Women’s faces turn red during ovulation

Women’s faces turn red during ovulation, study says. It appears that women’s face is redder in the middle of their cycle, during their fertile window.

Women’s faces turn red during ovulation

Women appear more attractive to men when they ovulate

The study, published in ‘’PLoS ONE’’, is considered one of the most efficient in investigating the female face during a menstrual cycle. 22 college girls participated in the study conducted by researchers of Cambridge University in the UK. They photographed the faces of the girls without make-up, every evening, at the same time, when they all gathered for dinner, at the college hall, for a month. For photographing the faces, they used a special instrument, similar to a normal camera but advanced in terms of color capturing.

For analyzing the images captured by the camera, experts designed specialized computer software that picks up an identical patch of cheek from each image. The girls of the study were also tested for hormone changes at specific times, critical for the ovulation cycle, as decided by the research team.

The face color analysis revealed that the skin’s redness exhibited changes during the month. In fact, the biggest change in terms of red skin color was observed during ovulation and retained its intensity over the last days of the cycle, where estrogen levels started to decrease.

The researchers from the University of Cambridge consider that redness changes of the skin were indicative of body temperature fluctuations. However, the face color changes, even at their pick, were not detectable to the human eye. More specifically, the average difference in redness was 0.6 units while the threshold of human visual perception was 2.2 units.

This observation was in contrast to the scientists’ initial expectations, as in other primates it is quite common for females to display specific sighs of ovulation and fertility that are easily detectable to males, attracting them to mate.

In women however, even if their face turns red during ovulation, that is not the case. Previous research has shown that women appear more attractive to men when they ovulate, however facial redness is not what men notice. ‘’Women do not advertise ovulation but they do leak information about it and facial redness could be a small piece of a larger puzzle’’, commented Dr Hannah Rowland from the Zoology Department who led the study.


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Ovulation Calculator: Because Timing Matters

Ovulation Calculator

12 to 24 hours after the woman ovulates, she is no longer able to achieve pregnancy during that cycle.

Whether you are considering the potential of getting pregnant or systematically trying to conceive, you are probably going to need an ovulation calculator; because timing matters when it comes to fertility.
One in two couples is trying to conceive the wrong days of the woman’s ovulation cycle, probably due to lack of knowledge. A better understanding of fertility, ovulation process and how this is involved in a woman’s menstrual cycle in overall can be of great help for couples who aim to achieve pregnancy.

There are only a few days (typically 6) in each menstrual cycle that you have high chances of getting pregnant, the days prior and during ovulation. So it is critical to be aware of when are these days during your ovulation cycle for successful fertilisation.

What is ovulation at first place?

Ovulation is the procedure happening once in every menstrual cycle when hormonal changes cause the ovary to release an egg. This occurs about 12-16 days before the initiation of your next menstrual cycle.
While an egg survives for no longer than 24 hours after its release, the sperm cell can maintain its viability for up to 5 days. Therefore, you might be surprised to know that sexual intercourse 4 to 5 days prior egg release can lead to the desired outcome, pregnancy.

Fertile Window

The overall ‘’fertile window’’, taking into account the lifespan of the sperm and the lifespan of the egg as well, is roughly 6 days. So the ‘’fertile window’’ applies to the time period during menstrual cycle where unprotected sexual intercourse can lead to conception. At the end of the ‘’fertile window’’, the likelihood of conception declines rapidly and by 12 to 24 hours after the woman ovulates, she is no longer able to achieve pregnancy during that cycle.

Due to menstrual irregularities it might be hard for women to predict their most fertile days, but this knowledge is crucial for getting pregnant. An accurate way for finding out your fertile days is to measure the basic fertility hormones (LH, estrogen). This can be easily done by using an ovulation test or a fertility monitor at home, identifying your full ‘’fertile window’’.

How do you know your “Fertile window”?


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Why We Love Pregnancy (and you should too)

Why We Love Pregnancy

Giving birth to a baby is without doubt the most intense, life changing experience for a woman.

The birth of a baby is a life event that can’t be compared to any other experience in terms of significance and importance. The responsibility of nurturing and watching children grow and develop changes the appreciation of life and health, with a resulting long term impact upon individuals, families and ultimately, society.
Giving birth to a baby is without doubt the most intense, life changing experience for a woman. However, believe it or not, a baby isn’t the only good thing that women get out of pregnancy. The extra hormones necessary for the embryo development can also have a positive impact on your well-being and general health condition during and after pregnancy. Studies show that most women have a positive pregnancy experience reporting just a few negative symptoms that had to deal with while pregnant.
During their pregnancy women can experience some wonderful changes taking place in their body that they will definitely love, such as:
Improvements to skin and complexion. Women love the fact their hair look thicker and their skin nice and radiant. That happens because during pregnancy the rate at which hair falls out slows right down. As for the skin, since extra moisture is retained under the skin, women’s complexions look shiny and less wrinkled.
Enhanced senses. High levels of estrogen increase the sense of smell in pregnant women and that seems to enhance their perception of taste, meaning you can probably enjoy the taste of your food more than usually.
Diminished menstrual pain. Once the menstrual cycle resumes, after childbirth, it is very likely that the overall period pain that women usually experience, as well as the annoying cramps will be diminished. This pain reduction is a well-known phenomenon even though the reason this happens is not quite known yet.
In addition to positive body changes we could not but mention these little pleasures that women expecting a baby love to enjoy without guilt like eating more, having a nap after lunch, taking time off work and of course allowing themselves to be spoiled by their loved ones.

Thinking of getting pregnant soon?


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