Early Ovulation
A Basic Guide To Early Ovulation
There comes a point in most women’s lives when their pregnancy concerns shift from avoiding an unwanted pregnancy to encouraging one. Once this change occurs, the intricacies of the fertility cycle become extremely important. Women who want to conceive are often worried about the details of ovulation and the many potential issues that may arise, such as early ovulation.
The Ovulation Basics
Ovulation is what happens the ovary releases a viable egg into the fallopian tube. This makes pregnancy possible. Ovulation is caused by changes in the female body’s hormones, and it falls in between periods. It doesn’t happen exactly between two periods though, or even at the exact same time in every cycle. (See common myths below.)
As discussed in greater detail further, ovulation is a great concern to women who are actively trying to conceive. The main reason for this is that eggs remain viable for only a very short period — 24 hours or even less — after they leave the ovary. This means that knowing when ovulation occurs is extremely important for planning out a pregnancy.
Common Myths
By far the most common myth related to ovulation is that it occurs precisely in between two periods. This is often called the “14 day myth,” based on the average 28 day length of the menstrual cycle. In fact, women experience a broad range of different ovulation times. The problem with this idea is that it is severely reductive. Many women have shorter or longer cycles, and ovulation can fall on a broad range of days within those cycles.
Besides ordinary variations from woman to woman, individual women may experience shifts — sometimes quite violent ones — in when they ovulate from cycle to cycle. This can be caused by any number of factors, from external stress to natural hormonal changes. Barring exceptional circumstances, though, it is quite possible for a woman to identify her regular ovulation cycle with enough careful investigation.
Getting Into Detail
The stages of the fertility cycle are principally controlled by four different hormones: estrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone. The first two hormones are responsible for activating the ovary and causing it to produce an egg, while the second two are responsible for preparing the uterus for pregnancy.
These two key processes can proceed at different rates, and late or early ovulation may complicate the reproductive cycle considerably. If ovulation comes early, there is a small chance that the egg will be non-viable. If ovulation is late, there is a possibility that the uterine lining will not be ready for the egg to attach, resulting in a failed pregnancy.
The fertility hormones go to work in each cycle in a predictable pattern. First, estrogen and the follicle-stimulating hormone cause follicles in the ovary to start transforming. The most viable follicle will eventually produce an egg. Luteinizing hormone is released at this time, causing the remains of the follicle to become the corpus luteum. This small body is responsible for generating progesterone and preparing the uterus for fertilization. In a successful pregnancy, the corpus luteum continues in this role until the development of the placenta.
The Timing Of Conception
As noted above, the human egg is only fertile for an exceptionally short time, generally less than 24 hours. Why then do fertility specialists speak of ovulation as a multi-day window? This is because sperm actually survive in the female reproductive system for quite some time after intercourse — typically three to five days. This allows for a wider variation of timing when it comes to intercourse resulting in fertilization.
While basic health classes often present fertilization as a matter of sperm entering the female system and seeking out a fertile egg, in reality the reverse is far more often the case. The egg is released into the fallopian tube and meets sperm already resident in the woman’s reproductive system. This state of affairs produces some further myths and misconceptions regarding ovulation, and explains some pregnancies that might otherwise be considered remarkable. It is, for example, possible for an egg released very early in the cycle to be fertilized by sperm deposited during menstruation, even though fertilization during menstruation itself cannot occur.
Early Ovulation
Is Early Ovulation A Bad Thing?
While there are a few medical practitioners who believe that there is a link between early ovulation and birth defects, this view has not been validated by research. For every case of a child born with birth defects following a fast ovulation cycle, there are countless other cases that are entirely complication free. For mothers who are actively trying to conceive, the biggest problem presented by ovulating early is that it complicates the conception schedule.
Beyond the difficulty in predicting ovulation and scheduling conception, the only other risk posed by ovulating early is that it may be difficult for the fertilized egg to successfully implant itself in the uterus. As noted above, these two hormonal processes (egg production and uterine preparation) start at the same time; if the egg is released and fertilized very quickly the uterus may not be ready for it.
Ironically, late ovulation may present more difficulties in conception than ovulating early. If a woman’s luteal phase — the period between ovulation and the start of menstruation at the beginning of the next cycle — is too short, there simply may not be time for the egg to implant itself in the uterine wall successfully. Note that it is the length of the luteal phase itself that is the issue here; a late ovulation that occurs in a long cycle (with a corresponding long luteal phase) is not a problem.
Ovulation Indicators
There are a few subtle physical changes that allow ovulation to be tracked. In all cases, though, women need to pay close attention over a lengthy period of time to establish their individual rhythms and standards.
Some women actually notice an abdominal pain or ache around the time of ovulation. This is called the “mittelschmerz,” and it is actually localized on the side of the ovary which is releasing an egg. It’s not always a reliable indicator, though, as many women do not experience it or notice it if they do.
Another physical sign of ovulation is the discharge of cervical mucus. This is commonly called “egg white cercival mucus” (EWCM) to distinguish it from ordinary vaginal lubrication. It’s a relatively thick fluid with a thick, stringy consistency. Some women experience this discharge for several days around ovulation, while some may not experience it at all.
Temperature Tracking
One of the most reliable methods of tracking pregnancy at home is to measure the basal body temperature, or BBT. This temperature is taken immediately after a night’s sleep in order to accurately capture the body’s resting temperature. This is influenced by progesterone and estrogen, which makes it closely related to the fertility cycle.
The presence of high estrogen levels just prior to ovulation produce a lower BBT. The BBT rises (usually by a few tenths of a degree) after ovulation has occurred and progesterone levels rise. By carefully recording her BBT over the course of months, a women should be able to zero in on the point of ovulation in her cycle to within three days. This is of course assuming that her fertility cycle is currently regular.
Commercial Ovulation Tests
Thanks to advances in medical science, accurate home ovulation tests are now available. These work by tracking levels of luteinizing hormone in the urine. The body experiences a significant surge in luteinizing hormone approximately three days before ovulation. While the tests themselves are fairly accurate, the exact timing of this hormone surge varies from woman to woman. However, there are a number of medical conditions that can alter hormone levels and render this kind of ovulation testing inaccurate.
The best course of action for a woman trying to precisely chart her fertility cycle and diagnose potential early ovulation is to use a combination of methods. BBT tracking, hormone testing, and other methods (e.g. saliva pattern kits) can all be combined to collect data. The interpretation of this information can sometimes be difficult, especially for women experiencing other hormonal issues.
Medical Assistance
Women who are having difficulty conceiving often consult with doctors — general practitioners, fertility specialists, or both — to get to the root of the problem. Ovulating early is just one of the many potential issues that may make conception difficult. Professional medical assistance is often invaluable in accurately diagnosing the core issues and charting out a plan to correct them.
In the case of irregularities in the ovulation cycle, doctors can help a woman perform the tests described above and interpret the data gathered to develop an accurate picture of the cycle’s timing. The first step to dealing with an unusually-timed cycle is simply to alter the timing of intercourse to match the observed data about the woman’s body.
In the most extreme cases, where especially early or late ovulation makes it difficult for an egg to successfully attach to the uterine wall, a doctor may prescribe therapeutic hormones to adjust the woman’s fertility cycle. This is an expensive and frustrating process. Many doctors will suggest less-invasive methods of altering the cycle (e.g. dietary and lifestyle changes) before committing to this step.
For many women, planning out a pregnancy becomes an unexpected challenge with many potential roadblocks along the way. Of all these potential difficulties, minor irregularities in the timing of ovulation are not really a cause for alarm. Once an issue like ovulating early is identified and accounted for, it rarely presents a serious obstacle to a successful pregnancy.