Why You're Not Ovulating & Your Period Is All Over The Map

Everything you need to know, ovulation and menstrual cycle disruptors and what to do to support regular ovulation

Hi my loves!

I get asked a lot about disrupted or missing ovulation and irregular cycles so I wanted to dive into that with you today because it is such an important topic.

Many people only associate ovulation with fertility but it’s so much more than that, it’s the main event of our menstrual cycle and knowing when we’re ovulating and understanding the signs and cues our body is giving us during ovulation gives us important insights into our hormones and our menstrual cycle.

Ovulation is the midpoint of your menstrual cycle when an egg is released from the ovary. If you’re not ovulating, you can’t get pregnant, but aside from fertility and regardless of if you’re trying to get pregnant or not, regular ovulation is essential for our health as women.

If you’re not ovulating, that is called an anovulatory cycle, and it actually is a red flag from your body that something is going on that needs to be addressed.

Signs You Are Ovulating

Cervical Mucus

Our cervical mucus is always changing throughout our cycle, as we get closer to ovulation, our body prepares for the possibility of fertilization and this causes cervical mucus that is stickier and more of an “egg white” texture. It is designed to help sperm survive and also increases lubrication to make sex more enjoyable.

Increased Sex Drive

Another sign of ovulation is increased sex drive. Estrogen peaks just before ovulation and Testosterone also rises both of which increase sex drive.

Positive Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Test

A rise in LH triggers the release of an egg from the follicle. The LH surge occurs 24-48 hours before the egg is released so testing is recommended during the days leading up to expected ovulation. I recommend testing your LH during the 5 days leading up to when you are predicting that you ovulate so generally starting on day 8 or 9 of your cycle until you get the confirmed surge.

Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Spike

BBT tracking monitors temperature changes throughout th entire cycle, not just around ovulation. Progesterone rises after ovulation and triggers an elevation in temperature so your temperature chart should rise after ovulation and stay elevated until your period.

Also, a friendly reminder that BBT is not perfect, so many different things can influence your temperature fro day to day like sleep, alcohol, sickness, etc.

Signs You Aren’t Ovulating