your urine and give a positive result 1-2 days before you ovulate. But for women with an irregular cycle, it might take more than 1 kit/month to predict the ovulation date. Also they do not work well if one is undergoing any fertility treatment.
Plus they are quite costly ( Rs 500 approx for 1 kit having 5 strips ). Buy it on ebay.in(HERE) or healthkart.com.
[Note - To use a ovulation predictor kit one has to keep some points in mind.
1. Best time to take the test is sometime around noon or in the afternoon.
2. Do not drink too much water 3-4 hours prior to taking test. Diluted urine may not show proper levels of the LH.
3. Best to try and take the test around the same time everyday.
4. Compare your results with the control band. If lighter line or no line appears, then it is negative. For a positive result, the line should be of equal or darker intensity than that of the control.]
Since the ovum remains viable only for a window of 12 to 24 hours after its release, couples planning for a baby need to time their intercourse 2-3 days prior to the expected ovulation date. That is because the sperm can stay alive and kicking up to a period of 5 days ( but we will take it as 3 to be on the safer side ).
Knowing the exact date of ovulation would be quite ideal but since it is rather tough to predict, we can follow the below mentioned guidelines to find the most probable 2-3 days when chances of getting pregnant happen to be the highest:
1. Keep a track of your basal temperature. A specially designed temperature can be used to measure the basal temperature every morning upon waking up and before getting out of bed. Since the basal temperature records an immediate increase (about half a degree)when the ovum is released, it can be monitored to predict the day when ovulation occurs during each cycle.
2. Keep a check on your vaginal discharge. The discharge tends to be more around the time of ovulation and it has a clear appearance and is quite stretchy if you feel it with your hands (Very different from the thick gummy discharge that one has immediately after the periods). Other than lubricating the vagina for comfortable intercourse, it also carries the sperms to the egg.
3. Notice any pain in the lower abdomen around the expected date of ovulation. This is also called 'ovulation pain' and occurs either on the left or right side (depends on the ovay from which the egg was released).
4. Revisit your high school biology books. Ideally ovulation should occur between the 12-14th day of a menstrual cycle (which is 28 days long). Since a menstrual cycle varies from 23-35 days i different women, the ovulation date would vary accordingly.
5. Get a Ovulation Predictor Kit (OPK). They measure the hormone (Luteinizing hormone) levels in your urine and give a positive result 1-2 days before you ovulate. But for women with an irregular cycle, it might take more than 1 kit/month to predict the ovulation date. Also they do not work well if one is undergoing any fertility treatment.
Plus they are quite costly ( Rs 500 approx for 1 kit having 5 strips ). Buy it on ebay.in(HERE) or healthkart.com.
[Note - To use a ovulation predictor kit one has to keep some points in mind.
1. Best time to take the test is sometime around noon or in the afternoon.
2. Do not drink too much water 3-4 hours prior to taking test. Diluted urine may not show proper levels of the LH.
3. Best to try and take the test around the same time everyday.
4. Compare your results with the control band. If lighter line or no line appears, then it is negative. For a positive result, the line should be of equal or darker intensity than that of the control.]
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