How to Find a Woman's Ovulation Date

During ovulation, a woman's ovaries release an egg, which is fertilized when it comes in contact with the man's sperm. If you're trying to get pregnant, you have a 12- to 24-hour window each month when you can conceive. Sperm also live in your body for three to five days. Knowing when you'll ovulate lets you time intercourse so that you'll have the greatest chance of becoming pregnant. You can predict ovulation by learning how to observe certain body signs.

Instructions

• 1

  Track your periods on a calendar. Ovulation occurs sometime between 12 and 16 days before your period. If you have a fairly regular cycle, you can predict when you may be ovulating, though you should combine this with other methods to be sure.

• 2

  Take your basal body temperature every morning. The basal body temperature, or BBT, is your body temperature after you've been resting. It's the same on most days, but spikes the day after you ovulate. You need a special thermometer, which may come with a chart to help track BBT. Once you know when you ovulated, count the days to your period to determine your "luteal phase," or the number of days in between ovulation and your period. Use this to count back from your expected period date to make a good guess about when you ovulate.

• 3

  Check your cervical mucus and cervix position. Sperm travel through your cervix to reach the egg. As you ovulate, the mucus around your cervix becomes slippery and stretchy, which helps the sperm along. Test your cervical mucus by swiping your finger along the area and examining it in the light. During ovulation, your cervix will also be up higher, and you may even be able insert a finger.

• 4

  Use an ovulation predictor kit. Just before your body releases an egg, it produces luteinizing hormone. Ovulation predictor kits test the urine for this hormone. Collect your urine in a clean, dry cup. Dip the end of the test into your urine. If it detects the hormone, you'll see two lines. This means that you'll ovulate within the next 36 hours.