How to predict ovulation

Having sex before ovulation is important. Knowing when you ovulate and having sex regularly from 3 to 4 days before ovulation until one day after ovulation improves the odds of getting pregnant.

Ovulation is the process in which an ovary releases an egg. The few days before ovulation are important because sperm can fertilize the egg for about 12 to 24 hours after it's released.

Sperm can live inside the female reproductive tract for about 3 to 5 days after sex. The chance of getting pregnant is highest when live sperm are in the tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus, called the fallopian tubes, during ovulation. This is why having sex before you ovulate is important.

In most menstrual cycles, ovulation most often happens about 14 days before the start of the next menstrual period. For most people, this means that ovulation happens in the four days before or after the midpoint of the menstrual cycle. If, like many people, you don't have a 28-day menstrual cycle, you can find the length and midpoint of your cycle by keeping track of when your periods start and end.

You also can look for ovulation symptoms, including:

• Changes in cervical mucus. This is a type of vaginal discharge that comes from the cervix and out the vagina. Just before ovulation, you might notice a clear vaginal discharge. It feels thin and slippery. Just after ovulation, there's less cervical mucus. It's thicker and cloudy.

• Changes in basal body temperature. Your body's temperature at rest, called basal body temperature, goes up slightly during ovulation. Use a thermometer designed to measure basal body temperature. Take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed.

  Record the results and look for a pattern. Fertility typically is highest during the 2 to 3 days around the time that basal temperature rises.

A home ovulation test kit also may be helpful. You can buy one at a pharmacy without a prescription. These kits test urine for the rise in hormones that takes place about 24 hours before ovulation. This helps you know when you're most likely to ovulate.