Ovulation: 20 Brilliant Things To Know About

Your menstrual cycle is run on advances sophisticated algorithms powerful enough not only to generate and release the mature oocyte with high fertilization potency, advanced security, and privacy features during every single session but also to make these sessions synchronized to the extreme helping you to keep your reproductive potential from puberty until menopause. And Ovulation is an essential part of each menstrual cycle — if you are trying to conceive, tracking ovulation is vital for you. Discover all features and explore 20 brilliant things to know about ovulation. 

1. Why should I know about ovulation?

Understanding how ovulation happens and when it occurs will help you achieve or prevent pregnancy. It can also help you diagnose some medical conditions.

2. What is an oogenesis session?

Your reproductive system runs ‘cool’ and ‘quiet’ even while tackling these intense workloads. It powers up the oogenesis sessions and Oocyte Maturation sessions to generate the mature oocyte(s) in each cycle starting from puberty and ending on menopause. Each oogenesis session is designed to release the mature reproductive cell called oocyte with high fertilization potency. 

3. What is an oocyte?

An oocyte is your germ cell involved in reproduction. It is preconfigured and generated by your reproductive system specifically for being fertilized by the sperm cell to complete the reproduction session. 

Your reproductive system packs astonishing speed and power into each oocyte it generates. Small, versatile, powerfully purposeful, and beautifully complex ‘micro–chip’. It’s here. Your first ‘micro–chip’ is designed specifically for powering up the reproduction session. 

Packed with an astonishing number of ultra–powerful specifications, your reproductive system integrates the genetic material, dedicated genetic info storage encryption ‘engine’ that keeps encryption ‘keys’ safe while delivering incredible performance for encrypted storage and genetic ‘data’ protection (only one spermatozoon will get the encryption ‘keys’ if penetration session will complete into fertilization), and sophisticated security algorithms to protect the outer and the inner layers, and so much more onto a single tiny oocyte.

4. What is the oocyte’s structure?

The oocyte has an advanced and sophisticated structure: the central nucleus that contains your genetic material (dedicated genetic info storage encryption ‘engine’), a cell plasma (cytoplasm) that surrounds the nucleus (genetic ‘data’ protection plasma) that contains nutritional elements essential to the developing oocyte, and an outer layer that is superefficient for great oocyte life. 

The released oocyte is surrounded by a thick specialized extracellular matrix, which in turn is covered in multiple layers of cells — the granulosa layer known as the corona radiata and by the zona pellucida, a thick glycoprotein membrane that lies just outside the oocyte’s plasma membrane.

The zona pellucida layer powers up ‘sperm–oocyte’ binding, protects the oocyte from multiple penetrations by many sperm cells, enables the acrosome reaction for the successful adhesion and penetration by the only sperm cell, and empowers the end–to–end encryption if the spermatozoon penetrated it successfully preventing the multiple recurrent penetrations by many sperm cells with speed and power beyond anything you ever imagined.

5. What is ovulation?

Ovulation is one of your menstrual cycle’s stages. Rising estrogen levels during the follicular phase trigger your pituitary gland to release Luteinizing Hormone (LH). The release of the oocyte from the ovarian Graafian follicle happens 24 hours later (10–12 hours after LH peaks). This event is called ovulation. It occurs when an oocyte is released from your ovary. 

6. How many oocytes can be released in one cycle?

Usually, the one mature oocyte is released per one cycle. But sometimes, the system generates two mature oocytes, and the second oocyte is also released during the same cycle after the first one within 24 hours of each other. 

7. When does ovulation happen? 

The ovulation phase is the only timeframe in your menstrual cycle when you can conceive. Ovulation happens at around day 14 if you have a 28–day cycle, and around day 12 if you have a 24–day cycle, — right in the middle of your menstrual cycle.

8. How long does it last?

The process of ovulation starts with your body releases Follicle–Stimulating Hormone (FSH), typically between days 6 and 14 of your menstrual cycle. This hormone is responsible for Oocyte Maturation and oocyte release.  

The closer the ovulation phase is, the more estrogen is released, and the thicker the endometrium lining texture is. 

Once the oocyte is mature, your body releases a surge of Luteinizing Hormone (LH), triggering the oocyte’s release event. Ovulation may happen in 24 to 36 hours after the LH surge.

Rising estrogen levels during the follicular phase trigger your pituitary gland to release Luteinizing Hormone (LH). The release of the oocyte from the ovarian Graafian follicle happens 24–36 hours later (10–12 hours after LH peaks). This event is called ovulation.

9. What happens to the just–released oocyte?

When the oocyte is released, it is caught by the Fimbriae (mobile fingerlike projections at the end of the fallopian tubes which capture the released oocyte from the surface of the ovary) and guided to the site of fertilization .

• the ampulla (the longest and expanded area of the fallopian tube where fertilization normally occurs).  

The oocyte stays alive in the Fallopian Tube 12–48 hours after its release, but it is available for fertilization for around less than 24 hours. Sometimes, a released oocyte lives 12 hours only, so, its fertilization time also declines to 12 hours.

10. Does it cause any symptoms?

Not everyone experiences symptoms with ovulation, so these signs are considered secondary in tracking your fertility window. You can track your whole cycle and what is happening with you and your hormones by using the Digital Ovulation Predictor Kit. It includes the Digital Ovulation Fertility Analyzer, disposable single–use urine test wands, and the other essentials necessary for keeping your cycle tracking secure and accurate. 

The most common ovulation symptoms are:

• the sharp increase in Luteinizing Hormone (LH levels are high); 
• slight rise in basal body temperature;
• change in cervical mucus texture (it is thicker than usual); 
• ovulation spotting — light bleeding that occurs around the ovulation time (it may last one or two days but it is extremely light);
• change of cervical position and texture (can be outlined during the routine exam);
• ovulation pain (lower abdominal pain starts about two weeks before your menstrual cycle is expected to start (pain on the left, or right side depending on the side of the ovary which is releasing the oocyte) right beside the hip bone, it can last from a few minutes up to 48 hours, and the side of pain can be changed cycle by cycle or can be on one side for several cycles).

11. Is it possible to ovulate more than one time in a given single cycle?

Yes, sometimes you may ovulate more than once in a given cycle — two or even three times. You may release multiple oocytes during a single ovulation session naturally or during the COS (Controlled Ovarian Stimulation) cycle designed for IVF.  

If both oocytes are fertilized, it may result in fraternal multiples, like twins or triplets. Sometimes 1 fertilized oocyte may split into 2 or more embryos. And it may happen to 2 fertilized oocytes — and yay, you can say: ‘Hello, Quadruplets!’ 

12. Is ovulation the only time you can become pregnant?

Nope–Nope, it is not the only time you can become pregnant. While the oocyte stays alive in the Fallopian Tube 12–48 hours after its release, it can only be fertilized in the 12 to 24 hours after it’s released, sperm cells can stay alive in the reproductive tract for up to 5 days. So, if you are trying to conceive — you should have sex in the days leading up to ovulation or on the day of ovulation.

13. What’s the ‘Fertile Window’?

The 6 days before ovulation and the day ovulation happens to make up what’s called the ‘fertile window’. During this period, having sexual intercourse may lead to potential conception and pregnancy.

The sperm may wait around for several days in the fallopian tubes after sex, ready to fertilize the oocyte once it’s finally released. Once the oocyte is in the fallopian tubes, it stays alive for around 24 hours (sometimes the oocyte has a shorter life) before it can no longer be fertilized, thus ending the fertile window.

14. Can you track your ovulation?

Surely, you can track your ovulation. The most accurate tracking of your ovulation cycle is scheduling the ultimate ovulation cycle’s tracking in your doctor’s office. Ovulation cycle tracking includes hormonal blood tests and ultrasound scans.  

Tracking your menstrual cycle at home is also possible. There are many Ovulation Predictor Kits with Fertility Monitors Pro designed for detecting the presence of LH in your urine, and tracking two major hormones — estrogen and LH — to help you identify the six days of your fertile window.

15. If you’re trying to conceive how often should you have sex during your fertility window?

If you are trying to conceive, you may boost your chances by having sex every day during your fertile window. The ideal time to conceive is in the two days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself.

16. What if you are not trying to conceive?

If you are not trying to conceive, you should avoid having sex during your fertility window or you should use contraceptives during this time. If you don’t want to conceive in the given cycle, note that condoms are a better option than no protection at all.

17. Even if your ovulation session is successful, that doesn’t mean that your oocyte will be fertilized...

The released oocyte may or may not be fertilized by sperm. Fertilization doesn’t always occur as sometimes the sperm cells cannot penetrate the oocyte’s top layer and drill through the inner envelope to complete the fertilization session successfully.  

The sperm cells may feature low motility potency and low drilling potency or the oocyte’s outer layer can be too thick to penetrate it, even if many sperm cells fused to the oocyte. 

18. What happens if the oocyte is fertilized?

If the fertilization session was successful, a fertilized oocyte called a zygote may travel through Fallopian Tube to the uterus. By Day 5, the fertilized oocyte called a blastocyst (blastocyst is an embryo that contains 70 to 100 cells) reaches the uterus. If the embryo reaches the uterus by Day 6, it is called Expanded Blastocyst (it contains 100 to 125 cells).

Once in the uterus, the fertilized oocyte can implant into the thickened uterine lining and continue to develop. If implantation does not take place, the uterine lining is shed as menstrual flow.

19. What happens if the oocyte is not fertilized?

If the oocyte is left unfertilized, it dies, your hormonal levels decline, there is no need for developing the uterine lining anymore in this cycle, so your uterine lining is shed with blood and mucus during your period that lasts between 3 to 7 days. Note, that you may have a longer or shorter period from cycle to cycle. 

20. Does ovulation occurs in each cycle?

Normally, ovulation with the following oocyte release occurs in each menstrual cycle. But sometimes ovulation can be irregular — in some menstrual cycles you may have no oocyte release. Stress and anxiety may interfere with an oocyte release algorithm. 

What if you are not ovulating regularly?

If you track ovulation from one month to the next one, you may notice that you are not ovulating regularly or in some cycles — not ovulating at all. This is a reason to schedule an appointment with your doctor.

Although things like stress may affect your ovulation, there are also medical conditions, like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) or amenorrhea, that may make ovulation irregular or stop it completely leading to hormonal imbalances and even infertility.