Can you ovulate twice in one cycle? This is a serious question for many women who are trying to get pregnant, as well as those who are trying to use the rhythm method in order to avoid pregnancy without having to take hormonal birth control. Learning how often you ovulate and why help women plan their sex lives in order to get pregnant – or not!

Can You Ovulate Twice in One Cycle?

Most women absolutely cannot ovulate twice in one cycle. Once they have ovulated for one time in a cycle, that’s it – their body will not release any more eggs. However, ovulation might not mean just releasing one egg. You might release two or even three eggs during the same twenty-four hour ovulation period. This means that you are ovulating only once, but releasing more than one egg during that time. If you believe that releasing another egg is ovulation, then when asking ‘can you ovulate twice in one cycle,’ the answer is yes.

However, some studies have suggested that there might be ‘waves’ of hormone peaks, during which ovulation is possible. This might mean that your body can ovulate more than once during a particular cycle. It could also explain why so many women get positive ovulation tests more than one point during a full cycle. This means that their body is getting ready to ovulate, but it might not have released an egg each time. Typically, once the egg is released and the process begins, ovulation is done and it won’t happen again during the cycle.

But I Tested Positive Twice?

Getting two positive ovulation tests during the same month is entirely normal. That’s because your body can prepare for ovulation two or three times before the egg is actually ready to be released. During that preparation time, your body is sending our surges of hormones. Those hormones are easily detected by the ovulation tests, and that means that you might wonder if you will ovulate twice. But unfortunately, no – once the egg is released, the hormones released change as well, preventing another egg from being released.

What Is Hyperovulation?

Hyperovulation is the term for releasing more than one egg during a cycle. This can often result in fraternal twins or fraternal triplets – and in extremely rare cases, even higher-level multiples. Sometimes this is caused by a gene that can be passed down through generations, which is why you might see some families with multiple sets of twins.

During this time, a woman might actually ovulate more than once, as defined by the rules of ovulation. She might have two days of ovulation, each two to three days apart. In this case, she might release one egg each time, but the result could be twins. She will also experience pain during ovulation, and often more discharge than normal.

Can you ovulate twice in one cycle? Apparently it is possible but only for those with hyperovulation. Even then, ovulating twice isn’t likely; what is more likely is releasing more than one egg during the ovulation period.

Know the Signs of Ovulation

Some women have no signs of ovulation at all. Others know exactly when they ovulate. Some are able to know naturally, as they can actually feel the release of the egg. Others know because they track their ovulation and can pinpoint their physical changes.

The signs of ovulation might be different for each woman, but generally, they will experience the following:

• Changes in cervical position: The cervix might be high, open and wet. This indicates readiness to accept sperm.
• Changes in cervical firmness: The cervix becomes very soft during the time around ovulation, and is hard during times when a woman cannot get pregnant.
• Changes in basal body temperature: If you track your temperature every day, you might notice that it is very consistent, until ovulation. Then it dips briefly, only to go up sharply the next day. This indicates that an egg has been released.
• Changes in cervical discharge: The cervical mucus will typically change to the consistency of egg whites and become more copious in the days leading up to ovulation.

These signs are quite common for women, and can be tracked easily if they take the time to get to know their bodies. There are also other signs, which might include breast tenderness, abdominal bloating, cramping on one side of the pelvis, light spotting, increased sex drive, and an increase in certain senses, such as taste and smell.

Can you ovulate twice in one cycle? Though the answer to that is ‘no’ for the vast majority of women, if you suspect that there might be a problem with your cycle, speak to a doctor who specializes in fertility issues to get some reassurance.