{"id":36434,"date":"2020-01-29T09:50:52","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T17:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avawomen.com\/?p=36434"},"modified":"2020-02-20T15:09:51","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T23:09:51","slug":"ovulation-bleeding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.avawomen.com\/avaworld\/ovulation-bleeding\/","title":{"rendered":"Ovulation Bleeding: What Does it Mean About Your Fertility?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may wonder whether the spotting you see at the midpoint of your cycle is ovulation bleeding or something else. If you\u2019ve done any Googling, you\u2019ve seen this form of spotting referred to as mid-cycle bleeding, ovulation spotting, and intermenstrual bleeding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what is it \u2014 and what does it mean? Ovulation bleeding is somewhat common and usually nothing to fret about. Most of the time, it\u2019s a sign your menstrual cycle is working as it should.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does it mean when you bleed during ovulation?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ovulation bleeding happens shortly after ovulation in the middle of your cycle, about <\/span>10 – 16 days after your period<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s due to a rapid surge of the hormone estrogen at ovulation, followed by a swift plunge in estrogen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, other factors besides a dip in estrogen may cause mid-cycle bleeding, which we\u2019ll get to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is it normal to spot during ovulation?<\/span><\/h2>\n

It’s somewhat common, occurring on a more or less regular basis in <\/span>up to 9% of healthy, menstruating women<\/span><\/a> \u2014 although a 2012 paper found it occurred in just <\/span>4.8% of women<\/span><\/a> during the study period, which covered two menstrual cycles. One leading OB\/GYN told <\/span>Medscape<\/span><\/i> she sees ovulation bleeding fairly often \u2014 in <\/span>10 – 30% of menstruating women<\/span><\/a> in clinical practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

(There\u2019s frustratingly little research on the menstrual cycle, and clinical research represents a snapshot in time of a sample of women, making it difficult to say how common ovulation bleeding is with any degree of certainty.)<\/span><\/p>\n

What causes ovulation bleeding?<\/span><\/h2>\n

To understand it, we first need to backtrack to the process of ovulation. Ovulation, which <\/span>lasts a few minutes or hours<\/span><\/a>, is triggered by a cascade of hormonal responses in your body. Estrogen is one of the most critical hormones in ovulation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Estrogen is low at the beginning of your cycle, around the time you have your period. Then it rises through the first part of your cycle, eventually reaching a peak where it signals the release of luteinizing hormone, which tells the ovaries to release an egg.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a surge of luteinizing hormone comes a sharp plunge in the level of estrogen. The swift drop in estrogen destabilizes the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, and may cause a bit of the lining to shed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When your entire endometrium sheds, that\u2019s how you have a period. But just a bit of shedding leads to ovulation bleeding.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is ovulation bleeding healthy?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Research in the <\/span>American Journal of Epidemiology<\/span><\/i> found <\/span>higher levels of estrogen, luteal progesterone, and luteinizing hormone<\/span><\/a> (LH) around ovulation in regularly menstruating women who experienced mid-cycle ovulation spotting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this sense, consider ovulation bleeding a sign your hormones are working as they should.<\/span><\/p>\n

How can I tell it\u2019s ovulation bleeding?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s probably no definitive way to know if the bleeding is due to ovulation or another cause, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t hunt for clues to understand what\u2019s happening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check to see whether the bleeding is accompanied by <\/span>signs of ovulation<\/span><\/a>, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n