Hyperovulation is different from typical ovulation in one important way. Spoiler alert: it has something to do with fraternal twins.
Hyperovulation is a phenomenon related to ovulation. While almost identical to typical ovulation in many ways, hyperovulation has one key difference: more than one egg is released.
Read on to understand exactly what hyperovulation is, the signs and causes of hyperovulation, and what hyperovulation means for your fertility.
What is hyperovulation? Hyperovulation is a type of ovulation when more than one egg is released. To understand what that means, let’s start with a quick refresher on typical ovulation.
What is typical ovulation? You generally ovulate around the midpoint of each menstrual cycle. During ovulation, your ovaries release an egg.
It’s all pretty straightforward on the surface, but behind the scenes, an intricate series of hormonal events during the follicular phase leads to ovulation.
First, rising levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) tell your ovaries to begin making follicles, which house immature eggs. One follicle becomes dominant and the egg inside grows into maturity.
As the egg grows, it releases estrogen, which tells your body to adjust hormone levels for ovulation. Your FSH levels decrease, while levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) increase. When LH surges (or hits its highest point), ovulation is triggered and the follicle releases the now-mature egg.
That egg flows down the fallopian tube, where it sticks around for 12 to 24 hours . The egg can be fertilized if it meets sperm during this time – either new sperm, or sperm remaining in your reproductive tract from sex during your fertile window . If that happens, you may become pregnant.
Hyperovulation vs. typical ovulation Hyperovulation is essentially the same as typical ovulation, with one key difference: the number of eggs.
Your body’s balance of hormones like FSH, LH, and estrogen determines how, exactly, ovulation occurs. Sometimes, changes in that balance—or simply chance—can lead to multiple follicles becoming dominant and producing mature eggs, in either one or both ovaries. When that happens, more than one egg may be released during ovulation.
To put it simply, hyperovulation is a phenomenon where your body releases multiple eggs (usually two) during ovulation, all of which can potentially be fertilized. This is different from typical ovulation, when only one egg is released.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you’re ovulating multiple times in the same cycle. If you experience hyperovulation, you ovulate once and your ovaries release multiple eggs.
If you’re asking yourself, “Is hyperovulation dangerous?” the answer is no. Hyperovulation is totally safe. Releasing multiple eggs isn’t harmful to you or to any potential pregnancies that may develop.
How does hyperovulation affect fertility? After hyperovulation, you may get pregnant or you may not—just like with typical ovulation.
If both eggs released during ovulation are fertilized by two separate sperm, you may develop two pregnancies at once.
When that happens, you’re pregnant with fraternal twins. Fraternal twins come from two eggs, so they can only be conceived after hyperovulation. Identical twins come from one egg, meaning they’re conceived after typical ovulation.
Fun fact: this is why fraternal twins are genetically as similar as any other siblings born separately, whereas identical twins share most of their DNA.
What are symptoms of hyperovulation? Signs and symptoms of hyperovulation are the same as those of typical ovulation. They include:
>>MORE: Top 5 Signs of Ovulation: What To Look Out for if You’re Trying To Conceive
Changes in cervical mucus Cervical mucus may become clear, wet, and stretchy, and there may be more of it than usual. This so-called egg white mucus generally appears around three to four days before hyperovulation.
Rise in basal body temperature (BBT) Following hyperovulation, BBT may rise around 0.5°F to 1°F . If your BBT remains elevated for three days in a row, it could be a sign that you’ve ovulated. Tracking your BBT carefully and consistently is crucial for accurately identifying any changes.
Ovulation pain Up to 40% of people experience mild pelvic or abdominal pain around hyperovulation. Some people feel pain on one side of the abdomen or the other, depending on which ovary is developing mature eggs. You may not necessarily notice a difference, however, particularly if eggs are developing in both ovaries.
Ovulation pain isn’t cause for concern, but if pain is severe, contact your doctor.
Changes in cervix and cervical position During hyperovulation, your cervix becomes softer, more open, and straighter. It also shifts position, moving higher up.
These changes, as well as changes in vaginal mucus, help facilitate sperm movement.
What causes hyperovulation? Many factors can cause hyperovulation, including:
Age Genetics Hormonal birth control changes Assisted reproductive technology (ART) Underlying health conditions Diet Body type Age Hyperovulation may become more likely with age.
During perimenopause and menopause , for example, your ovaries may release multiple eggs each cycle, partly because of FSH. FSH levels increase as you get older, which can cause multiple follicles to become dominant and produce mature eggs.
Genetics Hyperovulation may run in families, like fraternal twins.
If a close relative like a sibling or parent has fraternal twins, you’re about twice as likely to naturally conceive fraternal twins through hyperovulation.
Hormonal birth control changes If you recently stopped or switched hormonal birth control (such as the pill, patch, implant, or an IUD), you may experience hyperovulation while your body adjusts to changing hormone levels.
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) Certain ART treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI) , use processes like ovulation induction and controlled ovarian hyperstimulation to stimulate the ovaries and increase the chances for a successful ART cycle. Sometimes, these processes can lead to hyperovulation.
Underlying health conditions Hyperovulation in and of itself is not cause for concern.
However, hyperovulation could be a symptom of a reproductive health condition, like a hormonal imbalance or PCOS . In this case, the underlying cause of hyperovulation may need medical attention.
Since hyperovulation may not cause any particular symptoms outside of typical ovulation signs, other signs of hormonal imbalances , like irregular cycles or vaginal dryness, could clue you in to a potential issue. Talk with your doctor if you have any concerns.
How to confirm hyperovulation In all likelihood, you won’t know that you experienced hyperovulation in a given cycle.
There are generally two ways to confirm hyperovulation specifically:
You get pregnant with fraternal twins : hyperovulation is confirmed by the resulting multiple pregnancies.You have an ultrasound done right before ovulation : hyperovulation is confirmed when the ultrasound discovers multiple dominant follicles in the ovaries.If you don’t get pregnant or just so happen to be scheduled for an ultrasound, hyperovulation will almost certainly go unnoticed.
You can, however, confirm that you’ve ovulated—even if you don’t necessarily know whether it’s typical ovulation or hyperovulation.
The most surefire way to confirm ovulation is through hormone tracking. At-home fertility tests like the Oova test kit allow you to track daily changes in your hormones, giving you the hormonal indications that ovulation has occurred.
Hyperovulation: the takeaway In hyperovulation, your ovaries release multiple eggs in the same cycle.
Signs of hyperovulation include changes in cervical mucus, a rise in BBT, and cervical changes. Factors like genetics, age, and ART treatments can increase the likelihood of hyperovulation.
Generally, hyperovulation is not cause for concern. You likely won’t even be aware that it’s happened—unless you become pregnant with fraternal twins, that is!
In some cases, though, hyperovulation could be related to an underlying health condition. If you begin experiencing signs of a hormonal imbalance or other health issue, consider talking with your doctor.
