Is fatigue an ovulation symptom?

Recognizing ovulation plays an important role in increasing your odds of getting pregnant more quickly. You can attempt to pinpoint ovulation in several ways. With the help of your body's natural ovulation signs — which can include ovulation pain for some women, stretchy cervical mucus, and possible abdominal bloating — you can gain valuable insights. More definite indications like a positive ovulation test would be the gold standard in modern times, however. 

If you have noticed that fatigue tends to coincide with your ovulation, and are wondering whether it is an actual ovulation symptom, you are not alone. Consulting medical sources, either online or offline "literature" or your doctor about signs that point to ovulation probably will not result in you feeling reassured that fatigue during ovulation is normal. In fact, if you look around, you will come across doctors who say that it is impossible for ovulation to cause tiredness all over the internet. 

Yet, women's own descriptions of how they feel during ovulation tell a different story. Ovulation and fatigue do, in fact, come together sometimes. We should all, by now, know that correlation doesn't equal causation, however. In other words, the fact that you might be tired and ovulating at the same time in no way means that your fatigue was caused by your ovulation. You may have been worried about your chances of getting pregnant this month, and stress does cause tiredness. You may be busy at work, or you may feel tired for any number of other unrelated reasons.

Still, some women are convinced that ovulation consistently causes them to feel tired. Should you take fatigue during ovulation as just another sign that it is time to do the deed when you are trying to conceive even if you actually almost feel too tired to even have sex? Or should this worry you in any way? Many women who do have tiredness as an ovulation symptom are totally healthy and fertile, and will soon get pregnant. But tiredness is also a symptom of the reproductive condition endometriosis, where tissues that usually line the uterus grow outside of the womb in places like the fallopian tubes and the ovaries.

If you have been trying to get pregnant for a long time, you might take fatigue as an additional indication that you should get checked out by a doctor. Sometimes, ovulation and fatigue coming at the same time is a mere coincidence. It could be due to feeling stressed, being busy, or other normal life factors. Monitoring the situation for a few months will tell women more about whether the fatigue is definitely ovulation-related or not.