How to Know if You’re Ovulating

I’m going to pretend like we’re besties having coffee at the local coffee shop & you're learning how to track your menstrual cycle and want to know how to tell if you're ovulating. I’ll tell you everything I know.

This blog will teach you how to track your cycle and three different ways to watch your own bodily signs and symptoms at home to know if you're ovulating.

Within the menstrual cycle, your period or bleeding gets all of the attention. However, ovulation is actually (in my opinion) the queen of the menstrual cycle. Not ovulating can have so many effects on your overall health (such as cardiovascular health, bone health, and brain health) yet we're often not taught how to know if we’re ovulating.

Without ovulation, if you're trying to conceive naturally, there is no conception. And if you're trying to prevent pregnancy, you still need to know when you're ovulating. A typical ovulation happens around day 14 in a 28-day cycle. However, only about 20% of women actually ovulate on day 14. If you’re relying on that “day 14” estimate, especially if you’re using an algorithm-based app that assumes everyone ovulates, then it could lead to problems whether you’re trying to conceive or trying to avoid it.

So, this blog will teach you how to learn your own body’s signs and symptoms to know if and when you’re ovulating.

1. Understand What Ovulation Actually Is

Typically, ovulation occurs around mid-cycle. So for someone with a 28-day cycle, that would be around day 14—but as mentioned previously, only about 20% of people actually ovulate on day 14. If your cycle is longer, closer to 35 days, ovulation usually happens later, somewhere around day 17 to 20.

So, what is the process of ovulation?
Ovulation actually starts in the brain. It begins in a structure called the hypothalamus, which releases a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). That hormone travels to the pituitary gland, also located in your brain. The pituitary gland then produces follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).

FSH—hence the “follicular phase”—helps stimulate the follicles in your ovaries. Each follicle is a little fluid-filled sac that contains an egg, and during each cycle, one of those follicles becomes dominant. These growing follicles produce estrogen (not progesterone yet), and as estrogen rises, it triggers that big surge of luteinizing hormone (LH).

LH is the final step in the domino effect—it’s what actually triggers ovulation. Ovulation itself is the release of the egg from the ovary, which happens about a day to a day and a half after the LH surge. The egg is then swept up by the fallopian tube, and fertilization can occur there.

This whole process is a beautifully coordinated chain reaction, but there are several points along the way where things can break down and impact or impair ovulation.

2. Track Physical Signs of Ovulation

There are three main ways to track physical signs of ovulation at home.

1. Cervical Mucus Changes
Your cervical mucus changes throughout your cycle. Around ovulation, it becomes mucousy—kind of like egg whites—opaque, clear, and stretchy. This change is one of the easiest ways to know your body is preparing for ovulation.

2. Basal Body Temperature
Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your temperature taken first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. After ovulation occurs, your BBT typically increases by about 0.3 to 0.5°F. Tracking your temperature daily over several cycles can help you see this pattern and confirm that ovulation has occurred.

3. Ovulation Pain or “Mittelschmerz”
Some people experience mild, low abdominal cramping around the time of ovulation. This pain is usually more noticeable on one side of the lower abdomen compared to the other. You might not always feel it, but when you do, it can be a helpful clue that ovulation is happening.

Bonus: Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs)
Ovulation predictor kits can also be used at home to track your fertile window. These test for your luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, which occurs right before ovulation. It’s important to note that OPKs predict ovulation, while the temperature rise confirms that ovulation has already occurred.

Tracking both gives you the full picture prediction and confirmation. Remember, the egg can only be fertilized for about 12 to 24 hours after ovulation, so understanding these signs helps you better time intercourse whether you’re trying to conceive or trying to avoid pregnancy.

3. Use Ovulation Tracking Tools

There are a few different tools that can help you track ovulation, and each comes with its own pros and cons.

Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs)
Ovulation predictor kits are generally lower cost and very effective for most people. They test for the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge that happens right before ovulation. However, if you have PCOS, they can give false positives since LH levels can stay elevated throughout your cycle.

If you don’t have PCOS, OPKs are a great option to predict ovulation and time intercourse accordingly. Just remember they predict ovulation, not confirm it.

Oura Ring
The Oura Ring is a wearable device that measures your temperature every morning, so you don’t have to remember to take it manually. It’s actually how I got pregnant with my son. I ovulated on day 20 of my cycle after having COVID a few months prior, which threw off my usual rhythm. Without the Oura Ring, I’m certain I would’ve missed it because it was the only method I used to track ovulation at the time.

The Oura Ring does take a few months to “learn” your body. Once it has that baseline, it can show when your temperature shifts below baseline in the first half of your cycle and above baseline after ovulation, which confirms that ovulation has occurred.

It’s a little more expensive upfront, but incredibly helpful for women who want an easy, automated way to track their cycle.

Apps
I like Natural Cycles; it’s the only FDA-approved menstrual tracking app that’s actually accurate because it doesn’t just rely on an algorithm. A lot of apps assume you ovulate on day 14 based solely on your period start date, which, as we know, isn’t the case for most people.

With Natural Cycles (and even paired with the Oura Ring), you can log your cervical mucus, temperature changes, and any abdominal cramping to get a fuller picture of what’s going on in your cycle.

While an Oura Ring is more of an investment, using more than one method together (like temperature tracking and cervical mucous) has been shown in research to decrease time to conception.

4. Confirm Ovulation Has Occurred

It’s important to know if ovulation has actually occurred. The tools and signs we’ve already talked about, like cervical mucus, temperature changes, and ovulation predictor kits, can help you track ovulation, but they don’t necessarily confirm that it happened.

The only way to truly confirm ovulation is through an ultrasound performed around the time of ovulation. This allows the provider to actually see the egg being released from the follicle.

At home, one of the most reliable ways to estimate ovulation is by tracking your basal body temperature (BBT). I have a cycle tracking spreadsheet that you can use to log your temperature every morning before getting out of bed. Over time, you’ll notice your baseline temperature & then, when you see an increase of about 0.3 to 0.5°F that stays elevated, that’s a strong sign that ovulation has occurred.

Another way to check if ovulation is happening is through progesterone testing, typically done about seven days after ovulation. This is because progesterone is produced after ovulation. Most clinics will check it on day 21, which assumes a 28-day cycle, but since not everyone ovulates on day 14, you’ll want to adjust that timing based on your cycle.

If you’re struggling to track your cycle, if your periods are irregular or absent, or if you’re experiencing significant pain during your cycle, it may be time to work with a pelvic floor physical therapist or a fertility specialist to get more insight into what’s going on.

5. Know When Something Might Be Off

Knowing when something might be off is really important because of the overall health repercussions of not ovulating that I mentioned earlier. You want your menstrual cycle to be both regular and predictable: when your period starts, when you ovulate, how long your period lasts, and how many days your full cycle is. Any irregularity in those things needs to be assessed.

Common causes of irregular cycles include PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, and significant stress, both mental and physical. Stress is a big one. If your body senses it’s under too much stress, whether from over-exercising, undereating, or chronic mental load, it doesn’t perceive that it’s a safe time to conceive. This is why conditions like eating disorders or orthorexia can disrupt ovulation. Your body is incredibly smart and is always trying to protect you.

Sometimes, after coming off of birth control, your cycle may not return right away. I honestly believe that many of the cyclical issues that show up post-birth control were already there before birth control was prescribed, they were just masked by the birth control. Then, when someone stops birth control with the goal of conception, those issues become apparent again and need to be addressed.

The most common issue I see impacting ovulation specifically is PCOS. It’s a complex condition with many possible contributing factors, but irregular or absent ovulation is one of its hallmark features.

If your cycles are unpredictable or you suspect you’re not ovulating, it’s worth looking deeper. Addressing the root cause early on supports not just fertility, but your overall health.

What’s next?

If you’re struggling to ovulate or aren’t sure when you’re ovulating, I am currently accepting new clients for one-on-one care. I see patients both virtually and in person in Sulphur Springs, Texas and Rockwall, Texas. You can fill out a form [here] and someone from our team will reach out to schedule your appointment.

If you’re preparing to start trying to conceive and want to better understand your ovulation and overall fertility, I highly recommend our 30-day email series, Fertility Foundations, created by me and my husband, who is a pharmacist. This series walks you through everything we believe you should know before trying to conceive… everything you weren’t taught in your high school health class.

We cover how to choose a prenatal, what you should know about your menstrual cycle in more detail, PCOS, endometriosis, the thyroid’s impact on fertility, how to improve your egg quality, and which medications and supplements to avoid while trying to conceive or during pregnancy. You’ll finish the series with a comprehensive fertility plan tailored to help you feel confident and informed as you begin your journey.

You can read more about Fertility Foundations [here].

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Tips for getting pregnant 30-35

4 phases of menstrual cycle and hormones