Now that we have covered the uniqueness of both the menstrual and the follicular phases, the next phase up is ovulation! For many women who track their cycle and know what phase they are in, ovulation is generally viewed as the favorite. From unbeatable energy to glowing skin, menstruating women tend to thrive during this time.

Because it is the shortest cycle length, it can be hard for women to know for sure when they are ovulating or in a different cycle phase. Tracking and logging your cycle is a great place to start in learning how it affects your hormones and how you can support your body through each phase.

Overall lifestyle choices such as nutrition, movement, and intentionality around your cycle all help you become more in tune with your body and have more awareness around bodily cues–whether it be period health or overall well-being.

What Happens During Ovulation?

The previous phase, the follicular phase, was all about gearing up for this moment… releasing an egg. Ovulation occurs when the dominant follicle forms a fully matured egg and the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge causes the ovary to release the egg. Landing in the middle (around day 14) of a 28-day cycle, the moment of ovulation itself is instant, but the egg can survive for up to 24 hours.

High Fertility and pregnancy

During this time, menstruating women are the most fertile in comparison to the other cycle phases. Fertility peaks on the day of ovulation, but your fertile window lasts up to five days before ovulation and one day after.

The hormone progesterone rises to help prepare the uterus for pregnancy. The egg travels through the fallopian tube–where sperm and egg meet for fertilization. If sperm fertilizes the egg, the egg will travel back down to the uterus. After about a week, the egg will attach itself to the lining of the uterus (this is called implantation). Hormones estrogen and progesterone thicken the endometrium lining to support the fertilized egg–eventually developing into a baby–by supplying it with nutrients. Hormones signal to the body it is pregnant and prevent the lining of the uterus (menstruation) from occurring.

**Ovulation: Inner Summer**
Cue our most adventurous, outgoing, and confident selves! With hormones being at their highest point, ovulation is our inner summer. Many women feel more outgoing and extroverted during this time, which makes for a great time to prioritize being around and connect with others that light you up. Ovulation allows you to have a clear head around goal-setting and feel powerful enough to go after your dreams!
A way to embrace this season (or phase) is to engage in social activities and date nights, tackle challenging projects, networking events, and expressing yourself.

How to Support Ovulation

Even if you are not trying to get pregnant, it is important to support the phase of ovulation and its rise in hormones through how you choose to nourish yourself and move your body.

Diet:

To support estrogen being at its peak, it’s important to load up on veggies. Focusing on fiber-rich foods will help carry away any excess estrogen in the body.

Spinach
Bell peppers
Peas
Broccoli
Beans
Berries
Citrus fruits
Lentils
Flax seeds
Walnuts
Fatty fish
Chicken
Eggs

Try my turmeric ginger dressing to add delicious flavor to any salad!

Exercise:

Time to turn up the heat! With the surge in energy and mood, your body can handle more intense exercises and sweaty gym sessions.

HIIT (high-intensity interval training)
Strength training
Cycling
Running
Group fitness classes
- Group fitness classes are a great idea during ovulation! You are able to socialize with like-minded people and maybe make new friends.

Tracking Your Cycle

Although wearing a smart device that tracks your health metrics–including your cycle (I use an Oura Ring) is a great tool, it is not necessary for tracking your period. There are apps such as Flo, Natural Cycles, and 28 Cycle where you can manually enter your symptoms and log how you feel. The app saves all your information and can give you great insights into your overall menstrual cycle trends!

Hormones

As a Certified Nutrition Specialist who focuses on a whole-body approach to health, listening to your body’s warning signs, such as an irregular period, anovulation, infertility, PMS, and other symptoms surrounding women’s health, invites you to take a closer look.

My program, Root Cause Hormone Package, does a deep dive into your hormones to pinpoint symptoms and imbalances using the comprehensive DUTCH test.

After receiving your results, I create a personalized plan that will help optimize nutrition and digestion, improve immune health, balance hormones, and detoxify your body so you can function at your best.