Basal Temperature Is A Key Indicator - Another of the symptoms of ovulation is the rise in basal temperature. The basal body temperature is the temperature of the body immediately upon arising in the morning. Basal temperature will begin to rise at the time of ovulation. The rise in temperature is very slight however, and a special thermometer, accurate to 1/100th of a degree is needed. For a given day, the temperature reading may not seem to be of any significance. What you look for is an upward trend in temperature, especially in the day or two following ovulation. Where taking the basal temperature can help is, that over a period of time, it can determine fairly accurately when ovulation is apt to occur in the next cycle, and establish the times during future cycles when becoming pregnant is most likely to happen. If pregnancy does occur, the temperature recorded following ovulation will remain elevated throughout the pregnancy. Otherwise it will slowly drop back to "normal".
There Can Be Pain, But Fortunately Not Much - Not all women experience pain as one of the symptoms of ovulation, but some do. This pain, sometimes felt as a lingering pain in the lower abdomen, sometimes as a sharp pain that comes and goes, and sometimes as a mild cramp, is called "mittelschmerz", a German word meaning middle pain. The pain is caused during ovulation as the egg breaks free from the ovary and begins to travel down the fallopian tube. Mittelschmerz usually lasts for only a day, in fact seldom that long, and even more seldom for a longer period of time. Women who experience this pain may feel it every month at ovulation, some feel it only once every few months (typically every third month), and some never experience it at all, or barely take notice of it.
There are a few other symptoms of ovulation that are often experienced as well. Some women have a heightened desire for sex around this time. From a biological or reproductive standpoint, this probably makes perfect sense, and the increased desire is the result of increased levels of estrogen in the body. Some women will experience a bloating feeling in the abdomen, others tenderness of the breasts. It has been reported that some women even experience a heightening of taste, vision and smell, during ovulation. Others may become moody. With somewhat rapid changes in the body's hormone levels, an occasional mood swing is probably not surprising.
Summary - As we have seen, there are a number of symptoms of ovulation which can help an individual establish what their particular pattern is. Being able to nail down just when ovulation is expected to occur can be a great help in either trying to become pregnant or trying to avoid becoming pregnant. Whether it is changes in cervical fluid consistency, vaginal discharge, small increases in basal temperature, abdominal pain, or an assortment of other, usually mild symptoms, a woman can know what to look for and not be alarmed with what she may experience. This knowledge, coupled with knowing that pregnancy can result from sexual intercourse that has taken place several days before ovulation, and the fact that the egg will only survive for about a day unless fertilized, can help even more, especially where planned parenthood is being practiced. While some women do experience a "bad day" at a certain time in their cycle, most fortunately don't have to put up with many significant problems. When problems are apt to occur, armed with the above knowledge at least helps one in being prepared to deal with them.