Three Things Linked to Early Ovulation

The idea that everyone ovulates on cycle day 14 is outdated, and most of us know that by now. But what makes some women ovulate on day 12 and others on day 20? Mostly how your body responds to certain hormones -- but a few specific factors play a role too.

Three things linked to earlier ovulation

• Older age: a study found a little over a 3-day difference in ovulation timing between women aged 40-45 and those aged 18-24, with older women ovulating earlier. This lines up with broader research on ovulation timing and age.
• Alcohol use: alcohol can influence sex hormones, which may lead to earlier (or otherwise premature) ovulation.
• Heavy caffeine use: women consuming more than 300mg of caffeine a day (roughly 3 cups of coffee) have, on average, a shorter time to ovulation.

Does earlier or later ovulation change your odds?

No -- a study found almost identical pregnancy rates comparing women who ovulated on cycle day 12 or earlier to those who ovulated on day 22 or later. Where in your cycle ovulation happens isn't itself a marker of better or worse fertility; what matters is knowing when it happens for you, so you can time things accordingly.

References

Wilcox et al. (2000). BMJ, 321, 1259. The timing of the "fertile window" in the menstrual cycle: day specific estimates from a prospective study. Liu et al. (2004). American Journal of Epidemiology, 160(2), 131–140. Factors Affecting Menstrual Cycle Characteristics. Windham et al. (1999). Obstetrics & Gynecology, 93(1), 59–65. Cigarette smoking and effects on menstrual function.