By Jennifer “Jay” Palumbo
Do I have weak triceps? Absolutely. Do I have a weakness for cheese? Completely. However, I had no idea that your ovulation can be “weak.” Aside from the fact that the terminology is pretty judgy, how does the body weakly ovulate? I picture someone who can’t throw a ball holding an egg and half-heartedly throwing it.
We all know that you need to have sex during your fertile window to have the best chance of getting pregnant. This means having intercourse during ovulation. Woo hoo!
However, your hormones need to be balanced for the egg to fertilize. If there is hormonal imbalance, that’s when “weak ovulation” or “anovulation” can occur. One of the key ways you can track ovulation is to monitor your progesterone levels. In this article, I’ll attempt to explain how tracking your progesterone production (as if you didn’t have enough to track) may increase your chances of conceiving.
What Happens During Ovulation?
When you ovulate, your ovaries will (ideally) release a mature egg. Mature meaning it’s fully developed in terms of cell division.… not grown-up with a job and a 401-K.
Then, the egg makes its trip down the fallopian tube (anyone else picture the egg with a backpack?), ready to be fertilized. Most women will ovulate between day 11 and day 21 of their cycle. To calculate when you ovulate, I highly recommend an ovulation prediction kit. Unfortunately, using an app-only estimates things (I call it the “Algorithm Method”). It isn’t as reliable as peeing on something to detect your LH surge, which means you’re in your fertile window.
How Your Hormone Levels Affect Ovulation?
Your hormone levels should be within a specific range to get pregnant. These levels need to be sustained during the luteal phase, which occurs after ovulation and pregnancy. Typically, the luteal phase begins around day 14 of your cycle.
During this phase, your hormone levels will start low and gradually increase through pregnancy, rising every trimester. If there is an imbalance in your progesterone levels, this can lead to anovulation or weak ovulation.
How Can I Monitor My Progesterone Levels?
There are several ways to monitor your hormone levels to check for weak ovulation. These include many brands of ovulation testing kits (as mentioned previously) and hormone monitoring products. Kits like these will help you identify your fertile window and assess whether or not you’re having issues ovulating.
Overall, I’d speak to your reproductive endocrinologist and get their thoughts as they went to medical school and all and could better advise you.
How Can I Treat Weak Ovulation?
There are many different treatments for weak ovulation on the market in the form of creams, pills, vaginal suppositories, and injections. Pills are the least effective as the liver metabolizes the medication before reaching the rest of the body. Therefore, these treatments are more suitable for women with slight imbalances. In addition, progesterone creams should only be used as soon as ovulation is about to occur, and never before.
Obviously, do NOT use any hormones without speaking to your doctor. When you’re dealing with trying to conceive, infertility, and hormone imbalances, it’s not the best time to go rogue!
Equally, suppositories and injections will be provided by your fertility specialist. Again, your doctor will tailor these medications specifically to your needs, ensuring you take them exactly as directed.
And whether your ovulation is weak or not, please remember YOU ARE STRONG. Don’t let your eggs boss you around. You have many family-building options, and your best bet is to speak to your doctor and ask them the best path to parenthood for you!
Read more from Jennifer here:
What is an Ideal Number of Follicles for IVF?
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