ovulationn.
/ˌɒvjᵿˈleɪʃn/, /ˌəʊvjᵿˈleɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌoʊvjəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌɑvjəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ Physiology and Zoology.
Discharge of an ovum or ova from the ovary in a female mammal; an instance of this. Also: the laying of eggs by an oviparous animal (rare).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > reproductive cycle > [noun] > ovulation
ovulation1848
ovulating1891
superovulation1927
1848 C. D. Meigs Females & their Dis. xxxi. 403 The ovulation is marked by a natural return of the mensual hemorrhage.
1872 E. R. Peaslee Ovarian Tumors 5 The ovary assumes a cicatricial appearance in consequence of repeated ovulations.
1887 F. H. H. Guillemard Cruise Marchesa II. 197 The instincts of the bird have been made to suit its unusual ovulation.
1932 S. Zuckerman Social Life Monkeys & Apes ii. 30 The particular time that the females come into heat and seek the bull is determined by the fact that ovulation follows soon after parturition.
1985 M. F. Myles Textbk. Midwives (ed. 10) ii. 31 Ovulation..takes place once every month.
2000 Pract. Parenting Apr. 42/4 The hormones stress produces can suppress ovulation in some women.
Compounds
ovulation method n. any method used to determine the time of a woman's ovulation, as an aid in family planning, esp. (also Billings ovulation method) one involving the inspection of cervical mucus, which becomes clearer and more elastic at this time.
ΚΠ
1964 J. J. Billings Ovulation Method x. 91 The ovulation method in its simplest form,..the combination of the Rhythm calculations and the observation of the mid-cycle symptoms, is capable of solving the problem of population control.
1977 Population Index 43 87/1 Between May 1973 and July 1974, the effectiveness of the ovulation method used by 122 couples was observed.
2007 Times 4 Apr. 65/1 The Billings Ovulation Method relies on women being alert to natural signs of fertility conveyed by cervical mucus.
2017 J. S. Greenburg et al. Exploring Dimensions Human Sexuality (ed. 6) vii. 202/1 Ovulation methods are much more effective [than the calendar method]. Women can chart their basal body temperature or their cervical secretions, or both.
ovulation test n. (a) any of various tests, typically employed for diagnosing pregnancy, in which the induction of ovulation in a rabbit or other animal is used as a measure of gonadotrophic hormones in blood or urine (cf. rabbit test n. (a) at rabbit n.1 Compounds 3) (now rare); (b) any of various physiological, biochemical, or immunological tests used to establish whether or when a female is ovulating.
ΚΠ
1931 Bull. Johns Hopkins Hosp. 48 367 The ovulation test in the rabbit does not completely parallel the similar mouse test as reported in the literature.
1965 Obstetr. & Gynecol. 26 201 (title) A rapid ovarian hormone and ovulation test.
1993 Independent (Nexis) 4 Feb. (Living section) 20 The bathroom cabinet is crammed with pregnancy and ovulation tests, mineral supplements and vitamin pills.
2013 S. Tiplady in D. Wild Immunoassay Handbk. (ed. 4) vii. iii. 534/1 Ovulation tests help women to pinpoint the two most fertile days in their cycle by measuring daily levels of luteinizing hormone (LH).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1848