Hi Dana! Can you start with telling us a bit about yourself?

Absolutely! Hi friends, I’m Dana Ariele Chwatt, I’m a holistic hormone health coach, and a fertility educator in training. I’ve been in the holistic women’s space and coaching for the last 4 and a half years. I work with women 1:1, in groups, virtually, in-person, and I run events, workshops, panels, etc– all through the lens of women’s hormonal health. I’m really obsessed with empowering women with information and tools to understand how to work with their bodies, and have the tools to reach their goals, and feel body literate. 

So…what actually is ovulation?

Ovulation is the whole point of the menstrual cycle… We've always been taught about our periods, but we want our bodies to want to make a baby every cycle (whether or not we actually want one).

Ovulation is a 24-48 hour process when a matured egg (or eggs) are released from a follicle in the ovary in hopes of being fertilized. If more than one egg is released at ovulation (hello fraternal twins), it’s always within 24 hours of the first egg– ovulation only happens one time every cycle. 

Ovulation is the only time of our cycles when we can get pregnant, and since sperm can live in our bodies for up to ~5 days, our fertile window encompasses ovulation– as well as the ~5 days before it, and a few days after ovulation. 

When do I ovulate and how do I know when I'm ovulating?

Everyone ovulates at a different time in their cycles! There’s a myth that women ovulate on day 14– and some women do, but many women don’t. Typically, ovulation occurs at the midpoint of your cycle or about 12-16 days before your period.

As you approach ovulation, you will likely notice changes in your cervical fluid (this is what helps keep sperm alive in our bodies). Super slippery, watery, stretchy or clear cervical fluid is a key sign from your body that ovulation is imminent. 

We can’t determine the actual day of ovulation without an ultrasound, but we can make a pretty good guess by combining our fertility biomarkers like cervical fluid and basal body temperature (BBT)– which helps us confirm that ovulation occurred. 

OPKs (ovulation predictor kits) test for LH (luteinizing hormone) which peaks during ovulation, this is a great tool to add to cervical fluid and BBT, but can’t 100% confirm ovulation is happening because you could have an LH surge with no ovulation occurring. 

Many of us use apps to track our cycles, and ovulation, but as your fertility educator in training I want to remind you that these apps use an algorithm to predict your fertile time, and your body is not a computer. :)  

Does anything affect ovulation?

Yes! Tons of things: stress, travel, illness, age, diet, lifestyle, activity, hormonal birth control, environmental toxins, etc.

Again, the whole point of the menstrual cycle is ovulation– and a sign of health is regular ovulation. Research from the National Institutes of Health confirms that a woman’s menstrual cycle acts as a gauge of her vitality and overall health throughout her life. Overexercising and under nourishing (which are both stressors for the body) are probably the biggest ovulation disruptors I see. 

Can I get pregnant during ovulation? or during my period?

Technically, a true period is what follows ovulation (about 12-16 days later), but we can bleed during/ after an anovulatory cycle (aka without ovulation occurring), so it’s hard to know if it’s a true period or a breakthrough/ withdrawal bleed without tracking certain biomarkers (aka using cervical fluid and BBT plus added sympto-thermal rules!!). 

If we are having a true period, the first couple days of that bleed are likely low risk for pregnancy, but since fertility markers are hidden (cervical fluid) by our blood, we can’t just assume we aren’t fertile (especially if you don’t use a proven method, like the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness to confirm if it’s a true period or a withdrawal/ breakthrough bleed). 

The few days leading up to ovulation, and ovulation are the highest risk days of pregnancy, but it’s a myth that you cannot get pregnant on your period. 

What does ovulation do to your hormones?

Ovulation is the time in our cycle where our hormones (estrogen, LH, FSH, and testosterone!!) peak and are at their highest. This tends to give us more energy, feel extroverted, gives us the ability to push ourselves in our workouts, and feel super creative.

In order for ovulation to occur, we need ample amounts of estrogen to trigger the LH release to help cause ovulation to occur. 

Why am I so horny when I'm ovulating?

Our bodies (biologically speaking) are designed to create life every cycle, whether or not we actually want a baby. We’re all familiar with testosterone, the ‘male hormone,’ and we’re also familiar with the general libido of men. Around ovulation, we actually have a bit of testosterone that boosts our libidos (mood, energy, etc) too! Again– biologically speaking this is the time we can conceive and our bodies know it. 

Can I take the morning-after pill when I'm ovulating?

The best and most effective time to take an emergency contraceptive pill is before ovulation. The purpose of the morning-after pill is to delay or prevent ovulation, so if you’re already ovulating– or ovulated, it’s not going to be rather effective. 

Is there anything else you think is important to understand about your cycle, especially pertaining to ovulation?

You shouldn't wait to care about your fertility or ovulation until you’re ready to make a baby, you should start to care about it now!

I will also share that the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness has changed my life, my relationship with my body and fertility, and I can confidently practice contraception without hormones! Here’s a bit about the method from my teacher’s website. I’ll be certified in Jan 2026, but reach out if you want to join my cohort when it opens (@dana.ariele)