Q: Ma’am, my last period began on 6th February and it lasted for 6 days. I have a 28days cycle. Could you please track my ovulation and best bet to conceive? I’m really confused here.

A: Hallos! Thanks for writing in

You are one of the lucky ones with a perfect 28 day cycle 😀 Ovulation would usually occur at the midpoint of your cycle – day 14. But maybe we should backtrack a little bit and define what ovulation means. Ovulation refers to the release of mature eggs (medically referred to as oocytes) from the ovaries. This is supposed to happen every month at the middle of the cycle as described above. If you don’t have a regular cycle, you may have to keep a menstrual diary to give you an idea, over time, what your average cycle is.

Why is ovulation significant? Well, because for pregnancy to occur, the sperm has to have eggs to fertilize. Tracking your ovulation gives you a good chance of being able to ‘mate your egg with a sperm cell’ 😀 So having sexual intercourse in the 5 days before (because the sperm cells can stay alive for up to 5 days after release) and on the day of ovulation enhance your chances of conceiving.

Other signs to look out for that confirm ovulation (especially for those with irregular cycle who are not really sure) are:

Increase in vaginal secretions – You will notice clearer and more slippery mucous/vaginal secretions at the time of ovulation

Change in basal body temperature – Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period. There are special thermometers to check basal body temperature. If you don’t have this, you can start off with a regular digital one and then get a proper BBT thermometer later. Use this thermometer every morning at the same time, after about 3 to 4 hours of sleep, before getting out of bed. Keep it within reach, so that you don’t have to get out of bed to measure it. Remember that any activity is likely to increase your BBT. Your body temperature rises slightly just after ovulation takes place. So, if you measure this over a couple of months, you will probably see a pattern emerge and be able to predict your next ovulation. You are most fertile about 2 to 3 days before the temperature spike.

If you cannot be bothered with any of these, you could try the ovulation predictor kit, which measures the level of hormones in your urine, given the surge in hormone level before ovulation.

I hope this helps.

Have a great weekend everyone 😀