If your period lasts 3 days you will likely ovulate between days 10-19 of your menstrual cycle. Which is about 12 to 16 days before your next period.
Use the calculator below to estimate when your ovulation will be, based on the length of your follicular phase. You don’t know what that means? Read on.
How did we come about the formula for this calculation?
Generally, most healthy women will have a menstrual cycle that lasts between 21- 35 days.
According to research, the average menstrual length lasts for 28 days.
So if your menstrual cycle lasts between 28 to 32 days, then your ovulation will happen somewhere around 10 to 19 days of that cycle-which is about 12 to 16 days before your next period.
Alright, this is the truth.
The answer to your question – “If My Period Lasts 3 Days When Do I Ovulate?” is not that straightforward, let’s explain.
When calculating to determine your ovulation date, the major determinant is your menstrual cycle and not how long your period lasts.
The length of your menstrual cycle starts from the first day you notice your period (vagina bleeding) to the first day of your next period.
It is called a cycle because it starts and ends on the same point – the first day of menstrual period.
Does it mean you cannot determine the date of your ovulation from the length of your period? No, you can. Of course, you saw the calculator we placed at the top that can help you do that. But it is not easy just because of the difficulty of figuring out the length of your follicular phase.
We will explain how it is possible but not advisable and the best way to determine your ovulation date. Apart from the calculator at the top, we have also included an ovulation calculator below which you can scroll to by clicking here.
How to Discover When You Ovulate if Your Period Lasts for 3 Days
We have answered your question in the first paragraph of the article, but you might want to understand how we arrived at our answer.
There are 4 different phases in your menstrual cycle. They are:
- Menstruation
- Follicular phase
- Ovulation
- Luteal Phase.
What do these phases have to do with anything?
We will be focusing on the follicular and ovulation phase now because it directly affects the question we are treating.
The Follicular Phase
The follicular phase ranges from 14 to 21 days and ends in ovulation.
So the best way to calculate your ovulation using the length of your menstrual period is to subtract ‘the number of days you were on your period’ from ‘the days of your follicular phase.
Ovulation Day = Follicular Phase (in days) – Length of Period (in days)
So, let’s do the math:
Assuming that your follicular phase lasts for 14 days.
If your period lasts for 3 days = 14 – 3 = Ovulation will be 11 days after the period.
If your period lasts for 4 days = 14 – 4 = 10 days after the period.
If your period lasts for 5 days = 14 – 5 = 9 days after the period.
If your period lasts for 6 days = 14 – 6 = 8 days after the period.
If your period lasts for 7 days = 14 – 7 = 7 days after the period.
But, here is the challenge.
How can we figure out the length of the follicular phase?
The follicular phase varies from cycle to cycle and ranges between 14-21 days. This means that it is quite difficult to tell the length of your follicular phase.
However, for the calculator above we set a range of 14 – 21 days and allowed you to make a prediction. But the default length preset in the calculator is 14 days. Different cycle lengths have their average follicular phases, for example, a journal in NPJ Digital Med. shows that:
For women with a typical cycle length (25–30 days) the follicular phase length was on average 15.2 days. For women with normal but longer cycles (31–35 days), it was 19.5 days and for women with normal but shorter cycles (21–24 days) it was 12.4 days. In very short cycles (15–20 days) the mean follicular phase length was 10.4 days and in very long cycles (36–50 days) it was at 26.8 days.
Bull, J.R., Rowland, S.P., Scherwitzl, E.B. et al. Real-world menstrual cycle characteristics of more than 600,000 menstrual cycles. npj Digit. Med. 2, 83 (2019).
Since you can’t easily tell the length of your follicular which will greatly determine when you will ovulate based on the length of your period, it is best you try a more stable method.
And that is, calculating your ovulation date through your menstrual cycle.
Calculate When You Will Ovulate from Your Menstrual Cycle
As already established, there are 4 phases in your menstrual cycle. We have looked at the menstruation and the follicular phase, and now we will look at the luteal phase.
Why are we looking at the luteal phase?
Understanding what happens during the luteal phase and the length of the phase will help us calculate when you will ovulate.
The Luteal Phase
The luteal phase starts after ovulation. During the luteal phase, the dominant follicle that released the mature egg changes into a structure called the corpus luteum.
The corpus luteum produces pregnancy hormones. If you don’t get pregnant, the corpus luteum will disappear, and you’ll shed your uterus lining (menstruation).
An important fact about the luteal phase is that it is almost always 14 days long.
Bearing this in mind, we can start our calculation.
Assuming you have a 28-day cycle.
Subtract 14 from 28, which will give you 14.
So, for a 28-day cycle, you will likely ovulate on or around day 14 of your menstrual cycle.
Click here to scroll to our ovulation calculator.
What did we do there?
We simply deducted the 14 days (length of the luteal phase which is fairly stable) from your menstrual cycle.
So, if your menstrual cycle lasts for 35 days, deduct 14 from 35 which will be 21.
This means that with a 35-day cycle, you will likely ovulate on the 21st day of your menstrual cycle.
If my Period Lasts 7 Days When Do I Ovulate?
If you have a 28-day menstrual cycle and 14 days of follicular phase within your cycle, then you will likely ovulate on the 7th day after your period.
Since you are less likely to know the length of your follicular phase it is best your calculate your ovulation by deducting 14 days from your menstrual cycle.
So if you have a 21-day cycle, you will deduct 14 from 21, which will give you 7.
You will ovulate on or around the 7th day of your menstrual cycle.
Ovulation Calculator
Considering all we have discussed, the best way to calculate your ovulation is through your menstrual cycle. Use the calculator below to do that.
Key Takeaway
When it comes to calculating the day of your ovulation, the most important factor in getting an accurate answer is the length of your menstrual cycle.
The length of your period may not affect when you will ovulate because your menstrual cycle is marked by phases and not days. A phase can be longer or shorter in a particular menstrual cycle based on a variety of factors like stress, hormonal changes, etc.
Physical Signs to Help Determine Your Ovulation Day
Your body is dynamic and sometimes, you can’t use mathematics to tell exactly what’s happening inside.
Oftentimes, the best way to tell what’s happening is by looking at physical signs. Here are some physical signs that will help you know when you are ovulating.
1. Changes in Cervical mucus
Around the time of ovulation, cervical mucus becomes clear, slippery, and similar to the consistency of raw egg whites. This change in mucus helps sperm travel through the cervix and into the uterus.
2. Increased Basal Body Temperature (BBT)
Basal body temperature refers to the body’s temperature at rest. A slight increase in basal body temperature (about 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit) often occurs after ovulation and can be detected with a basal body temperature thermometer.
3. Ovulation Pain or Mittelschmerz
Some women experience mild pelvic pain or a cramp on one side of the lower abdomen during ovulation. This discomfort, known as mittelschmerz, can last a few minutes to a few hours.
4. Breast Tenderness
Hormonal changes during ovulation can cause breast sensitivity or tenderness. This symptom is similar to the breast changes experienced during premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
5. Increased Sex Drive
Some women may experience an increase in libido or sexual desire during ovulation due to hormonal fluctuations.
6. Abdominal bloating
Ovulation can cause bloating or a feeling of fullness in the abdomen. This can be attributed to hormonal changes and increased blood flow to the pelvic region.
7. Light spotting
In a few cases, light spotting or a small amount of bleeding may occur around the time of ovulation. This is known as ovulation spotting and is generally harmless.
Final Thoughts!
Considering all that we have spoken about, and all the calculations that we have done, it is important to note that ovulation happens differently for different women. While some can easily predict their from simple calculations, others can tell at once from physical signs.
Some women might not even notice any physical signs. They may need to use an ovulation prediction kit for more accurate results.
Lastly, to the question – “If My Period Lasts 3 Days When Do I Ovulate”, the answer is “Your ovulation is better calculated with your menstrual cycle and not the length of your menstrual period.
Did you forget your last period date? Check this out! If you would like to know how much blood you lose during your menstrual period, use this calculator.
