Ovulating But Not Getting Pregnant?
This blog post may contain affiliate links. At no cost to you, I may earn a small commission off products purchased through these links.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice.
If you saw the previous post on What Causes Infertility you know that one cause of infertility is anovulation (lack of ovulation) or ovulatory disorders.
If ovulation isn’t happening (or isn’t occurring in a healthy, optimal way), it can make both achieving and maintaining a pregnancy much more difficult. In some cases, ovulation may be absent altogether, while in others it may be present but not strong enough to fully support conception and early pregnancy.
The most important first step is to find out whether or not you’re ovulating.
How to Know if You’re Ovulating
Tracking ovulation can be an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to cycle and/or fertility issues.
Despite the myth, most women don’t ovulate on day 14 of their cycles. Some women may ovulate earlier in a cycle. Conditions like PCOS can lead to irregular ovulation making for very long cycles.
Ideally, women should ovulate between days 12-20. That seems to be the sweet spot for overall health and fertility. However, if you do ovulate earlier or later or sporadically, that doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant. It’s all about knowing when you ovulate.
Signs of Ovulation to Look For:
Increase in production of cervical mucus (you want to see that raw egg-white discharge!)
Increase in sex drive (this may not be the case for every woman, but you may notice an uptick in libido)
Temperature shift (if tracking basal body temperature- just remember if you have a shift in temps, that usually means ovulation has ALREADY occurred for that cycle)
Some women may also notice ovulatory cramping, spotting, or increased anxiety around ovulation
How to Confirm Ovulation
Cervical mucus predicts ovulation and indicates the fertile window.
Basal body tracking temperature shift (3 consecutive days of temps 0.5 tenths of a degree higher than previous 6 temps) confirms ovulation occurred.
But here’s the thing, even if ovulation has occurred, it doesn’t mean it was a healthy ovulation.
If being monitored by a medical professional, follicle monitoring can also confirm ovulation AND show the quality of that ovulation. However, this isn’t an accessible option for most.
What about LH strips?
While LH strips or OPKs are often used as a means to predict ovulation, they are not always accurate. An LH surge can occur without ovulation.
If wanting to track urinary hormones, I much prefer to use Mira Hormone Tracking to look at the full picture, alongside tracking BBT and cervical mucus.
How to Know If Your Ovulation Isn’t Healthy
The most tried and true way is through follicle monitoring (ultrasound) by a qualified medical professional.
Since this may not be accessible to everyone, there are some factors to look at that might indicate ovulation isn’t as healthy as we want:
Poor or limited cervical mucus production
Slow temperature or hormone shift (if temps are rising slowly or ovulatory hormones aren’t shifting appropriately that can be a sign of possible ovulatory issues)
Short luteal phase/progesterone insufficiency (ovulatory issues can lead to poor production of progesterone which can be indicated through short luteal phases)
Inability to get pregnant or stay pregnant even with regular signs of ovulation and regular periods
Symptoms around ovulation and/or period can be red flags of potential underlying imbalances (but not always!)
How to Improve Ovulation
So how do you actually go about making sure ovulation is healthy?
It’s important to address any main causes of infertility (mentioned in this post here). These include conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, thyroid disorders, genetic factors, etc. These issues should be diagnosed and treated by a medical provider.
While I am not a medical provider and cannot diagnose or treat these conditions, I do work with my clients to find them appropriate and compassionate care and to advocate for themselves.
In the meantime, I work with clients to look at:
nutrient deficiencies
overall stress load (physical, emotional, and environmental)
digestive health
liver function/optimization (estrogen metabolism and clearance)
inflammation
and any other lifestyle and nutrition factors that maybe playing a role in their ovulation and fertility
What to Eat for Ovulation
When thinking about ovulation, it is important that we focus on eating for overall hormone production.
This means eating well-balanced meals with animal protein, healthy fats (key for hormone production), and colorful, fiber-rich fruits and veggies.
If getting pregnant is your goal, now is NOT the time to be skipping meals and fasting. In fact, many of the women I work with that are struggling with period issues and/or fertility are usually not eating enough throughout the day.
Other Important Nutrients for Ovulation:
Antioxidants - think colorful fruits and veggies like berries, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, beets, etc.
Healthy fats - don’t fear the fat! Dietary fat supports menstrual cycle and fertility health. Try things like grass-fed butter/ghee, extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, tallow, sprouted nuts and seeds, avocado, full-fat dairy products, and fatty fish like salmon.
Minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium drive important functions like thyroid, detoxification, hormone regulation, adrenal gland function, and so much more. All of which can impact ovulation and egg health.
Other nutrients that can support healthy egg quality include CoQ10, Myo + D-Chiro Inositol (40:1), N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC)
Always check with your medical provider before supplementing, especially if you’re taking any prescription medications and/or fertility treatments/medications.
If you think you’re ovulating, but still not getting pregnant and want support to:
Confirm whether or not ovulation is occuring
Give insight into hormone function
Have confidence to eat for fertility and ovulation
Then you’re in the right place!