The short answer: Most women do not know when they ovulate, and ovulation can occur at different times in a woman's cycle if her period is irregular or "missed" one cycle. This does not effect a woman's chance of unwanted pregnancy, as there is no "safe" time during the cycle to have unprotected sex, whether or not she is estimating her ovulation date correctly.
The long answer:
Women's bodies do not work like clockwork; our bodies and cycles are constantly interacting and reacting to their surrounding environments, and just as our environments change...so do our cycles.
Timing of ovulation is also not an exact science. Some women ovulate exactly 2 weeks before their period. Some women may ovulate twice in one cycle. There are no perfect measures for ovulation (at home), either, as all of the methods only provide "predictions", "estimates" or it is usually not until after-the-fact that you realize you have probably ovulated. Basal body temperature is the perfect example of realizing after-the-fact that you most likely have ovulated, as it is tracking the trend of the slightest increase in body temperature.
I am not sure how you are tracking your ovulation, or assuming it is occurring about 2 weeks before your menstrual period (if your period is regular, and begins every 28th day, many women can assume they ovulate sometime around the 14th day). If you have not had a menstrual period for this month, you may not have ovulated. I am not sure if you are on birth control (hormonal contraception, such as the pill), but this type of contraceptive prevents ovulation all together.
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Hi Mellonie,
The short answer: Most women do not know when they ovulate, and ovulation can occur at different times in a woman's cycle if her period is irregular or "missed" one cycle. This does not effect a woman's chance of unwanted pregnancy, as there is no "safe" time during the cycle to have unprotected sex, whether or not she is estimating her ovulation date correctly.
The long answer:
Women's bodies do not work like clockwork; our bodies and cycles are constantly interacting and reacting to their surrounding environments, and just as our environments change...so do our cycles.
Timing of ovulation is also not an exact science. Some women ovulate exactly 2 weeks before their period. Some women may ovulate twice in one cycle. There are no perfect measures for ovulation (at home), either, as all of the methods only provide "predictions", "estimates" or it is usually not until after-the-fact that you realize you have probably ovulated. Basal body temperature is the perfect example of realizing after-the-fact that you most likely have ovulated, as it is tracking the trend of the slightest increase in body temperature.
I am not sure how you are tracking your ovulation, or assuming it is occurring about 2 weeks before your menstrual period (if your period is regular, and begins every 28th day, many women can assume they ovulate sometime around the 14th day). If you have not had a menstrual period for this month, you may not have ovulated. I am not sure if you are on birth control (hormonal contraception, such as the pill), but this type of contraceptive prevents ovulation all together.
I hope this all makes sense!
August 30, 2011 - 7:18pmThis Comment
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