Ready to keep track of your ovulation? Here’s a guide to the symptoms you can expect post-ovulation, as well as those which might occur after a missed or delayed ovulation.

Symptoms of ovulation:

Ovulation pain

If you find yourself experiencing pain in the middle of your cycle – particularly to the side of your abdomen where the ovaries are located – this could be a sign that ovulation has begun.

This pain occurs because the follicle is ruptured as a mature egg is released, and the muscles of the fallopian tube then contract to push the egg along. All of this can lead to a dull ache or pain.

A change in basal body temperature

Fluctuations in your basal body temperature – aka, the lowest temperature of your body at rest – can be a key indicator that ovulation is about to happen or has already occurred.

Before ovulation, some women experience a slight drop in temperature, followed by a sharp rise in temperature after ovulation occurs.

Experiencing PMS symptoms

The sharp rise and fall of oestrogen and progesterone during the luteal phase (aka, the second stage of the menstrual cycle post-ovulation) can trigger PMS symptoms, so experiencing these symptoms could be a sign that your hormones are responding to an egg being released.

Symptoms of delayed or missed ovulation (anovulation)

Consistent cervical mucus

It’s normal for your cervical mucus to change throughout the menstrual cycle, so if your mucus remains the same throughout the month, then that could be a sign that ovulation isn’t happening.

“Your cervical mucus will usually change to be clear, wet and slippery in consistency just before or during ovulation, so it makes it easier for the sperm to swim towards your egg and potentially fertilise it,” Fogarty-Draper says.

Prolonged, irregular or heavy bleeding

One of the most common symptoms of missed or delayed ovulation is heavy, irregular bleeding, so if your cycle has been a bit off, that could explain why. Technically the period of bleeding which occurs after a missed ovulation isn’t menstruation, as this describes the process by which the lining is shed after an egg isn’t fertilised. When you haven’t got that egg in your uterus, it’s known as anovulatory bleeding.

The imbalance of hormones which typically causes anovulation, particularly low progesterone, can cause the lining of the uterus to become unstable and shed, causing the bleed.

Trouble sleeping

Because progesterone levels rise after ovulation, a failure to ovulate can lead to low levels of progesterone, which may lead to uncomfortable symptoms such as trouble sleeping, hot flushes and headaches.

Why we should all pay attention to our ovulatory health (even if we’re not looking to conceive)