WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT OVULATION?
THE BIOLOGY
Ovulation occurs mid cycle (about day 14) right between the follicular phase and the luteal phase. Ovulation is when the growing follicle releases an egg, triggered by the luteinizing hormone. As the egg erupts from your ovary, you can have a mild pain on one or both sides of your lower pelvis. The egg is released and moves through the Fallopian tubes where it can be fertilized.
Sometimes an egg never reaches the stage where it is release from the ovary. This is called an anovulatory cycle when you don't ovulate. Even though you don't ovulate, you can still have a period because your ovaries can be making enough estrogen as they tried to release an egg. That estrogen thickens your uterine lining which still needs to shed.
You don't sort of ovulate. Either you ovulate or you don't. Ovulation is such a critical part of a women's health. Why? Because ovulation is how you make progesterone. And when you don't make progesterone, you have unopposed estrogen which creates an imbalance in your hormones and host of other undesired symptoms.
TRACKING OVULATION
One of the best ways to determine ovulation is to track your temperature. This is done under the tongue first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Your temperature goes up the day after ovulation by about 0.3-0.5 degrees and will remain at that temperature for the rest of your cycle. If your temperature doesn't rise or stay at the higher level for at least five days then you likely didn't ovulate during that cycle.
If you think you don't ovulate, please reach out! Let's work together to dig to the roots of why this might be happening for you and help you create a plan for a path to more balanced hormones!