One week before conception
In the ovaries, follicles (vesicles that contain female reproductive cells) continue to develop. On about the 8th day of the menstrual cycle, the main (dominant) follicle is released, carrying an egg which will make its way to the uterus. The rest of the follicles will naturally die off.
The dominant follicle will grow rapidly. At the beginning of the cycle, its diameter is only 2 mm, but by the beginning of ovulation, it increases to 21 mm. When ovulation occurs, the egg breaks through the follicle and enters the abdominal cavity and then the fallopian tube, where fertilization takes place. The fertilized female reproductive cell, with the help of cilia on the walls of the tube, will then move to the uterus and attach to its wall.
Sex can lead to pregnancy five days before and within 24 hours after ovulation. The sperm cell remains viable for up to five days and can “wait” for ovulation. The egg cell lives no more than a day after leaving the follicle. The greatest chance of getting pregnant occurs when the sperm are in the fallopian tubes at the time of ovulation.
Within a 28-day cycle, ovulation usually occurs about 14 days after the onset of menstruation. However, for many women, ovulation can occur before or after the mid-point and can span up to eight days, four before and four after the middle of the cycle.
There are also individual differences in the duration of the cycle [1]. Cycles of 21 to 40 days are considered normal [2].
The onset of ovulation can be determined by indirect signs. One of them is an increase in basal temperature. It can be measured orally or rectally, and should be taken every day at the same time, immediately after waking up and after at least three hours of sleep [3]. Normally, the day before ovulation, temperature drops slightly, and during ovulation it rises by 0.3-0.6 degrees. In other words, this method reports ovulation when it has already occurred. However, the rise in temperature can be caused by reasons other than ovulation.
More reliable information about the timing of ovulation can be provided by temperature graphs based on your basal temperature over several cycles. This allows you to detect and track a general trend [1].
Wet, transparent, stretchy discharge from the genital tract can also indicate ovulation [1].
Special tests can also determine the period of ovulation quite effectively. Like pregnancy tests, these tests react to changes in the concentration of hormones in the urine [2].
Discharge
Normally, your period should be over. See your doctor if you continue to bleed after the seventh day of your cycle.
Milky and white homogeneous discharge without an unpleasant odor is normal. Yellow-green, curdled, or frothy discharge with foul odor may indicate an infection. In this case, consult your OBGYN [4].
