What is ovulation? When does it come and what does it depend on?

The female body functions cyclically. And the cycles are set by the ovulation process, which gives a woman the opportunity to experience the joy of motherhood, since only during this period is conception possible. Ovulation processes are complex and multifaceted, any deviations from the normal course are fraught with infertility and early menopause for a woman.

What it is?

Ovulation got its name from the Latin word ovulla, which means "testicle". The biological meaning of what is happening is the exit of a mature reproductive cell (egg) from the follicle located on the surface of one of the two ovaries. The exit is preceded by the process of maturation of the germ cell.

In women, fertilization is possible only during ovulation. On other days of the menstrual cycle, there is no viable reproductive cell available, and without it, conception cannot take place. Thanks to such a phenomenon as ovulation, a woman gets the opportunity to continue childbirth. In men, there are no such reproductive nuances - their sperm are produced constantly, the composition of the sperm is updated, spermatogenesis occurs from the moment the boy reaches puberty until deeply advanced age.

A woman's fertile period is limited by the supply of her sex cells. During the period of intrauterine development in a female fetus at 6 weeks, the sex glands are formed - the ovaries. They contain about 2 million first-order oocytes. At birth, the supply of follicles in the ovaries with immature sex cells inside is about half a million.

By the beginning of puberty, the girl has about 250 thousand cells in reserve, and about 450-500 oocytes are allocated for the entire fertile age. The reserve, called ovarian, is depleted due to the death of part of the germ cells from negative effects - ecology, diseases, as well as due to the monthly provision of fertility - ovulation. When the reserve is used up, the climax sets in.

Before puberty, the follicles are dormant, do not function, but with the arrival of the first menstruation in a girl, the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland begins to produce follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Under its influence, folliculogenesis occurs - every month with the beginning of a new cycle, a woman begins to mature several follicles from the ovarian reserve-reserve. They are called antral because they have a cavity filled with fluid.

By the 7th day of the menstrual cycle, one (rarely more) follicle begins to stand out from the antral follicles-vesicles, differing from others in size and growth rate. It is called dominant. The rest regress - this is a kind of way to save ovarian reserve.

By the middle of the cycle, the production of estrogen increases, against this background, the level of luteinizing hormone - LH, which is popularly called the ovulation hormone, rises. By this time, the dominant follicle has come a long way - it increases from 2 mm to 22-24 mm, reaching its maximum size. Inside the bubble there is a large cavity with liquid, in which an already ripe egg is floating freely.

LH thinns the follicle membrane and causes it to rupture. The ovum enters the abdominal cavity, and from there it is quickly drawn into the fallopian tube due to the coordinated movements of the villi of the latter. This is ovulation.

In simple terms, it is the process of follicle rupture that gives a woman the opportunity to become a mother. The rupture takes place within an hour, and after that another 24-36 hours the female reproductive cell remains viable and can be fertilized. If this does not happen, she will die and leave the woman's body during the next menstruation.

In place of the follicle that burst at the time of ovulation, a corpus luteum is formed from the remainder of the follicular membrane - an endocrine gland, which never occurs in men. It produces another hormone involved in maintaining the menstrual cycle, progesterone. Under its action, the inner layer of the uterus begins to increase - the endometrium, the uterine muscles relax. This is important to ensure optimal conditions for a possible pregnancy that has come - the ovum will easily be implanted into the overgrown endometrium.

About a week after ovulation, provided that fertilization has taken place, the embryo is attached in the uterine cavity, and the chorionic villi begin to produce pregnancy hormone - hCG. It supports the corpus luteum, does not allow it to perish. If there is no pregnancy, then 7 days after ovulation, the iron begins to gradually fade away, and by 10-12 days it stops functioning. The concentration of progesterone decreases to a minimum, and after 1-2 days the next menstruation begins.

The first day of menstruation is the beginning of a new female cycle, which means that the processes of maturation of new follicles are already starting, and everything is repeated again. The ovulation process is regulated at the hormonal level, and any changes in the amount and ratio of hormonal "forces" can lead to a lack of ovulation, to irregularities in the cycle, to infertility.

Timing of the ovulatory phase

The question of when to expect ovulation is one of the most pressing questions for women. According to credible official medical sources, ovulation usually occurs on the day before the onset of the next menstruation by 14 days. Some believe that it is more convenient to calculate the middle of the cycle, but this is an erroneous method that can result in unsuccessful attempts to plan a pregnancy or unexpected pregnancy at the wrong time.

To find out when ovulation will occur, doctors suggested using the method of subtracting the duration of the second half of the cycle from its total duration. Why is it so? Yes, because the first half of the cycle can only be conditionally called half, in practice it is often shorter or longer, because hormonal processes during the follicular phase are intense, multi-stage, and they can be influenced by a variety of factors - from the woman's well-being to the medicines she takes. Even for one woman in different cycles, this phase can be different in time.

The second half of the cycle is luteal or progesterone. It depends less on external and internal circumstances and factors; it is usually quite stable in women of different ages with different cycle times. With both a 28-day cycle and a 32-day cycle, the luteal phase is typically 14 days (plus or minus a day).

In this way, the estimated day of ovulation is calculated using the formula O = D-14, where O is ovulation, and D is the duration of the cycle. With a cycle of 30 days, ovulation should be expected on the 16th day of the cycle, with the classic 28-day cycle - on the 14th day, etc. But in reality, the shift of an important day in one direction or another is likely, and then either early or late ovulation is recorded ...

After the follicle ruptures, the ovulation phase begins, it lasts as long as the egg cell lives - from 24 to 36 hours.

Early and late

Both premature and delayed ovulation are considered types of violations of the female cycle. The early one happens much less frequently than the late one. The main reason for both of these phenomena is a violation of the hormonal background, improper endocrine accompaniment of the follicular phase of the female cycle.

Premature release of the egg

About early ovulation, they say that the follicular phase is reduced from the normal 14-16 days to 12 or less. With her, the egg cell does not have time to go through all the necessary stages of maturation, and even if the rupture of the follicle passes without visible problems, conception is unlikely, because an immature female gamete is often not capable of merging with the male cell.

Earlier than the term, ovulation can occur for a variety of reasons, which invariably converge to one consequence - the hormonal background is disrupted:

a woman reaches premenopausal age, in which there is a decrease in the secretion of sex hormones;
frequent use of caffeine (this is strong tea, coffee, dark chocolate);
bad habits (especially smoking);
a sharp decrease in body weight in a short period of time or a sharp increase in weight;
cancellation of oral contraceptives (2-4 cycles after cancellation);
morphological changes in the ovaries;
endocrine diseases (thyroid gland, adrenal cortex);
inflammatory diseases of the organs of the reproductive system, as well as tumors.

In premature ovulation, high levels of the hormone FSH, as well as excess estradiol and LH in the blood, are often “to blame”. With age, women in the first half of the cycle produce more FSH, because the depleting ovarian reserve needs additional stimulation, and therefore early ovulation is more common in women after 35-40 years than in girls from 20 to 35 years.

Early ovulation does not need treatment unless it is chronic. When repeating 3 or more cycles with premature ovulation recorded by doctors, a lifestyle correction is prescribed to ensure a normal night's sleep, lack of caffeine and bad habits, and then, if necessary, treatment with hormonal drugs that regulate estrogenic processes. If there is no effect, IVF is performed using a donor egg.

Belated exit

Ovulation can be delayed by lengthening the follicular phase. The reason is still the same - hormonal shift. Ovulation is considered late when the rupture of the follicle and the release of the egg occur later than the expected time. With a cycle of 30-34 days, late ovulation is said if it occurs after the 25th day of the cycle, with the classic 28-day cycle duration, ovulation is considered late after the 16th day of the cycle.

The oocyte can be either normal or overripe, the probability of conception with a late release of the egg is there, but it is reduced. But the likelihood of spontaneous abortion at an early stage is increased.

The reasons why the oocyte release is late can also be very diverse:

a state of prolonged chronic stress (stress hormones reduce the production of sex hormones);
violation of the biological rhythms of the female body - flight, change of time zone, new climatic conditions, strikingly different from the usual habitat;
an abortion made within 1-4 months before this cycle;
abolition of oral contraceptives;
the period after childbirth, until a full cycle is established;
influenza, acute respiratory viral infections and other ailments that are associated with an increase in body temperature in the first half of the cycle;
the onset of age-related changes in the premenopausal period;
pathology of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland;
any diseases in which the concentration of estradiol in the blood increases: endometriosis, endometrial hyperpasia, breast cancer and a number of other tumors that can produce hormones.

If pregnancy does occur, some difficulties arise with its diagnosis. Tests after a delay in menstruation usually do not show a positive result due to late implantation and a small amount of hCG. But after a week, they become positive.

Late ovulation needs treatment in case of chronic recurrence for three or more female cycles in a row. In addition to advice on normalizing her lifestyle, a woman receives a referral to an oncologist, an endocrinologist for examination, after which a decision is made on the type and dosage of hormonal agents for the treatment of hormonal disruption.

Anovulation

This term refers to the absence of ovulation. This phenomenon can happen to every woman, even a perfectly healthy one. Cycles in which ovulation has not occurred are called anovulatory cycles. Normally, there may be several of them per year. If a woman is young and healthy, then 1-2 such cycles per year are not considered a pathological situation.

From the age of 35, the number of cycles without ovulation can increase to 5-6 per year, and this will also be the physiological norm for this age category. The peculiarities of ovulation in women aged 38-40 and older are precisely the fact that ovulation itself may not occur, although menstruation will be regular.

If the age norms are exceeded, the condition qualifies as a pathology, it indicates that the functions of the ovaries are impaired. For the period of anovulation until its elimination, the woman is sterile. The reasons that can lead to a lack of ovulation in cycles are:

dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary system (after head injury, concussions, TBI, inflammatory diseases, for example, meningitis or encephalitis, neoplasms in the brain, high levels of prolactin);
ovarian resistance, in which they do not respond in the right way to normal hormonal levels;
thickening of the ovarian capsule, in connection with which rupture of the follicle is technically impossible;
tumors that independently produce sex steroid hormones, as well as obesity (adipose tissue is able to reproduce hormones itself in a certain amount);
pathology of the thyroid gland, adrenal cortex;
depletion of the ovarian reserve;
autoimmune diseases;
increased physical activity (professional sports, hard physical labor, etc.);
significant fluctuations in body weight, anorexia.

Ovulation may be absent for several cycles after the abolition of oral contraceptives, with a high level of prolactin during breastfeeding. Ovulation usually does not occur in women with hyperandrogenism (high levels of male sex hormones), polycystic ovaries. Often, such anovulation is also accompanied by amenorrhea - the absence of menstruation.

Women with chronic anovulation usually have signs of excessive body hair, the voice decreases and coarsens, the menstrual cycle is disrupted, intermenstrual bleeding is possible, spotting in the middle of the cycle, acne appears, the skin becomes more greasy, and libido decreases.

Pathology cannot be treated with folk remedies: neither sage, nor upland uterus, nor chamomile broth help to solve the problem. A rather long and painstaking hormonal treatment is needed, to which a specialist doctor in the profile of the underlying disease (neurosurgeon, endocrinologist, psychiatrist, and others) should be connected. Conservative treatment helps approximately 80% of women with chronic anovulation.

The rest can take advantage of the possibilities of in vitro fertilization with an egg donor. With a pathologically thick capsule of the sex gland, surgical treatment is performed - the capsule is incised to facilitate rupture. But you need to plan a pregnancy almost immediately after a laparoscopy, otherwise the effect will disappear.

Determination methods

It would be difficult to navigate the timing of ovulation if the woman's capabilities were limited only by the calendar method. Online ovulation calculators are very convenient, simple and straightforward to use, they allow you to calculate not only the day of ovulation, but also all days suitable for conception. However, they are not highly accurate, since they do not take into account individual characteristics. With an irregular cycle, if a woman finds it difficult to determine the exact duration of her cycle due to its instability, the method of calculating the calendar is generally not considered reliable.

Measuring ovulation as such is a difficult task even for doctors with high-precision equipment. But there are several methods that can help a woman learn to recognize this important period of her menstrual cycle.

Tests

Ovulation test - an easy-to-use and affordable invention of mankind for home use, with the help of which it is possible to find out, if not the day of ovulation itself, then the estimated period of the ovulatory phase. These tests have helped millions of women get pregnant. Tests are both disposable and reusable, electronic. According to some reports, reusable is more accurate than disposable.

The principle of operation of all strip tests (strips), cassette, inkjet and electronic tests for ovulation is the reaction of a strip or replaceable insert of a reagent applied in the test area, which is colored when the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) in a woman's urine rises. Such tests are carried out about 5 days before the expected ovulation every day, the result is considered positive, in which the device produces two clear bright stripes. It is very important to follow the instructions of the instructions exactly, as there is a high probability of getting false results.

It is not recommended to drink a lot before testing (you should not drink liquid 3-4 hours before that), you should not test on morning urine, since it is more concentrated and the result may be false positive. Each subsequent test is best done at the same time as the previous one.

After the appearance of two stripes, ovulation should be expected for about 12-24 hours, but individual fluctuations in these periods are possible.

There is a special category of reusable tests - mini microscopes... These devices, very much like a lipstick or regular powder compact, work in a different way. The material for research with their help will not be urine, but saliva or vaginal discharge (mucus can be used only in some models of test systems - read the instructions carefully!).

Before ovulation, with an increase in estrogen in the body, a partial retention of potassium and sodium occurs, and the saliva applied to the diagnostic glass, dries up, becomes reminiscent of the pattern fern leaves or frosty patterns on the window. In the remaining phases of the cycle, except for the days preceding ovulation, such a pattern is not observed.

Basal temperature

The method of measuring basal temperature helps to understand the features of the cycle better. This is the name of the lowest (base, true) temperature inside the body, which is characteristic of a person only during his rest period. During ovulation, it usually rises by 0.3-0.8 degrees. The increase in BT is due to the hormonal changes described above.

Basal temperature should be measured in parts of the body that communicate with the cavities - in the anus, mouth or vagina. Measurement data should be entered in a special schedule. Measurements do not stop even during the next menstruation. It is possible to draw clear conclusions about how the female reproductive system functions, whether ovulation occurs, from the results of the first three months of measurements.

During the period of follicle maturation, estrogen predominates in the body, it does not allow the temperature to rise high. The corpus luteum, the formation of which begins immediately after the rupture of the follicle, produces progesterone, which increases the BT level and does not allow it to decrease. On the graph, the ovulatory cycle looks like a bird's beak with an increase above 37 degrees.... If there was no conception, then before the next menstruation, the basal temperature decreases again and remains the same throughout menstruation and the next follicular phase in the new cycle.

Measurements are recommended in the morning, immediately after waking up, trying not to get up or move, since any activity raises the level of the base body temperature, and this can cause inaccurate results. One specific place is used for measurements (either the vagina or the anus, it is not worth alternating). The thermometer is placed 2-3 centimeters in the rectum or vagina for five minutes. Then the result of thermometry is entered in the table and graph.

It is important that before the measurement, the woman sleeps continuously, without going to the toilet or drinking, for at least six hours. With stress, drinking alcohol, after sex, the temperature may be too high, remember this.

Two-phase charts, in which the difference between the first and second phases is clearly visible, is considered the norm. If you get chaotic schedules, without dividing into phases, with an increase in BT in the first half of the cycle, you should definitely consult a doctor - usually these are signs of hormonal disruption, anovulation, failure of the first or second phase of the cycle, infertility.

The basal temperature measurement method is perfectly combined with calendar, ovulation tests and other methods. It allows you to clarify the data obtained by other methods, as well as notice possible pathological changes in time.

Discharge and cervix

The diagnostic cervical method (Billings method) is based on the assessment of vaginal discharge, which changes dramatically in the period preceding ovulation. Changes occur due to a significant increase in cervical secretion. Cervical mucus, which usually "is in charge" of preventing infection of the cervix, at the time of high female fertility, takes on additional responsibilities - reproductive and auxiliary.

The cervical secretion is alkaline and this composition allows to partially reduce the acidity of the vaginal environment, thereby increasing the chances of most sperm for survival. It makes it easier for them to slide and pass through the cervical canal, so that the male reproductive cells can quickly pass the way from the vagina, where they got after ejaculation, to the fallopian tube, where the female reproductive cell appears during ovulation.

Before ovulation, in 3-4 days, the nature of the cervical secretion begins to change. Its quantity increases, its density changes. The fact that ovulation will happen from day to day is indicated by the appearance of mucous, transparent, odorless discharge, stretching between the fingers for several centimeters. For this property, women are often compared to ovulation discharge with raw chicken egg white.

After ovulation, under the influence of progesterone, the amount of cervical secretion decreases, transparency is lost. The very next day after ovulation, the discharge becomes white, milky, white-yellowish, opaque.

Popular and fairly reliable methods of pregnancy planning and contraception are based on this, for example, the symptothermal method for recognizing fertility. The Billings method should not be used as a separate diagnostic method, since an increase in cervical secretion is possible not only due to the approach of ovulation, but also due to the inflammatory process (for any inflammation of the organs of the reproductive system, the cervical secretion increases by 2-3 times).

There are also women who do not notice the appearance of abundant ovulation in their cycles. This is usually due to an insufficient level of estrogen, but it may well be an individual feature of the cycle in a particular lady, which does not in the least reduce her ability to conceive and bear a fetus.

More informative is symptothermal method, in which cervical secretions are also assessed, but the information is supplemented by basal temperature measurement and self-diagnosis of the position of the cervix (at the time of ovulation, it softens, slightly rises relative to the usual level, and after ovulation it becomes stiffer and closes tightly).

Ultrasound and blood tests

Medical diagnostic methods are the most accurate. These include laboratory tests of venous blood and folliculometry (a type of ultrasound diagnosis).

A certain concentration of hormones is observed in the blood of a woman who is approaching ovulation, which can tell a lot to specialists. The FSH hormone, as a direct participant in the follicle maturation process, rises from the very beginning of the cycle, and its small amount on the 3-5 day of the cycle may indicate that the follicles do not mature, ovulation may not be in this cycle. The norm is considered a value from 2.8 to 11.3 mU / l, during the period of ovulation, the FSH concentration is determined at the level of 5.8-21.0 mU / l.

Progesterone levels are usually important during the second half of the cycle, but they are measured on other days to assess the overall hormone ratio. During ovulation, it normally ranges from 2.4 to 9.5 nmol / l. The level of estradiol is important. The day before ovulation, its content increases approximately threefold - up to 127-476 pg / ml. The day after ovulation, it decreases sharply.

The hormone LH is especially important for determining ovulation. 24 hours before ovulation, there is a surge of up to 14-96 mIU / ml, the next day after the release of the egg, the LH content sharply decreases.

Usually laboratory research is carried out in parallel with folliculometry, so it is possible to obtain more information for thought. This type of ultrasound of the ovaries is carried out in dynamics, several times during the follicular phase, for the first time - immediately after the end of the next menstruation, and later - with a frequency that the doctor will appoint based on the situation. As part of such a survey, the number of antral follicles is assessed, this gives an idea of the general ovarian reserve of a woman, of her ability to conceive naturally.

Further, the growth of the dominant follicle is assessed. When it reaches a large size, a stigma is determined on the surface of the bubble - the place where a rupture should occur. If at the same time a laboratory blood test shows a surge in LH, it is safe to say that ovulation will occur in the next day.

On the very day of ovulation, the follicle is no longer visible on the ultrasound. But 3-4 days after ovulation, by the presence of a corpus luteum in the ovary at the site of the follicle, a conclusion is made about whether ovulation actually took place. If there is no corpus luteum, there was no ovulation. If the corpus luteum is present, then the oocyte was released.

The date of ovulation is of great importance for women who are planning to conceive. Monitoring the phases and the onset of ovulation is shown to all women, but especially attention should be paid to this if ovulation stimulation is planned, there are problems with conception, the menstrual cycle is irregular, "floating". After conception takes place, the date of ovulation loses its meaning: the date of birth, gestational age and everything else that interests expectant mothers, it is customary to calculate not from the date of ovulation, but from the first day of the last menstruation.

Types and causes of ovulation disorders

There is a fairly large list of types of ovulation disorders, they are united by one thing - with almost all violations, the onset of pregnancy is impossible, a woman cannot conceive a baby, despite all efforts, attempts to track ovulation, maintaining a healthy lifestyle with the concomitant intake of herbs, decoctions and vitamins. Here are just a few of them.

Follicle persistence. Under this concept lies the absence of rupture of the follicle at the appointed time. The dominant follicle grows normally, it contains a completely healthy, full-fledged egg, but the bubble does not rupture, the oocyte inside dies, and the follicle itself is observed on the surface of the ovary for a rather long time, and then resolves on its own or becomes a functional follicular cyst.

It is manifested by a malfunction of the menstrual cycle, a delay of 20-40 days, with age-related chronic persistence, menstruation may be absent for several months, and then amenorrhea is replaced by profuse menstrual bleeding.

Luteinization. This is a pathological condition associated with the premature arrival of the luteal phase. That is, the corpus luteum begins to form even before ovulation inside the follicle. As a result, ovulation does not occur, the egg dies. The cycle can be shortened, or it can remain unchanged, and the woman's only complaint will be the absence of the desired pregnancy.

Atresia. With this phenomenon, a sudden, inexplicable regression and involution of the follicle normally growing up to a certain time occurs. It can simply stop developing and transform into a cyst, or it can regress completely, disappear without a trace. It manifests itself in the chronic course of long periods of absence of menstruation, scanty smearing secretions, which cannot be considered a full-fledged menstruation.

Empty follicle syndrome. A very mysterious pathology that cannot be detected on an ultrasound scan, and the only way to find out that there is no egg cell inside the follicle at all is to carry out a follicular puncture with aspiration of fluid. It occurs infrequently and mainly in women who are in the IVF treatment cycle. It is believed that this is how hormonal stimulants themselves may act.

True empty follicle syndrome is very rare and is a genetic trait of women. In this case, medicine is powerless to help, motherhood is possible only with IVF with the use of a donor oocyte.

Double ovulation. This is another very mysterious phenomenon, the existence of which scientists and doctors are still arguing about. The professional community is divided into those who argue that two ovulations in one cycle cannot occur, and there are those who are sure of the opposite. It is absolutely known that double simultaneous ovulation, in which two dominant follicles mature and the release of oocytes occurs at the same time or with a difference of several minutes or several hours, is quite real, and this, although infrequently, does occur.

In this case, both eggs can be fertilized, and twins will be born, unlike each other, probably heterosexual babies. Often, double maturation of two dominant follicles is associated with the stimulation of ovulation or the abolition of oral contraceptives.

Not everything is so simple with double ovulation, in which the release of eggs is not consistent and simultaneous, but delimited in time by several days (no more than 7 days). In this case, both one and the other cell can be fertilized. But if conception has already taken place from the first, then there is almost no chance of conception and implantation of the second. If the first oocyte is not fertilized, then pregnancy may well occur with late re-ovulation.

Ovulatory syndrome

Ovulation usually does not have special pronounced symptoms, because the processes are microscopic. That is why it was believed for quite a long time that a woman could not feel the release of an oocyte. But modern medicine has reconsidered its attitude to this issue, and today there is even a special term - ovulatory syndrome, which includes a list of symptoms that individual women complain about in the middle of the cycle.

Unpleasant sensations, ovulatory pains in the right or left ovary, heaviness, headache, complaints that there are tingling sensations in the ovarian region, lower back pain, pulling in the lower abdomen, there are signs of dizziness, usually characteristic of women with a high level of excitability of the nervous system, they low pain threshold is characteristic.

The nature of these sensations is purely physiological.Painful ovulation as a phenomenon is caused by the ovulatory processes themselves: whatever one may say, the rupture of the follicle is, albeit small, but still an injury. The pain is associated with irritation of nerve receptors, with irritation of the peritoneum by the free fluid released from the burst follicle and a small amount of blood from the damaged blood vessels of the follicular membrane.

Often it is a small hemorrhage that explains the appearance of minor bleeding (the so-called ovulation bleeding, which, of course, is not bleeding in the full sense of the word). Pain can increase during physical activity, during intercourse.

Ovulation syndrome differs from other symptoms in a rigid connection to the ovulation process. Unpleasant sensations appear on the day of ovulation and disappear within 1-2 days after it. If the pain persists for a longer period of time, is accompanied by atypical discharge, itching, fever, then this is not an ovulatory syndrome, but a sign of infection, inflammation or other problem. The doctor will tell you in more detail, since it is he who needs to be contacted in this case.

Usually, the painful ovulatory syndrome affects either young virgin girls with an unsettled cycle, or women after undergoing abortions and multiple births. Symptoms completely disappear with the onset of menopause. According to statistics, about half of women experienced ovulatory syndrome at least once in their lives. But no more than 5% of the fair sex complain about very painful ovulation, which is repeated on an ongoing basis from cycle to cycle.

Among other described symptoms of ovulation, there may be individual signs such as an increase in body temperature to subfebrile values at the time of ovulation, bloating, pain in the mammary glands, mood swings. Immediately after ovulation, under the action of progesterone, many people note that appetite increases, there is a gut, slight edema and frequent urination may occur.

Ovulatory syndrome does not need treatment. If a woman is experiencing severe pain, she is recommended to use conventional pain relievers, antispasmodics, and in extreme cases, contraceptives, which can completely suppress ovulation and eliminate the painful discomfort associated with it.

The likelihood of pregnancy

One of the most troubling issues related to ovulation concerns the possibility and likelihood of conception. The fertile period in a woman's cycle is not limited only to the day of ovulation and days after it, while the egg cell lives. Conception itself, indeed, is possible only during this period. But intercourse, which can lead to pregnancy, can occur before ovulation. This is due to the longer life of the sperm.

On average, male reproductive cells are able to exist in the female genital tract after ejaculation without loss of properties and ability to fertilize from 3 to 5 days. Knowing this, it becomes clear that sexual intercourse performed during this period can cause pregnancy, because the sperm will merge immediately after the oocyte leaves the follicle.

The likelihood of pregnancy depends on the day of the cycle, its proximity to ovulation, on the age of the partners - over the years, the quality of germ cells steadily decreases. It also plays a role in what kind of sexual intercourse was - with full ejaculation or interrupted, in which live and motile spermatozoa can also enter the genital tract with the lubricant produced in men when excited.

The fertile period begins 4-5 days before ovulation and ends two days after it. The chances of conceiving a child the first time for a young and healthy couple are as follows:

on the day of ovulation - 33%;
5 days before ovulation - 3%;
4 days before ovulation - 10%;
3 days before ovulation - 16%;
2 days before ovulation - 28%;
the day before ovulation - 30-31%.

After ovulation within a day, the chances of conception are assessed as high - 31%, 2 days after ovulation - 20%, 3 days - 1%, 4 days - 0.1%. A week after ovulation, conception is impossible, unless, of course, double or late ovulation occurs.

Stimulation

Stimulation of ovulation is a therapeutic measure that is carried out to treat infertility for strict medical reasons using hormonal agents. You cannot accelerate or stimulate ovulation with folk remedies (herbs and decoctions), with the help of numerous dietary supplements - their manufacturers, to put it mildly, are cunning, claiming that there are pills without hormones that can improve ovulation. There are no products in nature for ovulation and conception, and folic acid does not help in this task.

In the cycle in which ovulation is caused, a drug is prescribed that activates the ovaries, the maturation of the follicles proceeds under the control of ultrasound and when the dominant follicle reaches a size of 18 mm, make hCG angle, which causes accelerated maturation of the oocyte. 12-36 hours after the injection, the follicle ruptures, ovulation occurs.

After that, in the luteal phase, the woman receives progesterone preparations to support the second phase and a possible pregnancy that has come, they allow you to quickly build up the endometrium.

The treatment cycle is planned only by a doctor, self-medication is categorically contraindicated. The decision on the advisability of such treatment is made after a comprehensive examination, after an ultrasound scan, hormonal tests, and sometimes after hysteroscopy. More than 4 consecutive cycles of stimulation are not carried out, this can cause ovarian depletion and the onset of early menopause. Stimulation is not performed for women with obstruction of the fallopian tubes, with pathologies of the thyroid gland and adrenal cortex, stimulation is considered undesirable after 40 years.

Synchronization effect

In the last century, scientists discovered an amazing fact about ovulation - this process is socially regulated. The phenomenon, called the McClintock effect, is that women who are in frequent contact with each other, work together in the same room, live together, experience cycle synchronization. They have menstruation at the same time, at the same time (with a slight error) the ovulatory phase occurs. Synchronization is noted in close friends, but most often it is noticeable in daughters and mothers.

Previously, the phenomenon was identified in female animals, but then it was not given special importance. The effect was named after Martha McClintock, who worked at Harvard University. It was she who first drew attention to the synchronization of women's cycles among women living in the same hostel.

It is believed that the special pheromones that women release in the ovulatory phase are to blame. Other tribesmen catch them, and their pituitary gland begins to tune in to changes in the hormonal background. Gradually, the cycles, initially different, become similar, menstruation in women begins approximately simultaneously. Only this can explain why in some collectives where women spend a lot of time together (hospitals, schools), several employees often become pregnant at the same time and go on maternity leave.

From an evolutionary point of view, such synchronization guarantees effective protection of offspring from threats and predators, which increases the chances of survival of the population.

For what ovulation is, see the next video.