With the onset of puberty, the girl is faced with a lot of new terms for herself. In most cases, her mother answers her questions, but she can not always clearly explain. So, to understand what ovulation is, you need to consider the menstrual cycle in detail.
Ovulation - what is it in simple words?
To understand what changes in the body are accompanied by ovulation, what kind of process it is, it is necessary to elaborate on the features of the menstrual cycle. It consists of two phases. The first begins with the monthly, after which the dominant follicle ripens - a small vesicle in which the egg is located. In the second phase there is a movement of the ripened reproductive cell, which moves towards the uterine cavity. If at that moment the ovum meets the sperm, fertilization takes place, if not, monthly.
Ovulation refers to the process itself, when a mature ovum enters the abdominal cavity for further fertilization. This occurs just at the boundary of the two phases of the cycle considered above. This process is short-lived, lasts only a few hours, so it is not referred to the phases of the menstrual cycle. It is worth noting that the process is subject to the influence of external factors, so it can not be observed in individual cycles. Ovulation and conception are two inseparable concepts, since in the absence of an ovulatory process, pregnancy is impossible.
When does ovulation occur?
Having dealt with what is ovulation, what is the role of this process, the girls are trying to figure out when it starts. It is not always possible to determine exactly on what day after the monthly ovulation occurs in the body of a woman. This process is often subject to the influence of external factors. Climate change, stress, and experiences are often reflected in the cycle and the ovulatory process. According to observations of physiologists, ovulation should normally occur immediately in the middle of the cycle. If its duration is 28 days, then ovulation is about 14 days.
However, other options are possible. They are observed in women with a long or, conversely, a short cycle. In girls, whose cycle lasts 21 days, ovulation is possible both before and after, and sometimes even during menstrual flow. This can also occur in women whose menstrual cycle lasts 30 days. Often, these girls became pregnant almost immediately after the end of menstrual flow. To further explain to women what such untimely ovulation doctors use the following terms:
- early - occurs before the 14th day of the cycle;
- late - the egg yield is fixed after 14 days.
How long does ovulation last?
The exit of a mature egg is a short process, so the question of how many days ovulation lasts is irrelevant. This period is very short and takes not more than 15 minutes. However, the female germ cell itself is viable and ready for fertilization for 48 hours from the moment it leaves the follicle. So long the follicular phase lasts.
The output process itself is comparable to a small spike in the ovaries, which can occur at any time. On one of the walls of the follicle is formed a hole through which a small egg penetrates and enters the abdominal cavity. Then it is caught by the villi of the fallopian tubes, gradually moving along which it reaches the uterine cavity. On the way to the uterus, fertilization can occur if the day before was an unprotected sexual intercourse .
Ovulation - signs, symptoms, sensations
According to the statements and observations of women who know what ovulation is, about the middle of the cycle, they periodically note the soreness in the lower abdomen. It can be caused directly by the ovulatory process. Precisely determine what caused such a feeling, doctors can not. Doctors say that the process of ovulation can not be felt, since the developing follicle is devoid of nerve endings. Because of this, many women and do not assume when they have ovulation - symptoms, signs of the process are hidden.
However, it can be precisely said that the process of ovulation is controlled by sex hormones that affect the emotional state of a woman, her mood, well-being, body temperature. According to these changes, the woman determines that ovulation has begun, the signs of which appear somewhat earlier than the ovule leaves the follicle and leaves into the abdominal cavity.
Ovulation - sensations and symptoms
Ovulation, the symptoms of which are often ambiguous, begins immediately after the end of the first phase of the menstrual cycle. Approximately 1-2 days before the mature egg leaves the follicle, an increase in estrogen is observed in the woman's body. Against the background of such changes, women feel a sharp rise in their strength, an increase in mood and a sense of self-confidence.
Often, women notice a sudden increase in sexual attraction these days. Thus, the reproductive system gives a signal to the brain that the most favorable time for conception and procreation comes. Sexual desire gradually subsides, at the same time as the concentration of estrogen hormones decreases in blood.
Ovulation - allocation
In the ovulatory period, the amount of vaginal discharge increases dramatically. Physiological secretions become liquid, changing their consistency. In appearance, women themselves often compare them with the protein of a chicken egg. Allocations become sticky and strongly stretch, while they are absolutely transparent, do not have impurities or foreign impurities.
For some women, this situation is also possible: ovulation begins, and bloody discharge appears from the vagina. However, their volume is small, and in most cases it is just a blotch of a few drops of blood in the mucous secretions. It appears directly in the process of rupture of the follicle, with traumatization of small blood vessels and capillaries.
Ovulation - pain
Many women notice: even before the time of ovulation, pulls the lower abdomen, there are light tingling sensations. Often, such painful sensations have a clear localization - observed from the side of the ovary, from which the matured egg leaves. The duration of these painful sensations is small, but they can be repeated.
Against the backdrop of hormonal changes, women may notice the appearance of pain in the intestine. Flatulence, bloating of a woman is often observed in the middle of the menstrual cycle, referring them to signs of an approaching ovulation. As the concentration of estrogen in the blood stream decreases, these changes disappear. However, through time, pains in the lower abdomen, which are caused by the approaching menstruation, intensify.
Ovulation and body temperature
As noted above, ovulation in women is always accompanied by a hormonal surge in the body. Against the background of such changes there is a violation of thermoregulation processes, as a result of which the girls fix an increase in the temperature index. Body temperature in some women during the release of the egg can increase to 37-37.2 degrees. In this case, no other symptoms in the form of a cold, headache, coughing is not observed. Their absence excludes the possibility of a cold.
Methods for determining ovulation
Having learned how ovulation manifests, women make attempts to establish the time of its onset. There are several methods that allow to determine with a high degree of probability the period of ovulation in the female body. However, it must be remembered that these processes are influenced, therefore in two neighboring cycles, ovulation can occur on different days. Methods for determining ovulation at home are not very accurate, but they help women to establish days when the likelihood of conception is high. Among the existing methods for determining the time of ovulation:
- temperature method;
- calendar;
- using ultrasound (used by a doctor in a clinic).
The temperature method for determining ovulation
The second name for this method is the basal method of determining ovulation. It is based on changing the values of basal temperature in different phases of the cycle. To use it, a woman needs to measure the temperature in the rectum on a daily basis for several cycles and record the values in a special magazine. Analysis of the resulting graphs helps to determine the time of ovulation in the female body.
In the first phase of the cycle, the basal temperature is in the range of 36.7-36.8 degrees. Directly on the day preceding ovulation, you can fix its decrease to 36.5. Then the indicator will gradually begin to grow and reach a mark of 36.9-37 degrees (before monthly). The day when the basal temperature rises after a preliminary decline, and is considered the day of ovulation. For more precise setting of the ovulation time, the measurement should be performed for at least 6 months.
The calendar method for determining ovulation
Thinking about how to find out when ovulation occurs, how to calculate the time of its passage in the body, women resort to the calendar method. It is based on the construction of graphs, for which data are used concerning the duration of the menstrual cycle. For an approximate calculation, the ovulation date is taken 14 days from the duration of the cycle. This method is inaccurate and applies only to those women whose cycle is constant and lasts for 28 days.
Cervical method of ovulation
Knowing the features of such a process as ovulation, what kind of discharge should be, a woman can set an approximate date of release of the egg by their nature. Observe the consistency of the vaginal discharge begins with the last day of menstruation. Since the beginning of the cycle, the cervical mucus has a thick consistency, forms lumps, so the secretion is almost imperceptible or completely absent. Closer to ovulation, the secretions become viscous and plentiful. The mucus easily stretches between two fingers, resembling egg white. After the ovulation, the secretions become thicker and disappear.
How does ovulation look like on ultrasound?
In order to fully understand what ovulation is and find out when it occurs, you can use ultrasound. In this procedure, a woman is transvaginally injected with a sensor and examines the reproductive organs. To determine the day of ovulation, several studies are carried out in the interval between the phases of the cycle. After the expected release of the egg, a control study is performed, after 2-3 days. Ovulation by ultrasound is determined by:
- evaluation of the size of the ovaries;
- counting the number of follicles;
- establishing the size of the dominant follicle;
- establishing the presence of a yellow body.