When Did I Ovulate?
Question
Is it possible to ovulate on day 11 of a 27 day cycle? Let me further explain. First day of my period was the 26th of May. I had cervical mucus that was accompanied with really really faint bleeding on June 5th. Therefore the mucus was actually transparent brown with blood veins (sorry about the TMI) instead of the clear stuff I read about. But it was large quantities of it and very stretchy. I decided to use an ovulation predictor kit. (I got a positive result, I think! 🙂 ) I tested again on day 12 and 13 and got negative results. I didn’t have any more cervical mucus for the rest of the cycle. So did I ovulate on day 11? If so did I have intercourse in time or was I too late since those little critters (sperm) move so slowly?
Answer
Last Updated: July 10, 2013
Dear Jennifer,
The large quantities of clear stretching mucus (sometimes seen with blood) are the description of cervical mucus seen under the influence of higher levels estrogen. A woman only ovulates on one day of her menstrual cycle and the egg only lives 12-24 hours. The key to extending the couple’s fertility is the cervical mucus. With cervical mucus present, sperm can live in the female body 3-5 days. A woman can ovulate before and up to three days after the last day of clear or stretching mucus or a sensation of lubrication. If you only had intercourse on that one day, you might have missed ovulation. We recommend for couples trying to achieve a pregnancy, to have intercourse on the days of cervical mucus and for a day or two afterwards. Charting your menstrual cycles using natural family planning can help you identify your fertile and infertile phases; thus better time your acts of intercourse to achieve a pregnancy. Best of luck.
Winnie Neill, CFCP
The large quantities of clear stretching mucus (sometimes seen with blood) are the description of cervical mucus seen under the influence of higher levels estrogen. A woman only ovulates on one day of her menstrual cycle and the egg only lives 12-24 hours. The key to extending the couple’s fertility is the cervical mucus. With cervical mucus present, sperm can live in the female body 3-5 days. A woman can ovulate before and up to three days after the last day of clear or stretching mucus or a sensation of lubrication. If you only had intercourse on that one day, you might have missed ovulation. We recommend for couples trying to achieve a pregnancy, to have intercourse on the days of cervical mucus and for a day or two afterwards. Charting your menstrual cycles using natural family planning can help you identify your fertile and infertile phases; thus better time your acts of intercourse to achieve a pregnancy. Best of luck.
Winnie Neill, CFCP
Answered By:
Winnie Neill, CFCP
Winnie Neill, a Professional Member of CANFP, is a certified FertilityCare Practitioner, and taught NFP 23 years in the Sacramento region. She served on the Sacramento Diocese NFP Advisory Board, the American Academy of NFP Board and the CANFP Executive Board. She and her husband Bob have been married 63 years
