Your Menstruations and Ovulation Guide

Getting ready for ovulation

At the beginning of your cycle follicle-stimulating hormonal agent (FSH) is produced by the pituitary gland in your brain. Each hair follicle consists of one undeveloped egg. Your level of estrogen is at its most affordable on the first day of your period.

Now while a number of roots at first start to develop, normally one follicle becomes "dominant" and this egg matures within the increasing the size of hair follicle. At the same time, the increasing amount of estrogen in your body makes certain that the lining of your womb is thickening with nutrients and blood. This is so that if you do get pregnant, the fertilised egg will have all the nutrients and support it has to grow. High estrogen levels are also associated with the appearance of 'sperm-friendly' mucous (or, to provide it its trade name, fertile cervical mucous). You might notice this as a thin, slippery discharge that might be cloudy white. Sperm can swim more easily through this mucus and can endure in it for several days.

Understanding the ovulation cycle

Ovulation

The level of estrogen in your body is still increasing and it ultimately causes a rapid increase in luteinising hormone (the 'LH rise'). This LH rise triggers the dominant hair follicle to rupture and release the fully grown egg from the ovary, from where it goes into the Fallopian tube. This procedure is referred to as ovulation

Lots of ladies believe that they ovulate on day 14, but 14 is an average, and a lot of females will actually ovulate on a various day of the menstrual cycle. Your day of ovulation will vary from cycle to cycle. Some ladies claim to feel a twinge of pain when they ovulate, but many feel no sensation at all and there's no other indication that you are ovulating.

After ovulation

When the egg (or ovum) has actually been released, it moves along the Fallopian tube towards your womb. Sperm survival is more variable, but normally 3-5 days, so the days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself are your most fertile-- when you are most likely to get pregnant.

Progesterone causes even more build up the lining of your womb in preparation for a fertilised egg. The empty follicle within the ovary begins to diminish, but carries on producing progesterone, and likewise starts to produce estrogen. You might get symptoms of pre-menstrual tension (PMS) such as breast inflammation, bloating, sleepiness, anxiety and irritability at this stage.

Preparing for the next duration

As the empty follicle shrinks, if the egg is not fertilised, levels of estrogen and progesterone decline. Without the high levels of hormones to assist keep it, the thick womb lining that has actually been developed begins to break down, and your body sheds the lining. This is the start of your duration and the start of your next menstrual cycle.

If the egg has been fertilised, it may successfully implant itself into the womb lining. This normally happens about a week after fertilisation.

As quickly as the fertilised egg has implanted, your body starts producing the pregnancy hormone, human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), which will keep the empty hair follicle active. Your Menstrual Cycles and Ovulation Explained