Ovulation is the release of a mature egg from an ovary during the
menstrual cycle.
Ovulation dates vary widely from woman to woman and from month to
month. Many women need to use one or more methods to pinpoint their ovulation
day. This can be done by checking for several days of stringy cervical mucus, charting
basal body temperature changes, and checking luteinizing hormone changes
with urine test kits.
Some women feel a brief period of sharp pain on one side of the
lower abdomen (the side where the egg was released) when they ovulate. This
pain is called mittelschmerz. An increase in vaginal discharge or slight
spotting may also occur near the time of ovulation.
