Check if you’re OVULATING!

Checkout the previous post to see why ovulation is important for women, hint it’s not for fertility only!

All the stages prior to this leads to a healthy ovulation. Hence why it’s important to make sure each phase of your cycle is as healthy as possible.

At-home checks to see if you’re possibly ovulating:

1. Basal Body Temperature (make sure to get one that has 2 decimals at least)
2. Cervical mucus (fertile mucus)

Basal body temperature:

Why do we want to keep track of our temperature throughout the cycle? Because if we get a slight temperature rise this indicates that ovulation has occurred.

You need 3 high temperatures that are higher than the previous 5 in order to confirm ovulation. Changes in BBT become most noticeable in the days following ovulation which is called your luteal phase, the phase right after your ovulation day.

Pre-ovulation temperature should be anywhere between 36.22-36.60.

Post-ovulation temperature should be anywhere between 36.44-36.88.

It is important to know that your most fertile days take place 4-5 days before your BBT rises. BBT just confirms that ovulation HAS happened.

This not only gives you insight as to whether you have ovulated or not, but it can guide us in the direction of our metabolic and thyroid health too. If you wake up with a temperature of 36.60 in the morning and 37.00 if you test it during the day like after lunch, this could indicate a healthy metabolism and thyroid.

As always though, even if your temperature is within range but still feel off, go to your Doctor and do a full thyroid panel test.

You want to take your temperature every morning around the same time before you do anything else! even getting up to brush your teeth can affect this reading.

Cervical mucus:

Along with your temperature, take note of the fertile mucus in your panties or when you wipe. Throughout the cycle you may have dry days or days where the discharge is thick, creamy, white or off-white and generally not a lot.

However, when you are reaching ovulation, your cervical mucus releases a more of a stretchy egg-white texture and noticeable much more, this is your fertile mucus!

Just a note: The above does not apply to those on the contraceptive pill. 

The hormones in the contraceptive pill stop and prevent your ovaries from preparing and releasing eggs. They stop the natural hormonal cycling, including ovulation, the typical growth of the endometrium, and the natural period. 

The pill essentially shuts down the conversation between your ovaries and your brain, so it’s no surprise that once you stop taking it you may encounter challenges with reestablishing that connection and fertility. 

If you have any questions, send us a email and we are happy to guide you!