Ovulation is not fully understood by many women, however, when it comes to trying to become pregnant it is important to understand your body and the cycle it goes through each month. The menstrual cycles begins at puberty, which varies from woman to woman, however the average cycle will be around twenty eight days. The first day of your cycle begins from the first day you start bleeding and the menstrual cycle is number of days before you begin your next period. The average period will last between three to ten days.
The ovulation cycle is the process of hormones, the brain and sex organs working together. The pituitary gland, which is a gland located at the base of the brain, helps development of the sex organs which contain two very important hormones called the Follicle Stimulating Hormones (FH) and the Luteinising Hormome (LH).
At the beginning of a women's cycle the Follicle Stimulating Hormone releases follicles via the pituitary gland. Thousand of follicles are stored in a women's two ovaries however only one follicle will develop at a time and mature each month. During the period of development cells which surround the egg produce oestrogen, a female hormone. Oestrogen then causes the uterus lining to grow and allows the womb to prepare for the fertilised egg.
The follicle must increase to a certain size and stage in development before a signal from the pituitary gland is sent and the egg is released, also referred to a 'Luteinising Surge'. The name comes from the Luteinising Hormones rapid increase. This will cause a significant rise in oestrogen in the blood before this can occur. The follicle will then burst allowing for the egg to leave the ovary and travel via one of the fallopian tubes to the uterus.
Corpus Luteum stays in the ovary and produces progesterone, the female hormone. A women will become pregnant if they have sexual intercourse at this time. The fertilised egg then becomes attached to the uterus and corpus luteum is still being produced to allow it to stay attached and to develop. Ovulation is stopped as hormones such as Luteinising hormone or Follicle stimulating hormone are prevented from leaving the pituitary gland.
In the event an egg is not implanted then the corpus luteum will be absorbed into the ovary. Oestrogen and progesterone levels will fall and the uterus lining will begin to break up. Your period will then start as the egg, that was not fertilised, and the uterus lining are released through your vagina.
You should get to know your cycle when planning pregnancy or when deciding the best course of contraception for you as you can monitor any changes. Keep ovulation regular by maintaining a healthy lifestyle as stress, fatigue and poor diet can effect your cycle. During your cycle you will notice numerous changes in your body; many women feel bloated, experience lower abdominal pain breast tenderness and a change to the cervical mucus however these are all fairly normal.