Knowing when you ovulate helps you time sex for the best chance of pregnancy. No single method is perfect, so many people combine two or more.
1. Calendar method
Ovulation usually happens about 14 days before your next period. If your cycles are regular, you can predict it from your cycle length. It is simple and free, but less accurate if your cycle varies.
2. Cervical mucus
In the days before ovulation, cervical mucus becomes clear, slippery and stretchy, like raw egg white. This is your most fertile time. Checking daily takes practice but costs nothing.
3. Basal body temperature
Your resting temperature rises slightly, by a few tenths of a degree, after ovulation and stays up until your next period. Take it every morning before getting up. It confirms ovulation has happened, so it is most useful for learning your pattern over a few cycles.
4. Ovulation test kits
These urine tests detect the rise in luteinising hormone (LH) that happens about 24 to 36 hours before ovulation. They are easy to use and helpful if your cycle is a little irregular, but some conditions such as PCOS can cause misleading results.
5. Apps and fertility monitors
Apps estimate fertile days from the data you enter. Monitors that combine hormone tests can be more precise. Their accuracy depends on the method behind them.
Which is best?
Combining an ovulation test kit with cervical mucus tracking works well for many people. Remember, you do not need to pinpoint the exact day: having sex every 2 to 3 days covers your fertile window.
None of these methods should be relied on as contraception unless you are trained in a fertility awareness method.
Estimate your ovulation date and fertile window with our Ovulation Calculator or see it on the Fertile Window Calendar.