Whether you’re trying to conceive or are trying to avoid pregnancy, knowing when you’re ovulating is a crucial first step.
“A woman’s fertile window describes those days of her menstrual cycle during which intercourse or insemination can result in a pregnancy,” explains Dr. Wendy Chang, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and OB-GYN at Southern California Reproductive Center. “Knowing when ovulation occurs is so empowering because it enables women to time their intimacy or sperm exposure during their peak fertile day.”
However, despite the importance of being in tune with when we’re ovulating, detecting ovulation still remains a mystery for many. “I know of women who have tried to get pregnant for years without a basic understanding of menstrual cycle,” says Dr. Rashmi Kudesia, an OB-GYN at the Colorado Center of Reproductive Medicine in Houston. “As a society, we don’t do a great job of putting that information out there for young people.”
Fortunately, detecting ovulation doesn’t require deep medical know-how or even a trip to the doctor. Here, five natural ways to detect ovulation at home. Although, keep in mind that none of these are foolproof, and you may want to employ multiple methods at once to get the most complete picture.
Use an ovulation predictor kit
Check your cervical mucus
To supplement period tracking, get up close and personal with your cervical mucus. “Cervical mucus varies throughout a natural menstrual cycle, based on a woman’s hormonal activity,” Chang says. “Mucus is usually scant right after menstruation, and then increases in amount. The rise in estrogen that precedes ovulation stimulates the production of profuse, clear, and stretchy mucus that facilitates sperm passage. So, detection of that mucus can be a helpful indicator of good estrogen secretion and impending ovulation.”
Take your basal body temperature
After ovulation, our core body temperature rises by about a half a degree, Dr. Kudesia explains. By taking your basal body temperature first thing in the morning, you can get a sense of if you’ve just ovulated.
“The downside is that it can’t be used prospectively,” Dr. Kudesia says. “By the time that it goes up, you’ve already ovulated and fertile window is over.” However, used in tandem with other methods of ovulation detection, your basal body temperature can help you get a fuller picture of your body’s patterns.
Use a fertility monitor
If you want to go higher-tech with your ovulation detection, try a fertility monitor. “Recently, fertility monitors have been developed that use machine-learning to predict ovulation based on physiological changes in body temperature, heart rate, heart rate variability, and blood flow,” Dr. Chang says. They’re most often used in concert with other detection methods, including ovulation predictor kits and cervical mucus monitoring.
