How Soon After an LH Surge Do You Ovulate?
Detecting the LH surge is an invaluable tool in family planning, fertility and trying to conceive. Part of the natural menstrual process, it marks a fairly specific time in which conception is optimal. Understanding more about the LH surge, and how soon after it you ovulate, is key to successfully improving fertility predictions and timing for intercourse.
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The Facts
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The LH surge is a release of a hormone (luteinizing hormone) from the pituitary gland. The process begins when the brain sends this very identifiable signal to the ovary in order to let it know that an egg is ready to be released. It begins when the brain recognizes higher estrogen levels (as produced by eggs that are reaching maturity). The LH surge stimulates the body to create progesterone, thin the follicle surrounding the mature egg and allow the egg to be released.
Significance
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Identifying your LH surge is crucial since it helps in more accurately predicting ovulation and improving the success in fertilization. You can detect an LH surge in your urine using an over-the-counter urine testing kit (fertility predictor). Test between noon and 3:00 p.m. for the most accuracy. Once you see a positive response (indicating the LH surge) you can expect ovulation to occur within 36 hours (with most women ovulating within 12 to 24 hours). If you time intercourse to fall on the day that you experience the LH surge and the next day, you will be maximizing your opportunity to conceive.
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When to Test and What Happens Now
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The average woman experiences the LH surge somewhere between day 12 and day 16 of her menstrual cycle. Once the LH surge occurs, meiosis (the process of cell division which decreases a cell's chromosomes by half) is resumed in the cells of the ovaries. Meiosis is a necessary process to allow the egg to unite with sperm (which also undergoes meiosis) and still maintain the correct amount of chromosomes.
Timing is Everything
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Once an egg is released, it is able to be fertilized for a time period of 12 to 24 hours. This is important to keep in mind, since identifying the LH surge will better enable the couple looking to become pregnant to successfully fertilize the egg within that time frame. After 24 hours, the egg begins to disintegrate. Since sperm can live in a woman's body for up to five days, it's ideal in many cases to have intercourse even before ovulation to maximize the opportunity for fertilization.
Considerations
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If you do not have a regular menstrual cycle, it's important to work with your doctor to determine your peak times of fertility and the best time to test for the LH surge. Approximately 10 percent of women who use kits to predict ovulation will not see a positive result for the LH surge. The majority of women experience the surge by 8:00 in the morning. However, it takes approximately four hours for the hormone to be able to be detected in the urine. Using the test kit too early in the day may yield an inaccurate result. If you have tested and failed to get pregnant for several months, testing twice per day may result in more accurate timing.
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