ovulation

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

I know that studies have shown (tenuously) that women tend to synchronize their cycles. Do you know of any other external factors that might regulate periods?
I got my period right before Thanksgiving. There tends to be about three or even four weeks between bleedings, so I was surprised when I began feeling signs of ovulation (well, the higher estrogen levels) late last week. It's only been two weeks since my period ended.
I have a theory as to why my cycle seems to be rushed. I spent Thanksgiving at home and returned to school, where finals and my friends awaited. I am really physically close to one of my (male) friends, and the physical affection increased exponentially with the stress of finals.
We're both gay; there's no real sexual attraction. But when I ovulate, I do notice that I actually find myself being attracted to guys, so I know there's a correlation between sexual attraction and ovulation, which has been supported in studies.
Question:
* Have you heard of ovulation being spurred by sexual activity? Like, a woman starts having sex after a long dry spell and ovulates soon after she begins having sex, regardless of where she is normally in her cycle?

I know that this seems a bit odd biologically speaking: if the egg isn't mature yet, no amount of sexual activity would actually speed up the process. Or would it? I definitely feel that I have more estrogen in my system than normal, and that I shouldn't be getting my period until sometime around Christmas. Even if I'm not ovulating, I think my body is preparing to do so in haste. (and mistaken haste, really...)

of course, I spotted and mildly cramped a lot last week, so maybe finals are just fucking my body up completely.

Thoughts?

Comments

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

Do you have an unusually short time between ovulation and bleeding? For most women it's fourteen days, so if you ovulated two weeks after your last bleeding, it looks to me as though you would be on track for your usual four-week gap. Or am I missing something? I admit to being dimmer than usual in the mornings since I had to give up caffeine...

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

There's a two week gap? This I did not know, because I never really noticed any changes until the week before (when I'd get sore breasts and random cramping and get horny. I'm all but the sore breasts now.). Ok. good to know. Thanks!

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

Ah - those are PMS symptoms, not ovulation ones. The usual signs of ovulation are a change in the vaginal mucus (it becomes gloopier and may form strings if you pinch some between two fingers and gently pull the fingers apart) and, for some women, a slight pain or discomfort in the pelvis on the side of the ovary that's ovulating. To me, it feels like a pulling sensation. Your temperature may also rise slightly, but most women don't notice that unless they check with a thermometer.