Is it normal to bleed during ovulation?
Bleeding and Ovulation Although women usually think of it as bleeding during ovulation, this mid-cycle spotting actually seems to happen just before ovulation occurs during a decline in the woman’s estrogen level. This decline is a normal part of the menstrual cycle. Estrogen and Menstrual Bleeding During a woman’s period, the level of estrogen in her body is fairly steady. As bleeding stops, estrogen begins to rise slowly, and the uterine lining begins to thicken. At the same time, other hormones cause one of the woman’s two ovaries to get ready to release an egg. The estrogen level rises most rapidly just before ovulation, which is when the egg leaves the ovary. Just before ovulation, estrogen drops quickly, although the level remains higher than before the surge. After ovulation, estrogen rises again slightly and then, if the egg is not fertilized by a man’s sperm, falls again. Mid-Cycle Bleeding Menstrual bleeding (a “period”) happens during the second drop in estrogen. In some wom
