Dr. Aruna Ashok MBBS, MS OG, DNB OG
- Clinical Director
Aruna Ashok | 18 September 2025
Before getting into our topic, let's try understanding what ovulation is.
In simple words, ovulation is the green signal that your body gives to indicate that it's ready for conception. It is when a woman’s ovaries rupture a mature follicle. The ruptured follicle can typically be feasible to fertilise with the sperm only for a limited period. Understanding this concept can be a game-changer if you either desire to get or prevent conception.
This blog has come up to help you clarify everything about ovulation. When does your ovulation happen? What are the symptoms? How many days after your period do you ovulate? And when should you have sex to become pregnant? No wonder you will start to know your body completely after going through the information.
Ovulation is the day when your body releases a mature egg from the ovaries through one of the fallopian tubes. Fallopian tubes are where the ruptured egg is expected to get fertilised by the sperm. But they wait only for 12 to 24 hours. After this timeframe, it tends to travel to reach the uterus, where fertilisation is most unlikely to happen.
In the meantime, your uterus starts to thicken, no matter whether fertilisation happens or not. If fertilisation happens, the uterine lining further thickens to support the growing baby. On the contrary, if fertilisation doesn’t happen, the thickened lining sheds in the process of menstrual bleeding.
If you are planning to become pregnant by knowing when you ovulate or how long it lasts, first you have to understand the process of the menstrual cycle.
The menstrual cycle typically begins as soon as a woman menstruates and ends when the next cycle starts. The cycle repeats every month until women reach menopause.
Ovulation is an important phase in the menstrual cycle. As you already know, ovulation is the day when your ovaries start to release the mature egg, which lasts for only 12 to 24 hours. But do you know that even before the five days preceding ovulation, your body starts to prepare for it? These days are known as the fertile window. Including the day of ovulation and post-ovulation, your fertile days would be around seven. If you have sex in these seven days, the probability of becoming pregnant is higher.
For better understanding, a woman with a 28-day menstrual cycle may notice her ovulation happens on the 14th day after her period. The fertile window typically starts on the 10th day. These days are generally calculated from the day your period starts. If you have your period on the 1st of so and so month, your fertile window would start on the 10th, and ovulation would happen on the 14th. Remember that ovulation takes place only once a month. It is also important to remember that it would be viable to fertilise with the sperm for the limited timeframe (12 to 24 hours).
The day of ovulation is specifically unique for each and every woman. These days may vary depending on their menstrual cycle. Some women might have a 25-day cycle, while others might have a 30-day cycle. So technically, the fertile window and ovulation would differ because of this.
The following tabular column summarises the fertile chances of women with an average menstrual cycle of 28 days.
| Phase | Day | Cycle | What actually happens | Chances of fertility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Follicular phase | 1st - 5th day | Menstruation | Uterine lining breaks down and passes out as menstrual bleeding. | Least chances |
| 6th - 9th day | Post-menstruation | Uterine lining starts to thicken. | Minimum chances | |
| 10th - 16th | Fertile window | Preparing for ovulation. | Higher chances of conception | |
| 14th day | Ovulation | Ovaries rupture a mature egg. | Higher chances of conception | |
| Luteal Phase | 15th - 16th day | Post-ovulation | Ruptured egg starts to convert into corpus luteum. | Minimum chances |
| 17th - 25th day | Hormone production | The corpus luteum further thickens the uterine lining by producing more progesterone. | Least chances | |
| 26th - 28th day | Menstruation | If fertilisation doesn't take place, the corpus luteum degenerates. Uterine lining breaks down and passes out as menstrual bleeding. | Least chances |
Knowing when you are ovulating can change the game if you are trying to conceive naturally. Women, in general, identify their fertility window through certain symptoms. The following are the symptoms that your body gives to indicate that it’s getting ready to support the implantation. They may include:
Even though the above-mentioned symptoms are common, not every woman can experience them. In such cases, you may use fertility awareness methods. These can help determine the appropriate time to achieve conception. They may include:
The cervical mucus method involves noticing and recording the daily changes of vaginal discharge, particularly when nearing the ovulation period. In this method, you may notice how significantly the cervical mucus changes throughout the menstrual cycle. Soon after menstruation, it is less likely to notice the mucus. As ovulation approaches, estrogen levels rise, and the cervical mucus becomes more evident.
The more cervical mucus becomes thick and stretchy, the closer a woman is to her fertility window (ovulation). You may seek guidance from your healthcare provider if you wonder how to record and make a note of changing cervical mucus each day.
You can monitor when you ovulate using the normal calendar. Start by marking on the calendar the first day of your period as day 1. Then, highlight the days when you experience cervical mucus and its consistency changes. To know approximately when you ovulate, you have to do this for at least six months.
Furthermore, if you have an irregular menstrual cycle, this method may not be suitable for you. This is because the ovulation prediction methods are largely dependent on the regular menstrual cycle. The irregular periods may provide inaccurate and inconsistent results for predicting fertile days. Therefore, it would be a good idea to visit the healthcare provider to regulate the cycle first.
The body temperature of women may slightly increase around the ovulation period. To monitor and record this, you may have to use the basal thermometer. The rise would typically be around a maximum of 1°F. If you start tracking the basal body temperature (BBT), you may notice the sustained rise of about 0.5 to 1°F for three consecutive days after ovulation.
You may monitor the changes in your body temperature and make a note of it each day at the very same time. Remember to track the changes as soon as you wake up, typically moving not even an inch.
Also, remember to use the basal thermometer rather than the regular one. This is because a basal thermometer provides accurate results as it is sensitive to even slight temperature fluctuations.
You may do this for at least three months to identify your most fertile days.
Ovulation predictor kits involve identifying when a woman ovulates. They can be helpful for women who struggle to recognise their most fertile days. They work by predicting the luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine, which usually surges during the ovulation period. If the test results are positive, it indicates that you are likely to ovulate within the maximum of 36 hours – meaning, you should have unprotected intercourse during this time to become pregnant.
Ovulation predictor kits can be bought from the pharmacy even without a physician’s prescription.
Remember that these kits may not work well if you have irregular periods, specifically due to uterine conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
To maximise your chances of becoming pregnant, many fertility experts suggest having unprotected sex in every other day throughout the cycle (month).
For the greatest chances, you should have intercourse during the:
When it comes to pregnancy, people never hesitate to pile you up with a lot of information. They may also include some misinformation like specific sexual positions, lubricants, medications and more. Remember not to incorporate any of them in your routine unless your healthcare provider suggests.
Ovulation is an important phase of achieving pregnancy. Many fertility experts denote this phase as the most optimal time for family planning. However, these days may predominantly fluctuate depending on your age. If you are under 35 years, you can try to conceive naturally for one year by knowing when you ovulate. Based on it, you may plan to have unprotected intercourse at that particular time. On the other hand, if you are over 35, you can try these methods to conceive naturally for only six months.
If you still can’t achieve conception, having a consultation with a reputable healthcare provider is highly suggested. They can help you understand where you went wrong in achieving conception.
1. Can contraception affect the menstrual cycle?
The answer to the question is yes. Contraception, particularly hormonal ones, may affect your menstrual cycle. This is because it prevents conception by altering your hormone levels. This ultimately leads to irregular or abnormal periods. While these alterations in your menstrual cycle are normal in the first use, the persistent or prolonged changes may need medical attention.
2. Can medications regulate abnormal ovulation?
Your ovulation may be affected due to certain medical conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), amenorrhea, and primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). To regulate this, your healthcare provider may suggest a few medications. These medications play a huge role in stimulating your ovaries to produce and release eggs. The dosage of these medications is generally modified through regular blood tests and ultrasounds.
3. Can my fluctuating menstrual cycle affect my ovulation days?
The answer to the question is yes. Your fluctuating menstrual cycle may significantly affect your ovulation days. The irregular cycle may often indicate irregular ovulation, which makes it harder to recognise when you likely ovulate. Even with an irregular cycle, you still ovulate; the fertile days may fluctuate every month. This makes ovulation predictor methods unreliable, ultimately impacting fertility.
4. How many days do I usually ovulate?
You are likely to ovulate (the rupture of a follicle from the ovary) only for 12 to 24 hours. However, your fertility window starts even before the five days preceding your ovulation. Including the day of ovulation and the day following ovulation is considered the fertile window. Total fertile days would be around seven. But ovulation happens only on one day.
5. How many days after my period do I become pregnant?
You may become pregnant as soon as ovulation takes place. This is possible only if sperm were waiting for the egg in the fallopian tubes – meaning, if you have had sex in the fertile window. As soon as fertilisation takes place, pregnancy begins.
