Written or medically reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Policy.

Updated July 10, 2015.

The key to getting pregnant is ovulation. By pinpointing when you ovulate you will increase your chances of pregnancy. This can be a simple process or a bit tricky depending on your body and your fertility signals.

The good news is that many women have signals that show when they are ovulating. All you need to do is to find them and then you're on your way to trying to get pregnant.

1. Increase in cervical fluid.
   When you are ovulating, your body increases the amount of cervical fluid. Many women just notice that towards the middle of their cycle they are a bit more moist. Some women even feel the need to wear small pads to help stay fresh and dry. This can make sex easier because you usually don't require lubrication from outside sources. Women also report feeling more sexually attractive and attracted to your mate. (The good news is that they seem to have the same feelings when you're ovulating because of pheromones and other not so easily explainable forces.)

1. Your cervix moves forward.
   You can easily check the position of your own cervix. Simply wash your hands and stick a finger or two inside your vagina and feel the cervix. When you are not fertile you will notice that your cervix is harder and not open. Your cervix will feel about the consistency of the end of your nose. When you ovulate the cervix is easier to reach, a bit softer and slightly open to receive sperm. At this point your cervix may feel more like your ear lobe.
2. One sided pain during ovulation.
   This is called mittleschmerz or middle pain. This is an achy feeling arising from the ovary just prior to or during ovulation. Though some women will notice a brief, but sharp pain. Not every woman notices this pain. But if you do experience it is a good clue that you have ovulated. This is great information to add to your chart, particularly if you can see how it aligns with other symptoms.
3. Your basal body temperature shifts.
   If you are tracking your basal body temperatures you can see where your temperatures shift downwards then suddenly spike upwards. This is also an indication of ovulation. This requires that you take your temperature on a daily basis. There are a variety of versions of this test. Some have you recording on an app, while others are merely pen and paper. It does not matter how you chart the results as long as you can look at the data over time.

1. You have an LH surge.
   This one requires testing with ovulation prediction kits (OPK). This involves spending money to purchase test kits that measure the amount of LH in your urine. This can be useful if you have very irregular cycles, or if you're not able to feel other symptoms. Your practitioner may also ask you to do it. There are some kits that are computerized and you simply replace sticks, and there are some that are inexpensive and purchased at dollar stores.

As you can see, there are many signs that your body gives you to help you pinpoint ovulation. By learning to tell when you are experiencing these symptoms, you can help figure out when you should be having sex to try to conceive.

 

Sources:

Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. Gabbe, S, Niebyl, J, Simpson, JL. Sixth Edition.

Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Toni Weschler. 1995.