Ovulation? That's how it feels!
The first time I really dealt with my body and especially the ovulation, I was when I wanted to get pregnant. Actually terrifying, because until then I had taken the pill and actually did not really know exactly what is happening in my body and how exactly the contraceptive works, so I was not pregnant. Meanwhile, I know: Many women have no idea what's going on in their bodies every month, let alone what an ovulation feels like. High time to change that.
Egg + sperm = baby?
Preventing pregnancy is relatively easy. Getting pregnant should not be a problem either: wait for ovulation, get into the box and finish. Making a baby is easy, in theory at least. After all, all it takes is sperm and an egg. But why does it take years, sometimes even years, until it finally works? Let's take a closer look!
What happens during ovulation in our body?
Around day 15 of our menstrual cycle, a tiny egg is released from a follicle in one of our two sticks, which is caught by the fallopian tube. From there it migrates through the fallopian tube into the uterus, with the task of being fertilized. The uterus is already well prepared for this and builds up a mucous membrane to make it really cozy for the egg. If this does not happen, the mucous membrane in the uterus, including the egg, is again expelled, which manifests itself in our menstruation. And then the whole thing starts again from the beginning. So at least the short version.
The hormones are crazy
The hormones estrogen and progesterone play a crucial role. They not only affect the menstrual cycle itself, but also many processes that take place in the body. And it is precisely these processes that make it difficult to keep track of things and get pregnant. In fact, the time window in which it can work is quite short. Only about 24 hours before and 36 hours after ovulation, chances are good to get pregnant. So if you want a baby, good timing will increase your chances.
Hello, it's me, your cycle!
Knowing the cycle exactly can make life so much easier! And you do not even want to get pregnant, it also helps to have an explanation for lousy mood and binge eating (Welcome PMS) or even the very bad variant PMDS. A lot of things are self-explanatory when you know what's going on in the body right now. Running a period calendar, running NFP or simply recording the symptoms in an app makes perfect sense, especially if you want to calculate your ovulation as accurately as possible. And these are the signs of ovulation:
1. Cervical mucus:
Sounds disgusting, but your vaginal discharge shows you pretty much exactly where you are right now in your cycle. Shortly before ovulation, the cervical mucus is relatively fluid. Because so the sperm can be transported faster to the egg.
2. basal temperature:
Core body temperature, or basal body temperature, is the temperature you have when you wake up and that you can track with a thermometer and apps. Directlyto ovulation she shoots up. In order not to miss that, you'll probably need to keep a close eye on your temperature for a few months to get any future peaks.
3. Libido:
At the time of ovulation, so ovulation, you have more desire for sex. Clever reproduction strategy of nature, right?
4. middle pain:
Do you already know? On the side of the abdomen where the ovary releases the egg this month, it hurts. The pain is reminiscent of menstrual cramps and is also called ovulation pain.
By the way, the more you document the symptoms by the way, the more accurately a good app will calculate when the next period is due. So keep your eyes open for your own body!
