At some point during puberty, a girl’s menstruation cycle will begin and this will vary greatly between individuals.
The usual menstrual cycle lasts between 25 to 30 days, the average being 28 days, hence the term monthly period.
Ovulation only occurs once during the cycle, about twelve to sixteen days before the next period.
It is the process of an egg being released from the ovary; woman can only actually get pregnant during the few days around this time.
Many women experience varying degrees of pain in the abdomen, during ovulation, also vaginal discharge can be heavier and the temperature of the body can increase slightly.
There are two ovaries in a women’s body and each one contains many thousands of follicles, which in turn store the immature eggs. Usually only one follicle will fully develop in a month, however more than one can grow at a given time.
Surprisingly many women may have a basic understanding of what ovulation is but only a tiny minority can relate it all to their own fertility.
Differentiating between the various types of hormones and what their function is, the body is usually something left for the medical profession to worry about.
The only time that a woman would read up her reproductive cycle is most likely during pregnancy, and education in this respect at school is usually very limited. In fact, in a lot of incidences it is the partner who becomes very interested in the science part of reproduction.
