For those trying to conceive, knowing when you ovulate is hugely important to be able to time intercourse and properly identify your fertile window. If you are tracking your menstrual cycle, you are probably looking at several different physical biomarkers of ovulation (mucus production, basal body temperature, and cervical position are the main ones), but actually looking at your hormone levels is also extremely important in figuring out when you will ovulation, and if you actually ovulated.

Today, we are going to focus on the follicular phase (days 1 through ovulation), and one of the main hormones at play to help determine when ovulation will happen, and that is understanding that role of Luteinizing hormone (LH)! This amazing hormone is released by in the anterior pituitary gland that stimulates the ovaries to release estradiol and release a mature follicle.

Typical Levels of LH During Cycle

As with any hormone, where you are in your cycle determines what level of LH should be present.

Follicular phase (cycle day 1/first day of bleeding through pre-ovulation): 1.68–15 IU/L
Cycle peak (ovulation): 21.9–56.6 IU/L
Luteal phase (post-ovulation through end of cycle/day before bleeding): 0.61–16.3 IU/L (Medical News Today)

This is a time when understanding the normal range of your hormones is extremely important as it can you determine many important aspects of your menstrual cycle, and overall health.

Fertile Window

As we know, there are about 5-6 days a cycle that we actually can get pregnant. This is due to our amazing cervical mucus being able to keep sperm alive for up to 5 days and our egg being released and available for implantation for about 24 hours. This period of time is called your fertile window and can be seen as your LH begins to climb. The end of your fertile window is about 24-36 hours after your see your LH surge, or also when your LH is in the low range.

By understanding when your fertile window is, you can better plan intercourse to optimize your fertility. Furthermore, if you are not trying to conceive, avoiding intercourse in this fertile window may be effective in preventing a pregnancy.

Peak Fertility as Determined by LH Surge

When your LH surge is detected, you are in your peak fertility window. This means that you will be ovulating in about 24-36 hours. Since we know eggs live for about 24 hours without fertilization, your LH surge can indicate the start of your two most fertile days.

High LH Prior to Ovulation

If you are noticing that you have consistently high LH prior to ovulation, this can be connected to having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is linked to higher than normal testosterone levels in women which impacts ovulation and production of other necessary hormones.

Low LH Prior to Ovulation

If you notice that you never achieve a peak in your LH or are have consistently low levels of LH, it can be a sign that ovulation is not occurring.

At Home Monitoring of LH

Traditional Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs) use to be the best way to monitor when the LH surge was approaching, however, times are changing. These old style (and somewhat confusing) OPKs would with have a blank O to show low LH, a 😀 to show LH is present, and a flashing 😀 to show a high LH. But, you will notice that you never actually know your exactly level of LH when using these traditional OPKs. While for some people that might be okay, but if you are struggling to conceive, knowing the exact LH can be extremely beneficial for you to get a better understanding of your entire cycle.

A Better Way to Monitor LH and Ovulation

Mira Fertility is changing the world of OPK testing with their amazing product! Mira is an at home test but also much more!

No Missed Peak Ovulation: Because Mira tells you the exact level of LH in your urine, you are able to accurately know when your LH is at its peak rather than trying to interpret the 😀.
Personalized Fertile Window: Mira learns and remembers your cycles, so it can being to tell you when to test and when not to test.
Irregular Cycles: Those with irregular cycles have a hard time pinpointing ovulation, but with Mira analyzes your data to help create an accurate view of your fertile window.

Blue Tooth Syncing: All of this data is saved on your phone via bluetooth so you are able to see the results up to 200 tests to get a great idea of your past cycles.

Order your Mira today and save $25 with code CBW25!*