am I ovulating?

If you have irregular periods or are taking a long time to conceive then it is possible that you are not ovulating every month

Ovulation creates a rise in progesterone which can be measured by

  • a blood test

  • a rise in body temperature

Ovulation predictor tests can be useful to help you know when ovulation is coming but a positive test doesn’t mean that you are ovulating - only that your body is preparing to.

day 21 progesterone test for ovulation

  • this blood test is done roughly a week after ovulation (so on day 21 if your cycle is usually 28 days)

  • your GP can order this for you, or I can arrange it at a private laboratory

  • it is ideal to be tested 3 months in a row as many women occasionally miss ovulating

  • results above 20 suggest a probable ovulation though it may be weak

  • results above 30 confirm ovulation

temperature charting for fertility

  • when the egg is released from the follicle at ovulation the empty follicle that remains begins to produce progesterone 

  • progesterone makes your temperature rise - it shows us when ovulation has taken place and whether ovulation is strong enough 

  • the idea is to take the temperature at its lowest point each day, this the basal body temperature also known as BBT

  • you need to have been asleep for at least 4 hours for the temperature to drop to its lowest level

  • take your temperature when you wake up before you do anything else - the temperature naturally rises when we are active so you need to take it first thing.

  • if your sleep is disturbed for any reason, or if you wake at a different time than usual, then just make a note of it on the chart so we know to interpret that days result accordingly

  • record the temperatures on a chart so you can see what pattern they make https://www.fertilityfriend.com/

  • you are looking for what is called a biphasic pattern - this simply means that temperatures are higher in the last 2 weeks of the cycle before the period comes

  • other information such as LH ovulation predictor test results, and cervical mucous changes can be added to the chart

  • cervical mucous increases and becomes clear and stretchy like egg white when oestrogen levels are high indicating that ovulation will occur in the next few days.