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Ovulation

Ovulation occurs around the 14th day of your menstrual cycle. During this time, estrogen begins to rise rapidly, peaking about a day before ovulation. As your estrogen levels peak, your body will experience a surge in LH, triggering your ovaries to release an egg from its follicle. This egg will enter one of your fallopian tubes and travel towards your uterus. The leftover egg follicle gradually shrinks, becoming the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum secretes progesterone, helping to prepare your uterine lining for pregnancy.

Menstruation

If your egg is not fertilized after ovulation, your body will progress into the menstrual phase of its cycle. During this stage, the unfertilizied egg is expelled from the vagina along with the uterine lining. This is your menstrual period. Typically, menstruation lasts between three and seven days, though it can last as long as ten days.

Your menstrual blood may change in color, ranging from bright red to deep brown. You may also notice some small clots in the blood. This is because your menstrual fluid is actually comprised of various cells and tissues. During menstruation, hormone levels drop, signalling the cycle to start all over again.

Problems with your Menstrual Cycle

If you are facing fertility difficulties, you may be experiencing problems with your menstrual cycle. Your health care provider can offer you different tests or exams to help find out if you are experiencing any menstrual cycle complications.

Common menstrual cycle complications include:

• Oligomenorrhea: Oligomenorrhea, or irregularity of the menstrual cycle, occurs when you when don't get a menstrual period every month. This can indicate problems with ovulation or hormone production, and may interfere with pregnancy.
• Amenorrhea: Amenorrhea refers to the complete loss of menstruation. This can occur for a variety of reasons, particularly hormone imbalance. If you are suffering from amenorrhea you may not be ovulating regularly, making it difficult to become pregnant.
• Anovulation: Sometimes, women can experience regular periods but may still have trouble getting pregnant. This could signal a problem with ovulation. Anovulation occurs when you don't ovulate regularly or when your body doesn't ovulate at all.