A spin off to the period thread: Do you know when you ovulate?
I never knew until I started temping and tracking all my cervical mucus (ewwww) in an effort to get pregnant. It was only then that I realized that the copious amount of ‘wetness’ that occurs in the middle of the month means I’m fertile and have ovulated. Now I can’t miss it, even if I take a month off from tracking everything (like this month)!
So, do you know when it happens?
Yes, or I did before I got pregnant. I started tracking for the purpose of getting pregnant.
you forgot yes because of the stabbing pain on one side or the other indicating which side was popping.
Yes. I chose the last option.
Mittelsmerz is no fun.
Yes, the external cues are quite obvious to me. I keep waiting for it to stop and menopause to kick in, but as far as I know I’m still ovulation as much as ever.
No never. Now I’m on the pill, but even before that it I was extraordinarily regular (I once had a pregnancy scare when my period was 2 hours late) and I never had any idea when I ovulated.
I’ve also never had a menstrual cramp.
I have no idea when I ovulate. I would like to have an idea of when to expect it and I’ve thought about purchasing the ovulation things from the drug store that tell you based on temperature and other science-y things when you are ovulating but they say on the box DO NOT USE FOR BIRTH CONTROL PURPOSES. Since I want to have a better idea of when I’m ovulating for birth control purposes (not as a sole method of BC but as an additional way to avoid catching preggo) I have been hesitant to buy one.
I voted yes, although I am no longer ovulating. I could tell because it hurt like hell.
Oh yeah I can tell. My cycle is so off there’s no predicting when I’ll ovulate but I know when it starts. I get cramps so bad down my left leg it hurts to walk and there’s…goo. Yeah.
Actually temping is accurate, but the ovulation kits on their own are not. There are a few things you need to track if you’re using it as birth control - try looking at Fertility Friend for more info, it’s free (you can pay for extra features, but if you’re just using it as birth control & not trying to get pregnant, I wouldn’t bother).
As for the ovulation predictors, I tried them a few times and never got one to turn positive, and I was definitely ovulating. You can miss the hormone surge they are supposed to detect if it happens at night, or if it’s short.
Yes to the last two options. I track by calendar and cervical fluid. Err, I do when I’m not pregnant, anyway. We NFP, and I’m fairly regular. I’ve had arguments with my doctor about ovulation date for pregnancy, and won them when the ultrasounds came back.
It’s a nice thing to know- this is why I’m hornier/less interested in sex, this is what happens in the luteal phase, this is how many days till next period.
Not ALWAYS, but sometimes I will notice the sticky mucous. I look at the egg whitey stuff and I say, “Oh, it’s all sticky!” in my best Butters voice.
Also the sex drive because it’s not that I’m horny it’s that I’m uber horny and it doesn’t go away and I tend to want vaginal stimulation which I can kind of take or leave the rest of the time.
Sometimes I think ovulation goes by without me noticing, though–not a strict science. I think I just had it a few days ago.
Looks at 6 month old daughter
Nope.
Yes, one side (or the other) of my back hurts. Plus other changes as well (mucous, sex drive).
Yes, I agree. You can use temperatures and such for pregnancy prevention, but you MUST track for a few months first so you can get your pattern (some women will ovulate a day or two early or late some cycles - you need to know your entire fertile period to prevent pregnancy). Your temperature spikes after ovulation, so if you have sex up until you see the spike, it’s too late.
After tracking my temperature and mucus for 26 months now (we’re trying to get pregnant - no success yet), I know I always ovulate on day 14, 15 or 16, and I always get my period 13 or 14 days after that.
That one.
Definitely. Besides the lower quadrant abdominal pain and the discharge and the extra horniness, my lips (on my face) swell. I’ve found that tracking my period by ovulation time to be much more accurate than tracking the period itself.
When I was a teenager, my mother took me to the doctor several times for one-sided lower abdominal pain, and my doctor never figured out what it was. He, in fact, indicated that I was malingering. It wasn’t until my 20’s that I learned about mittlesmertz.
I chose the last option, but it’s because of the internal cues really. Stabby pain that just kills me. Like clockwork, in between my cycles.
And has anyone who also shares these symptoms ever had a double ovulation (meaning possible fraternal twins)? And have any of you ladies had unprotected sex, subsequently have your internal Ovulate-O-Meter go off, and then have to sweat it out until your period starts (or use emergency pills or such)?