I am a woman tracking my menstrual cycle with hormone levels (FSH, estradiol, LH, progesterone‑metabolite) from cycle days 5‑14 (estradiol peaked at 288 pg/mL on day 13, LH peaked at 45 IU/L on day 13, progesterone‑metabolite rose on day 14); did I ovulate, on which day did ovulation occur, and when should I start luteal‑phase progesterone supplementation?

Ovulation Timing and Progesterone Supplementation

Based on your hormone pattern, you ovulated on cycle day 14, approximately 24-36 hours after your LH peak on day 13, and you should start progesterone supplementation 3 days after ovulation (cycle day 16-17).

Evidence of Ovulation

Your hormone data demonstrates a classic ovulatory pattern:

• LH surge peaked at 45 IU/L on cycle day 13, which is the definitive trigger for ovulation 1
• Estradiol (E1G) peaked at 288.2 pg/mL on day 13, immediately before the LH peak, which is the expected follicular phase pattern 2
• LH remained elevated at 45 IU/L on day 14 morning, then declined to 27.9 by evening of day 14, confirming the surge was resolving 1
• Progesterone metabolite (PDG) began rising from 3.1 on day 13 to 4.7 on day 14, indicating early corpus luteum formation 2

Ovulation typically occurs 24-36 hours after the LH surge begins, which places your ovulation on cycle day 14 1. The decline in estradiol from 288.2 to 197.8 between days 13-14 and the simultaneous rise in progesterone metabolite confirms follicle rupture occurred 2.

Timing of Progesterone Supplementation

Start progesterone supplementation on cycle day 16-17 (3 days post-ovulation):

• The corpus luteum requires 2-3 days after ovulation to establish baseline progesterone production 2
• Starting progesterone too early (before day 16) may interfere with natural corpus luteum development
• Your baseline PDG of 3.2 on day 5 and the rise to 4.7 on day 14 suggests early luteal phase is beginning, but supplementation should wait until the corpus luteum is fully functional 2

Key Clinical Considerations

Common pitfalls to avoid:

• Do not start progesterone immediately after the LH surge; the corpus luteum needs time to form 2
• Your progesterone metabolite of 4.7 on day 14 is still near baseline (3.2), which is expected immediately post-ovulation 2
• The fertile window extends from 5 days before ovulation through the day of ovulation itself, so days 9-14 were your fertile days 3, 2

Important context about cycle variability:

• While your LH peak occurred on day 13, ovulation timing can vary considerably even in regular cycles 4, 2
• Only 30% of women have their fertile window entirely between days 10-17, despite this being the commonly cited range 2
• Your FSH fluctuations (8.7 on day 5,12.2 on day 7, then 2.4 on day 9) are within normal variability for follicular development 1