Daft question

[Presh12345]

So I was at the gynae last week for smear and I asked her about conceiving. She was my doc when I had my MMC last year. She said that even though we have a period, it doesn't mean we have ovulated. I started using the clearblue ovulation sticks this month and I got a smiley face yesterday. If I have got that, does that not mean ovulation is imminent?!?!

You can have an LH surge and not ovulate. You can also have a period without ovulation. However, if you do ovulate, you will always have a period following (unless you conceive, of course).

The only way to be sure you've ovulated is by tracking your temp rise and/or progesterone testing. OPKs only indicate that your body is preparing to ovulate; it doesn't mean that it will.

As an addendum, it is very rarely possible for a woman to ovulate and not have a period, but this is usually women with severe uterine scarring or issues that mean they don't get the usual thickening of the uterine wall. In almost all cases, if you ovulate you will get a period some two weeks (depending on luteal phase, of course) of course.

Oh and the period without ovulation isn't a period, strictly speaking. It's estrogen breakthrough bleeding, but it will often appear just as a normal period unless you're charting and know you didn't ovulate.

Yep you can get a period and not ovulate, the are known as anovulatory cycles but ovulating and not getting a period is very rare (unless you got pregnant that cycle!).

It's very possible to get all the signs of ovulation (OPKs, mucus etc) and still not ovulate, as those signs pick up a luteal hormone surge, not actual ovulation.

So how do we actually know if ovulation has taken place?? I was temping and there was the rise but then i stopped as it was all getting too much.

Either from temp rise or from progesterone blood tests. That's the only way, sadly! For most women ovulation will take place as expected most months, but anovulatory cycles (cycles where you don't ovulate) aren't unusual. Part of the preliminary fertility testing you undergo if you approach your GP tests your progesterone levels to see if you are ovulating.