Many times, women who have trouble conceiving immediately assume the worst; but often, something as simple as getting them ovulating regularly can solve their fertility issues.
Ovulation occurs when the ovum is released from one of the ovaries. Typically, this happens mid-cycle; however, there are some women for whom it happens infrequently or at a different time of the month. Thus, they try to have a child, but at the inappropriate moment.
Making it even tougher to diagnose this as the heart of your fertility issues, the signs of ovulation may or may not be present. Commonly, those include any or all of the following symptoms:
- Change in vaginal fluids making them take on an “egg white”, stringy appearance. (This should not be confused with a yeast infection or STD, which can cause thick, foul-smelling discharge.)
- Change in basal body temperature. This is the temperature of your body, typically taken by women in the morning before they get out of bed. Those females who use the “rhythm method” of birth control often keep a chart of their basal body temperatures so they recognize when they need to abstain from sexual intercourse.
- Light spotting or cramping. As a woman’s hormones shift, she may experience bleeding or muscle contractions. Bloating and breast tenderness can also accompany ovulation.
So what happens if you can’t be certain you’re ovulating? First, it’s a good idea to go to a fertility specialist or your gynecologist. He or she will help you figure out if you’re ovulating regularly.
Next, if you discover that you are not ovulating, a fertility specialist can prescribe medications to help your body “reset” itself. Drugs such as Clomid are used for this purpose and have had excellent results for females with fertility issues across the world.
Finally, if testing uncovers that you do not ovulate at all and you are unresponsive to medications like Clomid, other fertility options will be presented for your consideration.
If you’d like to discuss this topic further and you live in or within driving distance of Wyomissing or Chesterbrook, we invite you to make an appointment with the Reproductive Science Institute (RSI).