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Ovulation occurs once a month during your menstrual cycle. While this natural process occurs without any effort on your part, it’s important that you know all about it, especially if you plan on starting a family.
At OB/GYN Care Orlando in Winter Park, Florida, our medical team specializes in high-quality gynecological care and can address ovulation disorders that affect your fertility. Here, we provide some insight into what you should know about ovulation and the disorders that can affect your journey to motherhood.
When you’re born, your ovaries house all of the eggs you’ll have in your lifetime. As you go through puberty and start your period, your eggs will start maturing, and one or two will move down through your fallopian tubes where they remain for up to 24 hours for fertilization.
The release of the egg is known as ovulation. Ovulation typically occurs about midway through your menstrual cycle. For instance, if you have a 28-day cycle, you can expect to ovulate about 14 days before you start your next period.
Sperm can live in the fallopian tubes for up to five days after intercourse, giving you the greatest chance of getting pregnant in that time frame.
In addition to tracking the days of your period on a calendar to determine when you will ovulate, you can also pay attention to other ovulation signs that your body gives you.
During ovulation, you may notice that your body temperature is higher than normal when you’re at rest. Some women also experience an increase in clear vaginal discharge before ovulation occurs.
If you’re not confident that you can predict your ovulation, you can try an ovulation kit sold in stores. The kit uses a sample of your urine to identify an increase in hormones that occurs just before you ovulate.
There are several underlying conditions that can affect your ovulation and your fertility. Some of the most common conditions include:
PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility. This condition describes a hormone imbalance that affects your ability to ovulate.
As a result of PCOS, you may also experience insulin resistance, increased body hair growth, and acne.
If your thyroid isn’t producing sufficient amounts of hormones, especially the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), you may not ovulate regularly.
Signs that your thyroid isn’t producing enough LH and FSH can include irregular periods, missed periods, and infertility.
Primary ovarian insufficiency, also known as premature ovarian failure, is typically the result of an autoimmune response.
You may also experience ovarian failure if you lose eggs from your ovaries early in life due to your genetic background or because of chemotherapy.
Our experienced OB/GYN team offers comprehensive diagnostic testing services onsite to identify ovulation disorders and other conditions that can affect your fertility. We customize your treatment plan using medications and other therapies that stimulate your ovulation, so you can achieve the family of your dreams.
If you’re trying to get pregnant but have concerns about infertility or an underlying ovulation disorder, schedule a diagnostic evaluation online or by calling the Winter Park, Florida, office of OB/GYN Care Orlando today.
