Do you wonder "Why am I not Ovulating"? here are the some of signs, symptoms and reasons of not ovulating or having irregular ovulation problem or anovulation which cause irregular periods.
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Ovulation Problems or Anovulation
During your monthly cycle, ovulation occurs when an egg is released and ready for fertilisation, which leads to pregnancy. Ovulation does not always occur, which you might not be aware of. You occasionally experience anovulatory cycle..
Why is Anovulation the cause of infertility?
Anovulation simply means that it's a cycle where your body does not release an egg.
Having one or two anovulatory cycles a year is common and perfectly normal.
And if you don't release an egg, of course, a sperm and an egg can't meet to create a pregnancy. So knowing whether you're ovulating or not can give you peace of mind and also let you know when it's time to seek advice from a fertility specialist.
The hormones involved in your menstrual cycle
Let's take a closer look at your menstrual cycle. Your menstrual cycle has two parts.
When you're in the preovulatory phase, or the first part of your cycle, the hormone estrogen is dominant. When estrogen begins to rise, luteinizing hormone, or LH for short, is released by your pituitary gland, which triggers ovulation, which is a fancy term for an egg rupturing outside the follicle.
After LH activates one of the follicles to produce an egg, the second phase of the cycle takes place. The follicle from which the egg just emerged develops the corpus luteum, which generates progesterone, while the egg passes down the fallopian tube and enters the cervical canal. Progesterone is the dominant hormone now that you're in the second half of your cycle, which we call the postovulatory phase. Progesterone is what keeps you from having a period and helps support the lining of your uterus for a potential pregnancy.If you become pregnant, progesterone will stay at a high level in your body and continue to keep you from having your period. But if the egg is not fertilized, your body stops producing progesterone and you get your period. In an anovulatory cycle, an egg hasn't been released so progesterone doesn't get produced either.
Why symptoms could be depended upon to predict ovulation issues
In the event that you get pregnant, progesterone levels will remain high and you won't start bleeding. However, if somehow the egg is not fertilised, progesterone production in the body stops, and you have your period. Progesterone is not produced because an egg has not been discharged during an anovulatory cycle.
During an anovulatory cycle, you could or might not get your period, and getting your period doesn't always mean you ovulated that month. Because of this, relying solely on your period for information might be deceptive, and understanding the function of your hormones is essential to conceiving.
Importance of Progesterone Test to find Ovulation Problems
Now you may have used over the counter ovulation tests in the past, but these measure your LH levels, not progesterone, so you cannot actually confirm ovulation.
You can have your progesterone levels tested in a lab which can confirm ovulation and even diagnose miscarriages. An increase in progesterone levels in the second part of the cycle confirms that ovulation has taken place. Low progesterone levels could mean the cycle was anovulatory or there was insufficient progesterone production during your cycle.The downsides here are time and cost, as you may need to take the test multiple times.
What should you do if you aren't ovulating ?
Don't panic if you experience one anovulatory cycle, though. Simply try again after a cycle. However, it can be wise to talk to your doctor about your options if you experience two consecutive anovulatory cycles and are attempting to get pregnant.
