Female Body Concerns / Question
Published: June 16, 2005
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I was just wondering when Ovulation occurs. Is it before your period, or after?
Signed: When Ovulation Occurs
Dear When Ovulation Occurs,
Ovulation is when a single egg is released from the ovaries and travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus waiting to be fertilized. This is the time when women are most fertile and likely to become pregnant. It normally occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle.
TeenHealthFX will give you an overview of the entire menstrual cycle:
The menstrual cycle is a hormonal event that starts on the first day of menstruation. Estrogen and progesterone are two important hormones that regulate a period or menses.An average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, 14 days for the follicular phase and 14 days for the luteal phase. The variation in menstrual cycle lengths occurs in the follicular phase while the luteal phase is 14 days duration. The follicular phase starts on the first day of menses and ends when estrogen levels peak. The luteal phase starts after estrogen levels have peaked and ends on the first day of the next menses. Ovulation, which occurs 24-36 hours after estrogen levels have peaked, marks the period in between the follicular and luteal phases.
During the follicular phase, the ovaries secrete estrogen and prime a single egg to be released. As the estrogen concentrations increase, the lining of the uterus thickens to support a future pregnancy and the amount of cervical mucus increases and becomes "stringy". It is this stringy mucus that allows sperm to travel towards the uterus to fertilize the egg. The estrogen levesl peak, ovulation occurs, and the ovaries release an egg.
During the luteal phase, the place on the ovary where the egg was released starts to secrete progesterone. Progesterone prepares the uterus for implantation of a fertilized egg. If a single sperm fertilizes the egg, it is implanted into the lining of the uterus. Once conception occurs, the developing placenta continues to release progesterone to maintain the pregnancy. If the egg is not fertilized, progesterone levels start to fall, lining of the uterus starts to thin, and menstruation occurs.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
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