Ovulation or ovulation: this is how it goes

If you have a regular cycle, an egg is released from your ovaries every month. The moment this happens is called ovulation. It is one of the most important moments in your menstrual cycle because this is when you can become pregnant. Without ovulation, it is not possible to get pregnant.

Read in this article what ovulation is exactly, how you can recognize it and during which period you are fertile.

Ovulation, also known as ovulation, is a part of your menstrual cycle. It is the moment when a mature egg leaves the ovary, heading towards the uterus.

When a girl is born, all the eggs for her entire life are already present in the ovaries. There are about 2 million of them. By puberty, this number has already shrunk to 300,000 immature eggs. Every menstrual cycle, one egg matures. This egg matures from a sac that we call a follicle.

A follicle is filled with fluid full of nutrients and hormones that are needed to make the egg mature. Every month, about 10 follicles grow, of which only 1 fully matures. The rest eventually die off. With every ovulation, the total number of eggs present in the ovaries decreases. Of the millions of eggs you had as a newborn baby, about 400 will reach full maturity and ovulation in your life.

When an egg is mature, the follicle bursts open. The egg is released and ends up in the fallopian tube. If the egg encounters a sperm cell on its way to the uterus, it can be fertilized and you become pregnant.

In principle, one egg is released during every menstrual cycle, but in some cases, double ovulation occurs. In this case, two eggs are released. If both are fertilized, there is a two-egg twin pregnancy.

Ovulation occurs 14 days before the start of the next menstruation, regardless of how long the first part of your cycle is. For example: if you have a cycle of 28 days, then ovulation is on day 14. And with a cycle of 30 days, ovulation is on day 16. Some women always have a cycle of a fixed number of days. In others, it varies by a few days. That is also normal.

There are women who feel ovulation as a stabbing pain in the lower abdomen. But not everyone feels this. Maybe you notice other symptoms.

Being able to feel ovulation is useful if you are trying to get pregnant. Some women notice it when their ovulation occurs, others do not. There are a few ovulation symptoms that you can recognize your ovulation by:

• For example, you feel a mild pain in the lower abdomen, often slightly less intense than menstrual pain.
• Your discharge is clear and stretchy, and sometimes you also lose a little more discharge than normal. Sometimes you can see some brownish discharge, if some blood has been released during ovulation.
• Your breasts are more sensitive.
• You have a higher libido and thus more desire for sex.
• Also, your body temperature rises on average by half a degree.
• The position of the cervix changes. It opens up a little so that it is passable for sperm cells and comes higher up.

About two days before your ovulation, there is a peak of the luteinizing hormone (LH). This causes the mature egg to be released. Although you cannot feel this peak, it can be determined with an ovulation test.

Feeling your ovulation: that is actually possible. You then experience a stabbing pain in the lower abdomen, where your ovaries are located. This pain can last for a few hours. The cause of this ovulation pain is the bursting open of the mature follicle from which the egg is released.

The fluid that is released from the follicle during ovulation ends up in the abdominal cavity. There, it sometimes causes some irritation to your abdominal lining. The pain can be stabbing or slightly cramping, which is comparable to mild menstrual pain.

Ovulation is the start of your fertile period. A mature egg ends up in the fallopian tube, to move towards the uterus via this route. This journey takes a few days. In the fallopian tube, the egg can be fertilized in the first 24 hours after ovulation.

If you want to get pregnant, it is important to have sex during your fertile days. And preferably before ovulation. If you only have sex at the moment of ovulation, there is a chance that you are already too late. Because the sperm cells need time to get into the fallopian tube and reach the egg. The fertile period of the egg is often already over by then.

For women who want to get pregnant, it is recommended to have sex in the six days before ovulation. The sperm cells thus have all the time to be present in the fallopian tube in time for the moment suprême: ovulation. This is when the chance of pregnancy is the greatest.

If you want to get pregnant, it is important to understand your menstrual cycle. It is especially important that you know when your ovulation occurs. You learn more about your cycle and hormones in books such as The Hormone Revolution or Hormone Balance For Women.

Healthy and varied nutrition is important for a healthy and regular cycle. Make sure you get enough vitamins, minerals and folic acid through nutrition. Are you afraid that you get too few nutrients? Then a supplement can be a nice addition to your daily nutrition.

A supplement with at least vitamin D and folic acid is recommended, such as MultiMama, if you want to get pregnant. From the moment you have an active desire for children, midwives and doctors recommend using folic acid. Ovabalance MultiMama contains the best absorbable and natural form of folic acid, folate.

Avoid alcohol, smoking, drugs and do not drink too many drinks containing caffeine.

Enough exercise and a healthy lifestyle help with a healthy and regular cycle.

Stress has a negative effect on your fertility, so make sure you get enough relaxation in your daily life.

Do you have questions about supplements and want to know if Ovabalance can help you? Due to the legislation around dietary supplements, unfortunately we cannot provide full information here. Do you want more information? Then you can always contact us