My Body · How Your Body Works
What Is Ovulation?
By the eva team · · 2 min read
Ovulation is the part of the menstrual cycle when an ovary releases an egg into a fallopian tube. It usually happens once during an ovulatory cycle, but its timing varies and it is not always on day 14. Hormones coordinate the process, and changes in discharge or mild lower-abdominal discomfort may sometimes happen around this time. Ovulation also creates the part of the cycle when pregnancy can occur if sperm fertilises the egg.
1. Ovulation Means An Egg Is Released
Ovulation happens when one of the ovaries releases a mature egg. The egg then enters a nearby fallopian tube and begins moving through it. This is one stage of the menstrual cycle not the same thing as having a period.
2. Hormones Prepare And Release The Egg
Hormones control ovulation. Follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, helps an egg mature inside an ovarian follicle. A rise in luteinising hormone, called LH, then helps trigger the egg’s release from the ovary.
3. The Egg Enters A Fallopian Tube
After leaving the ovary, the egg enters a fallopian tube. Tiny movements inside the tube help it travel toward the uterus. If sperm reaches and fertilises the egg, fertilisation usually happens inside the fallopian tube.
4. Ovulation Is Not Always On Day 14
Day 14 is only an example based on a 28-day cycle. Ovulation usually happens around 10 to 16 days before the next period, so the calendar day can change when cycle length changes. It may also vary from one cycle to another.
5. You May Notice A Few Changes
Some people notice clearer, wetter or more slippery cervical mucus around ovulation. Others experience a brief ache on one side of the lower abdomen. Many people feel no obvious sign at all, so not noticing a symptom does not prove that ovulation did not happen.
6. Ovulation Creates A Fertile Window
A released egg usually remains available for fertilisation for less than 24 hours, while sperm may survive in the reproductive tract for several days. This means pregnancy can happen from sex in the days before ovulation as well as around the day the egg is released. Calendar predictions are only estimates and should not be treated as guaranteed contraception.
7. Not Every Cycle Works Exactly The Same Way
If the egg is not fertilised, it breaks down. Hormone levels later fall, and the uterus sheds its lining as a period. During the first years after periods begin, cycles may be irregular and ovulation may not happen during every cycle while the hormone system continues maturing.