Ovulation

Ovulation - The expulsion of a mature egg from its follicle in the outer layer of the ovary which usually occurs on approximately day 14 of a normal 28-day menstrual cycle. A woman is most fertile in the days just before and on the day of ovulation. While the ovary is preparing an egg for ovulation, the lining of the uterus is being prepared to accept a fertilized ovum to begin the pregnancy. Ovulation also occurs in the estrous cycle of animals, which differs in many fundamental ways to the menstrual cycle.

Ovulation / read more

Ovulation dates vary widely from woman to woman and from month to month. Many women need to use one or more methods to pinpoint their ovulation day, such as checking for several days of stringy cervical mucus, charting basal body temperature changes, and checking luteinizing hormone changes. Some women feel a brief period of sharp pain on one side of the lower abdomen (the side where the egg was released) when they ovulate. This pain is called mittelschmerz. An increase in vaginal discharge or slight spotting may also occur near the time of ovulation.