Look Your Ovulation

In humans, the period when ovulation occurs is called the ovulatory phase, and it occupies the fourteenth day of an idealized twenty-eight day menstrual cycle. Because of the variable nature of the menstrual cycle in vivo, however, normal ovulation can occur as early as day 8 or as late as day 20 and beyond. A woman with a particularly short cycle will ovulate earlier while a woman with a long cycle will ovulate later. In humans, concealed ovulation means that the female shows few visible signs of being fertile, compared to most species.(disputed — see talk page) There are evolutionary analyses of how this could evolve in terms of evolutionary game theory.

Before ovulation, the ovarian follicle will undergo a series of transformations that are necessary for the ovum to survive afterwards. This process is called cumulus expansion. After this is done, a hole called the stigma will form in the follicle, and the ovum will leave the follicle through this hole. It will then enter the fallopian tubes and travel toward the uterus, implanting there if fertilized or degrading after 24 hours if not.

The ovulatory phase is preceded by the follicular phase, where a immature follicle-encased ovum completes growing, and followed by the luteal phase, where the uterus is prepared to receive the fertilized ovum. The complete process of follicle growth leading up to ovulation is known as folliculogenesis.

Scientific investigations have indicated that the olfactory acuity or the sense of smell is greatest during ovulation in women.

Strictly defined, the ovulatory phase spans the period of hormonal elevation in the menstrual cycle. The process requires a maximum of thirty-six hours to complete, and it is arbitrarily separated into three phases: periovulatory, ovulatory, and postovulatory.

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