Your body gives you a variety of physical signals when you’re most fertile—if you know what to look out for.
If you’re trying to conceive (or trying to avoid pregnancy), knowing when you’re ovulating is key. You’re in luck—your body actually gives off a variety of signs of ovulation to let you know when you’re in your fertile window. From changes in cervical mucus to cramping, there are many different physical signs of ovulation you can point to.
Recognizing the signs of ovulation empowers you to take charge of your reproductive health, whether you're actively trying to conceive, prevent pregnancy, or simply stay informed about your body's amazing rhythm. Here’s your go-to guide on what ovulation is, when it happens, signs of ovulation, and full-proof methods for understanding when you’re ovulating.
What is ovulation? Ovulation is the time when one of your ovaries releases a mature egg. The mature egg then travels down the fallopian tube, ready to be fertilized by sperm. If sperm are present in the fallopian tube when you’ve ovulated, the sperm can then fertilize the egg—the first step toward pregnancy.
Ovulation occurs once in your menstrual cycle, usually around 14 days before your next period. However, ovulation may happen earlier or later depending on the length of your cycle—and that’s totally normal. Understanding your specific ovulation time frame is essential if you want to optimize your chance of conception or avoid it naturally.
How long does ovulation last? Ovulation typically only lasts about 24 hours. The egg is released from the ovary, then travels down the fallopian tube. If the egg is not fertilized after about a day since its release, it will dissolve.
What about the fertile window? Is your fertile window only a day, too? No, the fertile window—or the best time to have intercourse if you want to get pregnant—is a bit wider than that. The fertile window is six days: the five days leading up to ovulation, and the day of ovulation.
Ovulation and the fertile window are different lengths because sperm can survive for multiple days—typically up to five—in your reproductive tract. This means that if you have sex in the days before ovulation, the sperm can stay in your fallopian tube, then fertilize the egg when its released during ovulation.
If you’re trying to conceive, it’s crucial to not only know when ovulation is happening, but when it’s about to happen—so you can have intercourse in the days leading up to it.
Signs of ovulation Whether you’re trying to conceive or not, your body isn’t shy when it comes to showing signs of ovulation. By paying attention to subtle clues, you can see the physical (and sometimes even emotional and mental!) signs of ovulation.
Changes in cervical mucus Just before ovulation, the hormone estrogen peaks. This rise in estrogen makes your cervical mucus clear and stretchy. Many people often compare the look of this mucus to egg whites.
Your cervical mucus doesn’t just change to let you know that you’re ovulating—it’s actually a way to make it easier for the sperm to get through your vagina, into the uterus, and to your fallopian tubes. If your mucus was thicker or more white versus clear, it would be harder for the sperm to make its way through.
Basal body temperature Your basal body temperature (BBT) is the temperature of your body at rest. Right before ovulation, your BBT dips, then has a sustained rise that lasts until your next period.
Your BBT changes because of the increase in progesterone after you ovulate. After you ovulate, progesterone rises to prepare the body for pregnancy, which signals to your hypothalamus to set a higher BBT.
You can tell you’re ovulating if you see a slight dip in BBT, then a sustained rise of about 0.5°F.
To measure BBT, you need to be incredibly consistent and precise to get an accurate reading. You can use a digital thermometer to measure your temperature, and take your temperature at exactly the same time each day.
Ovulation pain About 40% of people with a menstrual cycle also experience lower abdominal pain when they’re ovulating. This pain can range from light discomfort to agonizing pain, and sometimes it may last a few minutes, but other times it may last for hours or even a day. The pain, also known as mittelschmerz because it happens at the middle of your cycle, typically occurs on the side of your ovaries that the follicle is developing on.
While ovulation pain may feel similar to period cramps, the main difference is when this pain occurs. Ovulation pain happens in the middle of your cycle, about two weeks before your period, while period cramps happen at the end of your cycle, around when you get your period.
Increase in sex drive If you feel a natural boost in libido, it could be your body trying to optimize your chances of conception.
Many people feel an increase in sex drive mid-cycle. Estrogen can play a key role in libido , and estrogen peaks right before ovulation, which may make you more interested in sex when you’re ovulating.
Cervical position Not only does your cervical mucus change when you’re about to ovulate, but your physical cervix changes, too. Before ovulation, your cervix becomes softer, higher, and more open as estrogen increases and attempts to make it easier for sperm to move throughout your uterus.
You likely won’t be able to feel any changes to your cervix from the outside, so detecting changes in your cervical position means you’ll have to check inside. To safely check your cervix, be sure to wash your hands and get into a comfortable position (usually squatting, sitting on the toilet, or standing with one leg propped up). Then, gently insert one or two fingers into your vagina until you reach the cervix—it will feel firmer and rounder than the surrounding vaginal tissue.
To determine if your cervical position has changed before ovulation, pay attention to:
Height : the cervix tends to be higher, closer to the backFirmness: it may feel softer and more openOpenness : you might feel a slight opening at the tipHow can I tell if I’m ovulating? Now that you know the signs of ovulation, how can you know for sure if you’re ovulating?
Besides tracking BBT, watching for changes in your cervical mucus, and noticing any ovulation pain or increased sex drive, there are a few ways to track your ovulation with varying degrees of accuracy.
Monitoring cycle length Ovulation typically happens in the middle of your cycle, around day 14 of a 28-day cycle. If you track your period, you can estimate when ovulation will occur.
While this method can help give you an idea of when you’re ovulating, it can have varying degrees of accuracy—especially if you have irregular cycles , or a cycle of a different length than 28 days, which the majority of people with menstrual cycles have!
Ovulation predictor kits Ovulation predictor kits measure your hormones to determine when you’re ovulating. Right before ovulation, estrogen rises, leading to what’s commonly known as the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge .
While the LH surge is key to pinpointing ovulation, traditional OPKs won’t be accurate for everyone:
They’re not reliable if you don’t have standard hormone levels: Often, traditional OPKs look for an LH surge in a “standard” range. However, it’s quite possible that if you have lower or higher LH levels, and you surge out of that range (but still experience an LH surge), the OPK won’t capture that data.They may be harder if you don’t have a 28-day cycle: Like standard cycle tracking, not having a 28-day cycle (which is normal!) can make things a little more complicated. With traditional OPKs, there’s not much guidance on when to test, which means you can end up testing on the wrong day and missing your ovulation.Tracking hormones throughout your cycle Finally, you can track multiple hormones throughout your cycle to get a holistic, specific view of what’s happening during your cycle and when. You’ll want to track hormones like:
Estrogen , to understand when the hormone rises before ovulationLuteinizing hormone , to understand when your LH surges to indicate ovulationProgesterone , to see if it rises to confirm ovulationMeasuring your specific hormone levels—instead of comparing them with a standard—ensures you can see the patterns in your cycle and get the most accurate data for you.
Signs of ovulation: the bottom line Whether you’re trying to conceive, trying to avoid pregnancy, or hoping to learn more about your hormone health, learning the signs of ovulation can help you understand this crucial moment in your cycle. From cervical mucus to increased sex drive, your body leaves subtle cues to indicate that you’re ovulating. To confirm that what your body is saying is true, you can use a traditional ovulation predictor kit, or track your hormones for an even more accurate, specific reading.
Read more about signs of ovulation at different life moments:
