Here are 4 ways to know when you are ovulating:
1. Start counting. The simplest way to calculate when ovulation will occur is to use the counting method. For most women, a period starts 14 days after ovulation. So in a normal 28-day cycle, ovulation will occur on day 14; in a 30-day cycle, ovulation occurs on day 16 (16 + 14 = 30). This method is a quick, easy way of predicting when ovulation will occur, providing you have a regular cycle. If you don't, you will have to rely on other methods.
2. Compile a Basal Body Temperature chart. This records the small rise in body temperature that occurs at ovulation. Starting on day one of your cycle (the first day of your period), and using an accurate digital thermometer (available from pharmacies), take your temperature first-thing each morning before getting out of bed. At ovulation you should notice a small 0.2 degree C rise in body temperature, which climbs progressively higher in the following days, falling back when menstruation starts.
3. Monitor changes to cervical mucus. This method can give a clear indication of ovulation. The key is to test the mucus - secreted in the cervix and found in the external genitalia - between your fingers. Before ovulation there is little or no discharge present. Approaching ovulation, discharge will be moist or sticky and creamy in colour. When stretched between your index finger and thumb it will break easily. As ovulation occurs the mucus will resemble egg whites and you will be able to stretch it between your fingers for several centimetres before it breaks.
4. Listen to your body. Some women complain of symptoms of morning sickness at the time of ovulation, due to the peaks and troughs of hormonal activity. It's also common to experience a few twinges and aches in your pelvic area at the time of ovulation. This is called 'Mittelschmerz', or - translated from its original German - 'mid-cycle pain'.
