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All About Ovulation

The Inside Story to Help You Conceive

By Kelly Burgess

• Birth control pills. This is the only way to consciously stop ovulation. Some brands may be taken continuously to suppress periods as well.

• Stress. This can cause the brain to temporarily suspend ovulation. It's not unusual with my college student population to not have periods in May or December, which is finals time.

• Exercise. Someone who exercises strenuously may stop having periods, which signals a lack of ovulation. This is generally women who are in sports that require a lot of daily training. There's a good study on runners that shows there's a definite set point, a certain mileage, at which each of them will stop having periods. Dial that level of training back below that point, and their periods will start up again. This also applies to gymnasts, dancers, anyone in a strenuous, continuous activity.

• Severely underweight. Again, there's an individual set point for weight, and below that a woman will not have periods. If she gains above that point, they will start again.

• PCOS. This is a condition that affects a woman in a number of ways, including impacting her fertility, and one of the factors is anovulatory cycles.

Want to see more?

• Understanding the Uterus: A Main Player During Pregnancyand Beyond
• Should You Use an Ovulation Predictor Kit?: Pros and Cons of the OPK
• Fertile Signs: Scientific and Subtle Ways to Know You're Ready to Conceive
• Fertility Awareness: What You Should Know and Why You Probably Don't
• Join the discussion on our Family.com community!