When you’re trying to get pregnant, timing is everything. Trying to “catch the egg” is kind of like playing that penny pusher game at the carnival (you know, the one where you have put push coins through the slot to land on the conveyor in just the right spot to push a prize off the edge the next time the bar slides forward?). It’s easy to miss ovulation. You may not even get pregnant if you nail it, either. Sometimes, trying to get pregnant month after month feels like you are wasting your coins.
Statistically speaking, you have about a 20-25 percent chance of getting pregnant every month. If you are tracking ovulation, that percentage might go up a little bit. You can take your temperature every morning and try to chart the changes each day to determine when you ovulate. You may also try using ovulation predictor kits, which work similarly to a pregnancy test. There are also simpler, more natural ways to tell when you are ovulating. You just need to pay close attention to your body. Symptoms of ovulation may vary from woman to woman, but there is a list of signs you might be ovulating.
1. Pain in your side. Some women experience mild pain in the abdomen on one side when they ovulate. For some women, this pain may be so noticeable that it becomes distracting. For others, they may not even realize it is happening until they begin charting and tracking all of their symptoms. Not every woman has ovulation pain.
2. An increase in cervical fluid. Again, because every woman is different, some may have so much that they find it on their underwear a few days around ovulation, some may notice it on the toilet paper, and some may not be able to detect it unless they check internally with their fingers. Fertile cervical fluid (or cervical mucus) is stretchy and white in color. It can be very difficult to get pregnant without enough fertile cervical fluid since that is what transports the sperm to the egg. Don’t be embarrassed if you have a lot, be glad!
3. Increased sex drive. Isn’t nature funny? When it is time to make some babies, your body flips that switch and you really feel like making babies. If you notice you are in the mood a little more than usual, you might be ovulating.
4. Breast tenderness. Some women have breast tenderness before, during, or after ovulation. But, breast tenderness can also be a sign that you are about to menstruate, or that you are pregnant. Don’t rely on this symptom too much.
Related Articles:
Methods for Detecting Ovulation
How to Determine When You Ovulate Through Charting
Determining Your Most Fertile Days