A lot of times people get it wrong. They believe ovulation period is usually the 14th day of the menstrual cycle without putting into consideration the length of the cycle. The day of ovulation usually depends on the length of the cycle and there are different ways of knowing this day of ovulation.

To begin, let’s have a look at the parts of the womb

The womb is the organ that helps to carry baby. It is located in the lower part of your tommy. It is pear shaped and has 2 tubes joined to its side called the fallopian tube. At the tip of this fallopian tubes are the ovaries. The lower part of the womb has an opening through which sperm can travel and where the blood shed during menstruation passes through. This is called cervix.

About menstrual cycle

Your menstrual cycle starts from the first day of your period till the day you see your next period. It is usually advisable to have a record of this for about 4 – 6months. This will help have enough values to determine the range. Although having a difference of not more than 1 -2 days helps ovulation day predictable, it is not unusual to see some differences in the number of your menstrual cycle from record. The normal length of menstrual cycle usually varies between 21 – 35days.

Menstruation usually ranges between 3-7days in most women, after this your ovary gets ready to prepare another egg. What forms this egg is called follicles. From birth, about 400 follicles are being stored in the ovary and 1 of this is released every month to form the egg. Usually when the right ovary releases 1 egg the previous month, the left tends to do the same the next month and vice versa.

The hormones in women help the ovary ensure the maturation of this follicle to become an egg and they also help to prepare the womb to receive the egg in case it becomes fertilized by a sperm and if not they help prepare for menstruation. Once the egg is well formed and ripe for release, one of the female hormones ensures the ovary releases it. The day this egg is released is your ovulation day. The egg then travels through the fallopian tube and enters the inside of the womb. If it is able to meet with a sperm, then it becomes fertilized and start the formation of a baby.

It is worthy of note that a released egg can only stay for 12-24hours, if not fertilized after this it dies and start to dissolve. Due to this, the buildup of the inner part of the womb also stops and starts to prepare for menstruation. After some days, the inner part of the womb is shed as menstruation leading to a start of a new cycle.

Ovulation and its significance

Ovulation is the release of egg from the ovary. In people with menstrual cycle of 28days, their day of ovulation is usually the 14th day. Please note that your ovulation day is not the only fertile day as you can become pregnant 3-5days before ovulation and a day after if you are engaged in sexual intercourse. This is because a sperm can live as long as 5days depending on how suitable the condition of the womb is. This sperm stays in the womb waiting for an opportunity to meet the egg, sex determination is however based on this principle.

Also, in breastfeeding mothers who are yet to see their menstruation, the body begins to ovulate when its ready and the end result of this can either lead to a pregnancy or the start of the menstruation. This is why it is possible to become pregnant even without menstruation. Although ovulation period is predictable, none of the method used is 100% accurate. Some factors tend to affect ovulation which include stress, anxiety and illness.

The method used to predict ovulation include:

• Cervical mucus method
• Body temperature method 
• Calendar method

Cervical mucus method

Mucus (discharge) that appears at the vulva varies throughout the menstrual cycle and is controlled by hormones involved in the cycle. Although cervical mucus method if used properly can be used to identify ovulation period, it is advisable to combine it with the body temperature method. You will need to keep a record of your cervical mucus for at least 1 whole cycle before you can be sure of this method. It is advisable to avoid sexual intercourse, otherwise use condom while trying to take this record as the discharge during the act can mimic cervical mucus.

During menstruation, the blood shed makes the mucus unnoticeable but immediately after this, you would notice some dry days (this means there will be no discharge). This period of dry days is then followed by white or yellowish, cloudy sticky discharge and after this comes the wet period. During this time, you would notice copious, clear, slippery and stretchable discharge that resembles raw white egg. The last day of this discharge is your ovulation day. After your ovulation, the quantity of this discharge reduces and then become cloudy and sticky.

Basal body temperature

During ovulation, your body temperature rises and your body maintains this for several days before your next cycle. It is advisable to start your temperature check on the first day of your menstrual cycle with a thermometer. The day you notice sudden rise in this temperature is your ovulation day. It is advisable to combine this method with cervical discharge method as stress, illnesses and problem with sleeping can also make your temperature spike. You should check your body temperature in the morning when you wake up preferably at the same time every day.

Calendar method

The average menstrual cycle is 28 days and ovulation for this is usually on the 14th day. If your cycle is more than 28days, count the number of days above 28 and denote it with “x”, your ovulation day will then be 14+x. If your cycle is less than 28days, count the number of days that makes it less and denote it with “y”, your ovulation day will be 14-y.

This method can only be used if your cycle is regular and you should have a record of this for about 4-6months before making use of this method. Let’s do a simple mathematics. If your cycle is 31days, this means “x” will be 3 i.e (31-28) and the ovulation day will be 14+3 which is 17. If your cycle is 26days, that means your y will be 2 i.e. (28-26) and the ovulation day will be 14-2 which is 12.

Use of ovulation test strips

These are the strips that helps to predict ovulation. It works on the basis of sudden increase in hormonal level at the time of ovulation. This hormone is usually present in significant amount in urine around this time. To use these strips, you can urinate in a container and dip the tip of this strip inside it. You need to wait for a few minutes to read your result. If the test line is lighter than the control, this means you are not likely to ovulate yet but if the test line is darker than the control, this means you are about to ovulate.

Note this 

You can become pregnant not only on ovulation day but about 5 days before this and a day after. Predicting your ovulation day can also help with sex determination.