The average woman produces only one egg per cycle. The moment when the cell leaves the ovary is called ovulation. Ovulation is brief: the egg is viable Getting pregnant just 12-24 hours. If during this time she does not meet with sperm, conception will not occur. That is, you have to wait for the next cycle.

The situation is slightly simplified by the fact that spermatozoa are able to wait for their egg for 3-4 days. This means that the so-called fertility window - the period when sex is likely to lead to pregnancy - is expanding to 4-5 days a month.

It remains only to understand when ovulation occurs.

How to calculate ovulation in a calendar way

  • Accuracy: below average.

This method works only if you keep a calendar of the menstrual cycle and know exactly the timing and duration.

According to generally accepted medical concepts, ovulation occurs 14 days before the start of the next period. With an average 28-day cycle, this date falls on the 14th day of the cycle. That is, the fertility window, taking into account the viability of spermatozoa, is the 10-14th day of the cycle.

But there is an opinion The timing of the “fertile window” in the menstrual cycle: day specific estimates from a prospective study that in many women ovulation floats and can occur on any date between the 10th and 22nd day of the menstrual cycle. Only 221 women participated in the study, so it is probably not worth extrapolating the results to all.

However, if you are unable to conceive during your "standard" fertility period, try to expand it according to new data.

An important note: the calendar method does not take into account individual characteristics and lifestyle. Do not rely on calculations Rhythm method for natural family planning, If you:

  1. Have an irregular monthly cycle.
  2. Became a mother a few months ago.
  3. Continue breastfeeding.
  4. Approaching menopause (this process, as a rule, starts in 40-50 years).
  5. Recently stopped taking or other hormonal contraceptives.

How to calculate ovulation online

  • Accuracy: below average.

Most web services are built on the same assumption that ovulation occurs 14 days before the start of the next menstrual cycle. Therefore, they have the same disadvantages as the actual calendar method. However, these services can still help determine the most fertile period.

To calculate online, you can use the ovulation calendar provided, for example, by the reputable medical site WebMD. The service will ask you:

  1. Start date of previous menstruation.
  2. Cycle duration. If in doubt, the service will ask you to enter the start dates of the previous few periods and, based on them, it will calculate the cycle itself.

As a result of calculations you will get:

  1. Fertile Window.
  2. Estimated date of ovulation (Approximate Ovulation).
  3. Estimated date of the next menstruation (Next Period).
  4. The date when the pregnancy test will give an unambiguous result: conception occurred or not (Pregnancy Test Day).

How to calculate ovulation using apps

  • Accuracy: average.

Such utilities are not limited to using a purely calendar method. Month after month, they study your individual cycle, well-being, emotional state, help track possible failures in the monthly process, and also predict the onset of ovulation and. The more data you enter into such an application, the more accurate the forecasts will be.

Here is a small selection of popular women's calendars.

1.Ovia

This application allows you to fully track the state of your health. It takes into account not only the monthly cycle, but also your individual characteristics: age, height, weight, sleep quality, amount of exercise, level, mood swings during the day, and so on. As a result, the date of ovulation is predicted quite accurately.

2. Period calendar

Russian-language application with elements of artificial intelligence. The “period calendar” not only tracks the individual characteristics of the body and lifestyle, but also learns itself in the process, remembering exactly how your body reacts to certain life circumstances (stress, moving and flying, increasing or decreasing load, and so on). This allows you to increase the accuracy of forecasts over time.

3.Ovu View

The utility uses a wide range of fertility assessment: 4 symptomatic methods, 5 methods based on the assessment of secretions, 3 temperature and 2 calendar methods. The results are presented in the form of a visual and easy-to-understand chart, which shows both fertile and relatively safe days.

How to calculate ovulation in a physiological way

  • Accuracy: average.

The task is to trace the symptoms Signs of Ovulation most commonly associated with ovulation. Here they are:

  1. Change in quantity, color and density: they become similar to raw egg whites. This is one of the first clear signs of ovulation-related hormonal changes in the body. Immediately after the completion of the ovulation process, the amount of secretions decreases, they become less noticeable.
  2. An increase in basal (at rest) body temperature - by 0.5–1 ° C. To track it down, start a habit every morning.
  3. Swelling and soreness of the chest.
  4. Slight bloating.
  5. Pulling sensations in the lower abdomen.

It is most effective to combine the physiological method with the calendar method. In this case, you will know at what period of the cycle it is important to listen to yourself especially carefully.

How to calculate ovulation instrumentally

  • Accuracy: high.

There are ovulation tests in pharmacies. They work in much the same way as pregnancy tests, and help to determine exactly whether the hormonal background matches what triggers the release of an egg from the ovaries.

Perfectionist Option - Ultrasound Scanning Ultrasound scanning of ovaries to detect ovulation in women. With the help of an ultrasound machine, the specialist will determine the size of the follicle (“vesicle” in which the egg matures) and will suggest the most likely time for the release of the egg from the ovary. You will have to go through 2 or 3 sessions during the monthly cycle:

  1. On the 7-10th day of the cycle. It allows you to determine the dominant follicle - the one in which a viable egg matures, as well as fix its size.
  2. After 3 days. The uzist will evaluate the growth dynamics of the follicle and give a conclusion on when ovulation is expected.
  3. 1 day before or immediately on the day of expected ovulation to confirm the start of the process.

Instrumental studies, unlike other methods, have a high accuracy - more than 80%.

Tracking ovulation allows you to choose the period during pregnancy. The viability of the egg is maintained for 48-72 hours, so with a serious approach to planning, you can accurately calculate the day on which it can happen.


If you are planning a pregnancy, then on the days of ovulation you must:


  • completely abandon alcohol;

  • do not take antibiotics and other potent medicines;

  • not x-rays.

Methods for determining ovulation

There are different ways to track ovulation in terms.


1. Calendar method. Ovulation usually occurs in the middle of the cycle. That is, if the cycle is 28 days, then ovulation is likely to occur on the 14th day of the cycle. The cycle should be counted from the first day of menstruation. In the period when the possibility of conception is high, it is necessary to include 4 days before and 4 days after the date of probable ovulation. This is due to the fact that the egg and sperm retain their viability for about 3 days. Thus, with a cycle of 28 days, the probability of conception is high from the 10th to the 17th day of the cycle. Although the calendar method is used quite often, it has proven to be very unreliable. This method gives more or less accurate results only with a regular cycle.


2. A method based on measuring basal body temperature. This method allows you to accurately determine the moment of ovulation. Schedule should be from the first day of the cycle. On one axis, the days of the cycle are marked, and on the other, the temperature. Every morning immediately after waking up, it is necessary to measure the temperature in the rectum and reflect the data on the graph. The basal temperature will depend on the level of hormones that are produced in the female body. In the first half of the cycle (before ovulation), estrogen helps to reduce body temperature, in the second half of the cycle (after ovulation), progesterone helps to increase body temperature. A sharp rise in temperature on the graph indicates the day of ovulation.


3. Tracking ovulation with test strips. This method is based on determining the increase in luteinizing hormone in the urine. Test strips can be bought at almost any pharmacy, as a rule, there are 5 strips in a package. With the help of a special table that is in each package, you can determine the day the test starts


The procedure for conducting an ovulation test is similar to conducting a pregnancy test. The strip is immersed in urine for a few seconds. If the test line is the same color as the control line, or darker than it, then this means that ovulation will occur within 24-36 hours.


The most accurate and proven method for determining ovulation is an ultrasound examination, with which you can not only monitor the growth of the follicle, but even fix the moment of ovulation.

Ovulation is the process by which a mature egg is released from the ovary. It is during this period that a woman can become pregnant. Therefore, many women want to know when this period is in order to try to get pregnant or protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies.

How to calculate the day of ovulation?

So, in order to calculate ovulation, you must have a regular menstrual cycle. As a rule, a woman's period lasts an average of 28 days, ovulation occurs 2 weeks before the start of the next period, and in order to calculate the day of ovulation, 14 days must be subtracted from the expected day of the next menstruation. For example, the first day of menstruation was January 1, it turns out that with a regular 28-day cycle, the next one will come on January 29. So, in order to calculate the day of ovulation, we need to subtract 14 days from January 29, we get January 15 - this is the estimated date for the release of a mature egg.

In order not to bother with calculations, our interactive calculator will help you calculate the day of ovulation. But keep in mind that this method is not 100% reliable, so you should not rely heavily on it. Only ultrasound will help to accurately calculate the day of ovulation!

Asking the question of pregnancy, a woman is looking for opportunities to speed up the process as much as possible. To do this, you need to be able to identify the moment when the female cell is “ready” using different methods, as well as know the rules to calculate ovulation, including online.

What causes ovulation - processes

  • A follicle grows in the ovary. This is a special bubble in which the cell is born.
  • Having reached the optimal size, the follicle is torn.
  • The vacated cell begins to move along the female paths.
  • If in this segment she meets a sperm cell, contact will occur, leading to conception.
  • After that, the cell will approach the uterus and be fixed. This is where the embryo will develop.
  • In the place of separation from the ovary, the corpus luteum will grow. It produces a hormone that promotes pregnancy.

The third stage is ovulation. Its length depends on the vital activity of the cell. Usually, this is a day, less often - 36-48 hours. That's why you need to know how to calculate ovulation in order to get pregnant. Indeed, due to the brevity of the process, it is easy to miss it.

If the meeting does not happen, the cell will die in a day. The corpus luteum will still form, since this procedure is necessary for the normal completion of the process. At the appointed time, menstruation will come and everything will repeat itself cyclically.

Knowing the duration of each stage, how to calculate ovulation and prescribe a personal calendar, it will not be difficult at all.

Cell maturation time varies for everyone. Ideally, it is 14 days, but in practice it is between 11-16 days. Due to such an error, this parameter cannot participate in the calculation. The second stage, associated with the development of the corpus luteum and the preparation of the ovaries for a new cycle, is static in all women - 14 days. This figure does not change at any distance between menstruation.

How to calculate ovulation mathematically

Consider an example of how to calculate ovulation in order to get pregnant and prescribe a calendar for productive sexual intercourse. First of all, you need to calculate the length of your cycle - the distance between the first days of blood discharge. The ideal number is 28 days.

You need to subtract 14 from your value. In our case, it also turns out 14 days. That is why it is considered the norm when both periods are equivalent. Now you need to count from the first (inclusive) day of menstruation 14. It's easier to do this on a calendar. Having put a mark on the 14th day, you should paint over two more dates for yourself: the next and the previous one. This is necessary, since the cell lives for some time, and it can be "captured" at any time. By activating the process of delivering male spermatozoa, you can expect the result with great confidence.


By the way, knowing the characteristics of the vital activity of spermatozoa and some scientific points, you can calculate ovulation for the conception of a newborn of a specific gender. Here are the facts:

  • Gender does not depend on the female cell.
  • Male cells with a Y chromosome are very active. They reach their destination faster. In the absence of a finished cell, they will soon die. Duration of operation - up to a day.
  • Cells with the X chromosome are slow. They will not keep up with fast Y anyway. But they live for a long time - up to 3 days. That is, provided that Y all died, and the female cell appeared later, X will easily reach it, having no competitors.

Now it’s clear how to calculate the day of ovulation for conceiving a boy. It is necessary to identify the specific moment of the appearance of the cell and perform sexual intercourse only after that. Y-cells will quickly reach it and fertilize it, and the slow X-cells will not keep up. If there is a desire to get a girl, you should do something completely different - appoint an act 2 days before the release of the cell. In this case, the following processes will occur:

  • Y cells will stop functioning and die after 24 hours.
  • After their disappearance, after another 24 hours, the cage will come out.
  • At the time of its passage through the fallopian tube, there will be no one except for X-type cells. Therefore, it is they who will carry out fertilization and determine the sex of the baby.

The main thing is not to repeat acts later. Otherwise, Y can "survive" and prevent the achievement of the desired effect.

Online ovulation calculator

Today, many offer to interactively calculate ovulation, there is an online calculator on many sites. For example, you can use it by clicking on the link.


To use it, you need to fill in the indicated fields: the date of the last menstruation, the length of your cycle, the total number of days with characteristic blood discharge and indicate for which period to paint the calendar. The second option is offered for women who do not control their rhythms. Therefore, it is enough to enter two parameters: the days of menstruation for the last months.

You can not just calculate the day of ovulation, the online calendar makes it possible to predict even the sex of the newborn. The formulas involve the generally accepted principles that we discussed above. As a result, the woman receives a ready-made calendar for as many months as she requests, which states:

  • days of bleeding;
  • the exact moment of ovulation (the maximum probability of getting a son);
  • days when the cell is active and intercourse will result in a boy;
  • days when the highest probability of conceiving a daughter (provided that there is no sexual activity at the time and after ovulation).

Calculating ovulation days online is very simple. This provides several benefits. In particular, there is no need to constantly monitor the cycle and calculate the days. There are ready-made calendars for six months or more. Based on them, it is easy to detect a failure. For example, if menstruation did not come on time or the rhythm changed. In such a situation, you will need to re-request a new calendar, taking into account the changes.


Before you count the days of ovulation in order to get pregnant and draw up a calendar for the desired period, you should understand the error and shortcomings. Most of them are about gender. It is not worth focusing on all the shaded days. Still, it is better to adhere to the rules established by experts. Mathematical calculation does not take into account the characteristics of the body. It's no secret that there is a certain percentage of girls suffering from irregular cycles. Their number of days between periods varies monthly. For such a situation, it is almost impossible to calculate the days of ovulation on a calculator. The data received will be irrelevant.

To get any reliable effect, it is better to enter data on its smallest value. But at the same time, the forecast of sex is completely excluded. It is worth trying other methods that will be more truthful for such girls.

Characteristic signs of ovulation

  • Abdominal pain . Observed from the side of the ovary, which is currently producing a cell. As we remember, it comes out under the condition of rupture of the follicle. Naturally, this is accompanied by pain, albeit insignificant. Some may not notice it. But if you listen to yourself, you will not miss the moment. Having learned the exact day of release, you can begin to conceive.
  • Soreness of the chest. The mammary glands swell somewhat, increase, which causes some unpleasant pain when rubbing clothes, for example. The sign of the restructuring of the body with a possible future pregnancy and breastfeeding is explained.
  • Libido. Since the cell has left, the body is preparing for the birth of life, therefore it sends impulses to the brain, speaking of the need to be fertilized.

Do not forget about the possibility of how to calculate the day of ovulation according to female secretions. It is known that in the first phase, girls do not notice any mucus. It has a fairly dense structure and blocks access to the uterus. This keeps it from being exposed to microbes and prevents sperm from entering during a period when they are not needed.


As the follicle grows, the secret gradually liquefies. By the time the cell arrives, the mucus already acquires its own special structure:

  • transparent;
  • thick, viscous;
  • a large number of.

Safety net - ovulation tests

Having chosen your own way, how to calculate the day of ovulation for conceiving a child, do not forget about some additional methods. With their help, you can confirm mathematical formulas and make sure that knowing a specific day is very important. First of all, these are different types of tests:

  • Strip tests. Cheaper and more affordable option. Having lowered it into the urine, it is necessary to wait for the change in shade on the strip and compare it with the control. Reacts to the amount of the hormone. The error is caused by different content of normal LH.
  • Inkjet. A similar option, they differ in the method - it is necessary to substitute it under the stream, and not collect urine.
  • Electronic. The strips are inserted into the device, used according to one of the above methods. The advantage is that there is no need to match shades. The test result will be shown on the screen.

To use any test, you need to know how to calculate the ovulation cycle and at what point to start the analysis. How to find out the first, we have already considered. And the formula for prescribing the first test is generally accepted: subtract 17 from the first indicator. It will take several days to conduct it until the result pleases.

If there is a problem with detecting ovulation, you can afford a more expensive device that will help you reliably determine the moment by saliva. It is reusable and mostly looks like a microscope.


Do not discount the basal chart or ultrasound. They will be more interested in ladies with non-rhythmic cycles, because their reliability is many times higher. Now you can be sure that you know everything about how to calculate ovulation.

The reproductive system of a woman works to prepare for conception, gestation and childbirth.

This is a complex process that involves the internal genital organs - the ovaries and uterus, as well as the endocrine system, led by the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary gland. The most important thing happens in the ovaries - the maturation and release of the egg under the influence of follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormone (FSH and LH).

When and how does ovulation occur?

The process of ovulation is the culmination of the complex work of all systems of the female body, aimed at procreation. The essence of the process is the release of the egg - oocyte - from the ovarian follicle.

Follicles are small vesicles of connective tissue that are contained in both ovaries from birth in every girl. With the onset of puberty, the monthly process of follicle growth begins, giving every woman the opportunity to become pregnant.

In healthy women, the release of the oocyte occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. If we take the standard 28-day cycle as an example, then the release of the egg occurs approximately 13-14 days after the first day of menstruation. If the cycle is 33-35 days, the timing changes accordingly.

How does the process of follicle maturation and ovulation occur:

  1. The follicle grows during the first half of the cycle under the influence of follicle-stimulating hormone. In the process of active growth, it produces a large amount of estrogen, which activates the pituitary gland.
  2. In the pituitary gland, the active formation of luteinizing hormone begins, whose concentration reaches a maximum to the so-called. ovulatory peak. Under the influence of LH in the follicle, the egg matures.
  3. During the ovulatory peak, the follicle vesicle, reaching a size of 2 cm, ruptures, the egg comes out of it and begins to move along the fallopian tube into the uterus towards the sperm.

The period of time from the ovulatory peak to the release of the egg takes up to 48 hours. After ovulation comes the so-called. postovulatory phase, in which the corpus luteum plays the main role, which is formed at the site of the bursting follicle. The corpus luteum produces the hormone progesterone, which stimulates the growth of the uterine endometrium in preparation for the implantation of a fertilized egg.

This is interesting! It is generally accepted that ovulation occurs in women steadily every month. But in fact, this is far from the case: during life there are menstrual cycles without ovulation, which does not affect the reproductive system of a woman and her fertility.

Why determine the days of ovulation

Ideally, every woman who has a regular sex life should know the time of the ovulatory phase. Monitoring the menstrual cycle is important both for planning a desired pregnancy and for preventing conception.

The calendar method of contraception is based on determining the days of ovulation, in which a woman should avoid sexual intercourse during the ovulatory peak, but is allowed to have intimate relationships on all other days of the menstrual cycle.

If a couple is having trouble conceiving, by calculating the ovulatory peak day, they will increase the chances of a successful pregnancy by having sexual intercourse during the woman's ovulatory peak.

How to calculate ovulation - proven methods

The most effective - with the help of special strips with an indicator, with the help of ultrasound, measuring basal temperature and observing your feelings.

Method 1: Test strips

Pharmacies sell special test strips. Like pregnancy tests that respond to human chorionic hormone (hCG) concentrations, ovulation test strips respond to elevated levels of luteinizing hormone (LH). The increase in LH concentration is determined using test strips using a daily portion of urine.

Method 2. Ultrasound

With the help of ultrasound, folliculometry is performed - measuring and monitoring the growth of follicles in the ovaries. Using transvaginal ultrasound, the gynecologist will determine the stage of maturation of the vesicle in the ovary, and also assess the condition of the endometrium of the uterus.

In combination, this allows you to establish the fact of the release of the egg, predict the timing of the ovulatory phase, or determine the causes of insufficient ovarian function.

Method 3. Basal body temperature (BT)

The method of determining ovulation by measuring basal temperature is used as an effective way to monitor ovarian function. BT also underlies the physiological method of contraception.

According to him, during ovulation in women, the basal temperature (BT) rises - the temperature in the rectum and vagina. During the growth of the follicle and the maturation of the egg, BT is kept within 36.6 degrees.

With the onset of the ovulatory peak, the temperature rises to 37.6 and persists throughout the first trimester of pregnancy. If fertilization does not occur, BBT decreases to normal values ​​after 24-48 hours.

Important! To correctly measure the basal temperature, you need in the morning, without getting out of bed and without making sudden movements, insert the thermometer into the rectum or vagina for 10 minutes.

If you do this every day for several months (you can keep a special diary or a chart with a schedule), you will set the features of the menstrual cycle for planning conception or preventing unwanted pregnancies.

Method 4. Sensations and selection

Theoretically, the work of the ovaries should not cause any discomfort and specific sensations in a woman. But gynecologists call several physiological signs of ovulation.

Some women who observe their well-being also highlight similar sensations and phenomena in the body:

  • discharge from the vagina of a brownish color due to the admixture of blood released during the rupture of the follicle;
  • pulling sensations in the lower abdomen in the region of the ovaries;
  • increased libido.

Method 5. Online calendar

Calculating the day of ovulation online is the same calendar method that is taken as the basis for the algorithm for calculating the day the egg is supposed to leave the ovary. The computer program simply calculates the middle of the cycle, based on the date of the last period and the length of the cycle. For the calculation, you need to enter the necessary data in the special fields.

Here you can watch a video about the available methods for determining ovulation in women:

Which method is the most accurate

Methods based on physical examination (ultrasound, measurement of basal temperature), as well as the use of urine for the test, are considered to be sufficiently reliable. In the first place in terms of accuracy is folliculometry, when a gynecologist assesses the condition of the ovaries and follicles.

Basal temperature is also considered an accurate way to determine ovulation, but on the condition that the woman does everything right. To verify this, you need to measure BT for at least three months: this is the only way you will see the overall picture of the cyclical increase in temperature.

Test strips using urine can be considered conditionally accurate, because. they respond to the concentration of luteinizing hormone. But different women have different physiological norms for the content of this hormone, as well as conditions caused by dysfunction of the ovaries or the hypothalamic-pituitary system.

The online calendar is a less accurate method because requires a stable cycle day to day. In women with irregular menstruation, it will not work, especially since in different circumstances and under the influence of various factors (stress, excitement), the release of the egg occurs earlier or later.

Observing physiological sensations to determine ovulation requires experience from a woman. She must monitor herself very carefully for many cycles in order to identify patterns and differences in the functioning of the reproductive system.

Discharges, pulling sensations in the abdomen and increased sexual desire must be interpreted in conjunction with other data (day of the cycle, hormonal levels).

Conclusion

For the desired conception, you need to plan your sex life during the so-called. ovulatory peak, when a mature follicle bursts in the ovary and an egg ready for fertilization comes out. The ovulatory peak is determined using ultrasound, test strips, basal temperature measurements and observation of physiological phenomena.