This article was medically reviewed by Lacy Windham, MD. Lacy Windham, MD, is a Board-Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist in Cleveland, Tennessee. Dr. Windham attended medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Her residency was completed at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. She was the recipient of multiple awards during her residency training, including Most Outstanding Resident in Maternal Fetal Medicine, Most Outstanding Resident in Oncology, Most Outstanding Resident Overall, and Special Award in Minimally Invasive Surgery.
There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Experts say you usually ovulate, which means your fallopian tube releases an egg, between days 10 and 16 of your menstrual cycle, depending on your cycle length.[1] If you have irregular periods, this can make it tricky to pinpoint the correct day you're ovulating, which can be super frustrating. Since you can only get pregnant in the 12- to 24-hour window after you ovulate, it's important to know which day it is if you're trying to conceive. Research suggests that you might be able to figure out your ovulation date with techniques like monitoring your body temperature and checking your cervical mucus, so don't give up.[2]
Steps
Tracking Your Body’s Signals
Check your body temperature. Your basal body temperature (BBT) allows you to track when you are ovulating. You must take your BBT every morning for several months in order to track a reliable trend in your cycle.[3]- Take your BBT first thing in the morning and record your temperature in a small calendar on your bedside table. You should take this reading before you get out of bed to prepare for the day for it to be most accurate.
- Your BBT remains stable throughout the first half of your menstrual cycle, then it drops when there is a surge of progesterone signaling that ovulation is about to start. Your temperature then rises half a degree when you are actively ovulating. The most optimal time to have sex is two days prior to ovulation, right before the temperature rise. It takes time for the sperm to get to the egg. If you have sex the day of ovulation, you have only a 5 percent chance to conceive.[4][5]
Track your vaginal discharge/mucus. Your vaginal discharge, which consists of cervical mucus, provides important clues about where you are in your menstrual cycle. Hormonal fluctuations cause the consistency and color of your cervical mucus to change.[6]- Fertile discharge is clear and thin, and it has the consistency of egg whites. You have this kind of discharge when you are ovulating.[7]
- Discharge during the rest of your menstrual cycle tends to be cloudy and white and may be thick or thin.
- It is not uncommon to have brownish discharge for a few days after your period. This is the result of your vagina cleaning out old blood. Usually, you have less discharge after your period ends.
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Check your cervix. Your cervix, the tunnel between your vagina and uterus, changes throughout your menstrual cycle. The texture and position of your cervix lets you know if you are ovulating.[8]- Probe your cervix with one or two fingers daily and write down your observations about its position and texture to start tracking trends.
- During the first part of your menstrual cycle, your cervix is hard and low. As your body prepares to ovulate, your cervix softens, opens slightly, and shortens to allow sperm an easy access to your ovum.
- You may need to reach your finger several inches into your vagina before you feel your cervix. Once the tip of your finger touches a donut-shaped opening at the end of your vagina, you have reached your cervix.
- If you are unsure how to feel your cervix, read more here.
Test your hormone levels by using an ovulation test kit. Ovulation test kits reveal your level of luteinizing hormone (LH). Your LH level spikes right before your ovary releases an egg, indicating your fertile time.[9]- Like a pregnancy test, an over-the-counter ovulation test kit requires a urine sample to determine your levels of LH. The test turns positive the day before ovulation occurs; thus, you may need to do several tests daily around the time of ovulation to identify the correct day.[10]
- Checking your cervix and tracking trends in your vaginal discharge can help you determine when you should take an ovulation test. Also, ovulation kits provide guidance about when to check urine based on how irregular your menses are.
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Using the Ovulation Chart
Start a chart on the first day of your period. Ovulation charts are useful for combining results from your vaginal discharge and basal body temperature (BBT) that can be used to identify trends in your cycle. Although you are having irregular periods, start the tracking on the first day of your period.[11]- The first day of your period is day one. If your menstrual cycle is irregular, then you may bleed every 21-35 days for 2-7 days, perhaps with some spotting.[12]
- Number each of the days preceding your period. When you start a new period, then that is your new day one.
- Figure out the number of days your cycles approximately last for a few months. Then try to see if there is an average number that emerges as time passes.
Chart your BBT every day. Create a chart that has temperatures ranging from 97.0 to 98.0 degrees Fahrenheit in increasing increments of 0.1 degrees on the X-axis and the days of your cycle on the Y-axis.[13]- Put a dot on the temperature that corresponds your BBT reading under the corresponding day of your cycle. This way you can see if there are fluctuations from day to day in your BBT.
- Connecting the dots allows you to track trends more easily from a visual perspective.
- There is a drop and then a dramatic spike in your BBT when you ovulate, indicating the two most fertile days of your cycle.
- You can find a sample chart at BabyCenter.com.[14]
Add descriptions of your vaginal discharge for each day to the chart. Create an easy to understand key describing your vaginal discharge. For example, D can indicate the dryness that occurs after your menstrual cycle, B can stand for a period, R can stand for regular white discharge, and F can stand for stringy, clear fertile discharge. [15]- Compare your descriptions of your discharge against observations from previous cycles and see if your discharge changes consistency within an average range of dates. This can give you a better idea of how your irregular cycle lengths may vary.
Observe averages in your ovulation charts to get a better idea of when you are fertile. With irregular periods, it can be frustrating and hard to find patterns that indicate when you are most fertile. Your ovulation chart helps you see if there are certain trends that emerge.[16]- With irregular menstrual cycles, it can be hard to get a clear cut average, but you can at least better estimate when you evaluate within a range of a few days.
Use your ovulation chart to track period lengths. A frustrating aspect of having an irregular menstrual cycle is being unprepared for your period. You can use an ovulation chart to get a better idea about your cycle length based on averages from previous cycles.[17]- You can also see an average of bleeding days emerge from your data, helping you to better prepare for your period when it comes.
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Expert Q&A
References
- ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/womens-health/how-can-i-tell-when-i-am-ovulating/
- ↑ https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/ovulation
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21065-basal-body-temperature
- ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-know-when-youre-ovulating_10334238.bc
- ↑ http://www.whattoexpect.com/preconception/fertility/five-ways-to-tell-you-are-ovulating.aspx
- ↑ https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/fertility-awareness/whats-cervical-mucus-method-fams
- ↑ https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/fertility-awareness/whats-cervical-mucus-method-fams
- ↑ https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/planning-a-pregnancy/how-to-get-pregnant/ovulation-and-fertility
- ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/luteinizing-hormone-lh-levels-test/
- ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007062.htm
- ↑ https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/fertility-awareness/whats-temperature-method-fams
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14633-abnormal-menstruation-periods
- ↑ https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/fertility-awareness/whats-temperature-method-fams
- ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-bbt-chart_7252.bc
- ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/ovulation-chart
- ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/ovulation-chart
- ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/ovulation-chart
- ↑ http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1809/when-is-the-best-time-to-get-pregnant#ixzz3iu29F7yt
- ↑ http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1809/when-is-the-best-time-to-get-pregnant#ixzz3iu2WgKlW
About this article
To work out your ovulation during irregular periods, check any discharge that comes from your vagina. If it’s clear and thin with the consistency of egg whites, this is a sign that you’re ovulating. You can also feel inside your cervix, which should be softer and more open than usual during ovulation. Another way to see if you’re ovulating is to take your body temperature first thing in the morning. If you do this every day, you’ll notice when your temperature drops, which is usually a sign of ovulation. Alternatively, use an ovulation test kit, which measures your hormones to tell you when you’re ovulating. For more tips from our Medical co-author, including how to keep an ovulation chart to keep track of your cycle, read on.
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