A few days before Day 14, your estrogen levels peak and cause a sharp rise in the level of luteinizing hormone (LH). Luteinizing hormone is a hormone that tells the ovary to release an egg (called ovulation), LH is released by the brain. The Luteinizing hormone tends to naturally rise in levels 1-2 days before ovulation starts, so women through their doctors test for luteinizing hormone levels. Luteinizing hormone levels peak about 12 hours before ovulation and causes the mature follicle to burst and release an egg from the ovary, a process called ovulation, on approximately Day 14.

Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary so it can be fertilized by a sperm in order to make a baby. Just before ovulation, changes are observed in vaginal mucus as it becomes more slippery. This type of mucus helps sperm move up into your uterus and into the fallopian tubes where it can fertilize an egg.

Over the next week (Days 15 to 21), the fallopian tubes help the newly released egg travel away from the ovary toward the uterus. More progesterone is made in the ovary due to the ruptured follicle, which thickens the uterine lining even more. If a sperm joins with the egg in the fallopian tube (this is called fertilization), the fertilized egg will continue down the fallopian tube and attach to the lining of the uterus (womb). Pregnancy begins once a fertilized egg attaches to the womb.

Some signs of ovulation could include; slight increase in a person’s body temperature, mild cramping in the lower abdomen, a higher sex drive, wetter, clearer, and more slippery vaginal discharge similar to egg-white.

To maximize the chances of becoming pregnant, sexual intercourse should be carried out at calculated times. That is, it should be done within the fertile or ovulation period. Sex during any of these days may provide a greater percentage chance of pregnancy. Having regular sexual intercourse does not guarantee conception but it could be said to increase possibility of getting pregnant (i.e., you keep having sex until she is pregnant). Research has shown that women with a 28-day cycle tend to ovulate on day 14.

Some people do say that a woman sex position matters a lot if she wants to get pregnant but this is only but a myth with no scientific evidence. The woman can be anywhere although she can lay in bed for 10 – 15 minutes just to allow the sperm meet with the egg properly. And do try not to use the toilet immediately after sex, to avoid letting out the sperm before it gets to its location.

The use of tobacco and alcohol has been known to reduce fertility and affect the health of a developing fetus. Learn to maintain a normal weight as people who are overweight or underweight are more likely to have irregular ovulation which can in turn affect ovulation reading. It is recommended that women start taking a prenatal vitamin even before becoming pregnant.

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