Best Woman Care

In the Mood? You May Be Ovulating!

July 18, 2008 - Posted in Fertility Vs Infertility

Fertility. Ovulation signs aren’t always mysterious. While checking cervical mucus or charting body basal temperatures are more reliable methods of detecting ovulation, our bodies seem to be programmed to have sex at the right time anyway. Research actually says so – if you’re feeling in the mood, ovulation may be on the way.

A research study in the late 80s asked women to track when they had sex over a period of 90 days. The women also provided urine samples every morning, which were evaluated by the researchers. They were looking for changes in the level of luteinizing hormone, otherwise known as LH.

In case you didn’t know, LH levels peak right before ovulation. If you use an ovulation predictor kit, the tests check for the day your LH levels surge. The hormone LH is also responsible for the increase and changes in cervical mucus which appear right before ovulation. If you’re trying to get pregnant, when your LH peaks, you should be having sex.

What the researchers discovered is pretty interesting. They found that the women were most likely to have sex when the LH levels were high. In fact, of all the days in their cycle, the day of the LH peak was the day when the most women had sexual intercourse.

While high libido isn’t a sure sign of ovulation, it’s one that nature hopes you’ll notice. Next time you’re feeling in the mood for some hanky-panky, take that as a possible ovulation sign, and head to the bedroom.

By Rachel Gurevich, About.com

Sources:

Hedricks C., Piccinino L. J., Udry J.R., Chimbira T.H. “Peak coital rate coincides with onset of luteinizing hormone surge.” Fertility and Sterility. Aug. 1987: 48(2):234-8.