Thinking about trying for a baby soon?
Then you might have already come off birth control and have started tracking your cycle to determine which are your most fertile days?
But did you know that as well as counting days on your calendar or using a fertility app on your phone, there are other, less subtle ways, to know if you are ovulating?
It’s true. Your body is constantly sending little signals to let you (and others around you) know that you are fertile. The most obvious sign? You are feeling a lot – ehm – friskier than normal.
But there are other signs too. Here are three to keep an eye out for:
1. You’re blushing
Flushed, rosy skin is a sign of youth – and looking this healthy and youthful has a purpose, according to a new study from the University of Glasgow. According to professor Benedict Jones, the study’s lead author, women’s skin is pinker and we blush more when we’re at our most fertile. The reason? The hormone estradiol gives our skin a rosy glow, and is known to peak at ovulation – making your face show obvious sings of fertility.
2. You feel like wearing red
According to a 2013 study women were more likely to choose clothing in shades of red when they were ovulating, theorizing that they subconsciously chose the hue to bring attention to themselves when they were feeling sexiest.
3. Your voice changes
You might not even notice yourself, but your man probably does – on some level, anyway – that your voice changes a little around the time of month when you are at your most fertile. In fact, according to a recent study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior a woman’s voice changes over the course of her cycle, taking on a special timbre when she’s ovulating.
In other words; you sound a whole lot sultrier when you are ovulating.
The reason? Just like hormones have an effect on your cervix, they also have an impact on he soft tissue of the larynx, throat, and vocal cords, according to lead researcher Melanie Shoup-Knox at James Madison University. “Variations in the amounts of these hormones can produce variations in the amount of blood flow, swelling, and water retention in the vocal chords, which can result in changes in vocal fluidity and hoarseness.”
