HOW DOES A WOMAN KNOW IF SHE'S OVULATED?

 

 

Dr Steven R. Goldstein is an obgyn in Manhattan and considered one of the nation’s top doctors in Gynecology. There are women who seem to know when they ovulate, and there are women who have no clue. Ovulation is the process whereby a mature egg is released from the ovary. This egg then moves down the fallopian tube where it will remain for twelve to twenty-four hours, where it can be fertilized. Ovulation typically occurs fourteen days before the beginning of the next menstrual period. However, this period varies from one woman to the next.

 Regular, cyclic menses is the hallmark of ovulation. There are thirteen lunar months in a calendar year, so if a woman gets a menses every twenty-eight days, that will be thirteen cycles in a calendar year. In addition to regular, cyclic menses, a very predictable premenstrual pattern of symptoms indicating ovulation. Whether it be craving of chocolate or getting a pimple or bloating or whatever, it is predictable.

 An anovulatory cycle is a menstrual cycle in which ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovaries), does not occur. This could be due to hormonal imbalances or other factors. The hallmark of an anovulatory cycle is its unpredictability. It varies in terms of menstrual flow and also in terms of the presence or absence of premenstrual symptoms.

 Ultrasound is a sure way to know if a woman has ovulated by showing the presence of a corpus luteum in the ovary and secretory endometrium in the uterus – both indicative of ovulation. Some women rely on basal body temperature to tell if they have ovulated. Dr Goldstein, an obgyn in Manhattan finds this highly unreliable. Changes in vaginal secretions are also signs of ovulation. Clear, wet, and stretchy before ovulation and just after ovulation it becomes cloudy, thicker and less noticeable.

 If you are looking to get pregnant, it would help if you can understand your cycle and signs of ovulation. Having intercourse five days before and on the day of ovulation can improve the odds of conceiving.

In private practice for over 25 years as a gynecologist in Manhattan, Dr Goldstein sees patients who need a gynecologic exam before attempting to get pregnant, and those who are pregnant and need early pregnancy monitoring.