Knowing when you are going through ovulation can be a useful thing.  On the one hand, if you are trying to conceive, knowing what the symptoms of ovulation might be can help you know when you should time sexual intercourse in order to achieve the best likelihood of becoming pregnant.  On the other hand, if you are for example practicing the rhythm method of birth control, knowing what the symptoms of ovulation might be can help you to effectively time intercourse so as to not become pregnant.  While the symptoms of ovulation are generally a bit subtle, there are generally some symptoms that a woman can watch for in order to predict when she will ovulate.

The most common of the symptoms of ovulation tends to be, by far, a change in the cervical mucus.  The amount of cervical mucus that a woman’s body produces, as well as the consistency of the cervical mucus, will change around the timing of ovulation.  Generally speaking, just before ovulation, your cervical mucus will increase greatly, and will become slightly transparent, and resemble the uncooked white of an egg in terms of its appearance and consistency.  These changes take place in order to help the sperm to move in a freer manner through the cervix, into the fallopian tubes where it can then fertilize an egg.  While not every woman will experience much “egg white” cervical mucus, most will.

Another common symptom of ovulation is a change in body temperature.  By charting your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) you can track the changes in temperature that take place in your body after you ovulate.  While Basal Body Temperature doesn’t predict that ovulation is about to occur, by charting your Basal Body Temperature over time you can certainly make a good guess about when you are ovulating.

Somewhere around 20% of women will experience pain in the lower abdomen as a symptom of ovulation.  This can be mild aches, or it can be intense sharp pain.  Some women may experience this for as much as a few hours during ovulation, while others may only notice a few minutes.  This pain, also known as Mittelschmerz, typically occurs on the right side of the abdomen.