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Ovulating multiple eggs at once? Yes!
Ovulating twice in one cycle? Nope!
We’re not talking about ovulating multiple eggs at once. Fraternal twins are all the proof you need for that ;). We’re talking about ovulating on a certain day in your cycle, and ovulating AGAIN a couple of days later.
This is such a popular thought, yet it really doesn’t happen!
The myth originated in both the TTC community as well as the scientific community. A paper was published back in 2003 that found that some women had a second (or even third) LH surge after ovulation, and what looked like a second ovulation afterward. Theoretically, this seems impossible. After ovulation, Progesterone levels rise which prevent a second ovulation from happening.
Other scientists found significant flaws with the methodology used by the researchers in this 2003 study, and no one has ever been able to show more than 1 ovulation ever since.
In the TTC community, women have reported getting positive OPKs a week or so after ovulation. Yes, some women do have a second surge of LH. However, if you’ve already ovulated, this would NOT lead to another ovulation. Some women have multiple LH surges where the first few don’t trigger ovulation (this is sometimes seen in women with PCOS). But again, this does not mean you can ovulate multiple times.
The American Pregnancy Organization concludes that: “A woman should not ovulate more than once during each cycle. This is due to a careful balance of hormones and their levels – it takes just the right timing and release of hormones to bring on the release of a mature egg. “
References:
Baerwald AR1, Adams GP, Pierson RA. 2003 Fertil Steril. Jul;80(1):116-22.
McDonough,P.G. 2004. Fertility and Sterility. Volume 81, Issue 3, Pages 729–730.
