The basics of the cycle: Ovulation

Jess, Clem and the girls of Collectif Junon thrill Paris with their program of feminist and eclectic events, their eponymous blog since 2015 deconstructs the preconceived patterns of sexuality of our time. If you open your eyes, you may have seen Clem on his blue Pussyclette delivering their brilliant magazine Hysterique to the four corners of Paris. Gapianne joins forces with Juno to present you with a selection of topics that the collective has gone over with a scalpel, and of course the number 2 of Hysterique is available for sale e here , good reading!

The body is an incredible machine full of surprises and mysteries, one of the greatest of which, for me, is that of fertilization. To enable fertilization, special tools are needed, of which ovulation is one.

How the body works during ovulation

First of all, ovulation is the action of releasing an egg from the ovary. The ovary is the organ that produces eggs and hormones. It is part of the reproductive system and walks in pairs.

The egg is a cell produced by the ovary and which contains the chromosomes of the future embryo to be fertilized. Its lifespan varies from 24 to 72 hours depending on the fertility of the person.

It is the hormone FSH, secreted by the brain, which will stimulate the ovaries and allow them to create estrogen, and this, during the first 14 days of the cycle.

It is then around the 14th day that the LH hormone produced by the brain will order the ovaries to release the egg produced by the latter.

Once released, the egg travels down the fallopian tubes to the uterus.

The uterus is for him a possible meeting place with spermatozoa introduced during vaginal penetration (through a penis equipped for reproduction), or other more medical measure.

If the egg is fertilized, it will be implanted against the wall of the uterus which will form its nest for 9 months. In another case, if the egg is not fertilized within 24 or 72 hours, menstruation will appear and rid the body of waste (endometrium) as well as the egg.

Ovulation never falls on a specific number of days in your cycle. It falls around 14 days, however this is not a fixed date to rely on. As with periods, everyone is different and even a slight change in your hormone levels will cause ovulation to go a few days earlier or later in your cycle.

How do you know when you are ovulating?

The date of ovulation can only be known by scientific test or in the laboratory, however it remains predictable and you can calculate it yourself thanks to different techniques. (Warning, these methods cannot give an exact date and therefore are not a safe method of contraception). *First there is the temperature method. You should measure and record your body temperature every morning when you wake up. The progesterone present in your body will manage your temperature and increase it by a tenth of a degree during ovulation.

• Ovulation tests similar to pregnancy tests are available from pharmacies and calculate your LH level, which peaks about 1-2 days before ovulation.
• The Billings method consists of following the state of your cervical mucus which is secreted by the cervix. Cervical mucus is essential for fertility, so it changes substance during ovulation.
• Finally, the position of your cervix can also give indications. If it's hard, low, and closed, you haven't ovulated yet. On the other hand, if it is soft, high and open, it is because ovulation is taking place and it is ready to receive the egg.

These last two methods require a good knowledge of your body. But none of them is 100% reliable, they only allow you to optimize a chance of pregnancy or precisely to avoid it (while taking a method of contraception if you choose).

In short, ovulation is still an intelligent invention of the human body! But then beware, a little end note: not everyone with ovaries ovulates, this can vary according to certain disturbances in the body, but also according to the contraception you are taking.

Article written by the Junon collective and relayed by Gapianne as part of a collaboration

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