Ovulation
Hear this word Ovulation
Image description: Illustration of a mature egg, ovary, and fallopian tube.
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What Is It?
Ovulation means the time once per month when an egg leaves the ovary and goes through the fallopian tubes to the uterus.
What to Know
Every glossary word connects to different parts of the Sexuality Wheel. Explore the information below to learn more.
- Ovulation usually occurs about 14 days before a period starts (or when menstrual blood begins to come out of the vagina). For some people, ovulation happens more or fewer days before their period.
- Ovulation lasts for about 12-24 hours.
- Some people can feel the sensation of the egg bursting out of the ovaries. Some people cannot feel this, and that is okay. If a person feels uncomfortable, they can take a warm bath or shower or use a heating pad to feel more comfortable.
- During ovulation, a person’s body may be more fertile or more likely to get pregnant if sperm meets an egg in their fallopian tubes.
- If a person is trying to get pregnant, they may aim to have sexual intercourse or have sperm inserted into their vagina around the time that they are ovulating.
- People who do not want to get pregnant, may choose to use barrier methods like condoms and other birth control methods if they are having sex that could create a pregnancy. Some people choose not to have sex around ovulation.
- During ovulation, the body may increase in temperature, there may be an increase in natural discharge from the vagina, and the person might feel more interested in sexual activity or may experience more sexual arousal.
- Sometimes people track the changes in their body such as their temperature, the natural discharge from their body, or when they menstruate. They do this to better understand when they might ovulate, get their period, and to better understand their bodies in general.
- Some people use kits that can be purchased in a pharmacy to know if they are ovulating.
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What did you learn about ovulation?
To learn more about the body, explore websites, books, and other resources in the Resource Hub or visit other parts of Your Sexual Health Toolkit like our online game, Our Stories, Our Journeys: A Sexual Health Game!
What questions do you have?
Write down or record an audio note with any questions you have to ask someone you trust. You may also find answers to your questions by using websites, books, and other resources in the Resource Hub.