It’s a new year, a time when so many of us carry fresh intentions, hopes and the wish that our bodies might finally shift toward healing.

For the past months, women in my community tell me the same thing: “I want to understand my body again.”
Not control it.
Not punish it.
Not fight it.
Just… understand it.

And if there is one question that comes up more than any other in these conversations, it is this:

“Can I still ovulate if I’m not having a period?”

Yes, you absolutely can.
And in HA recovery, this often happens long before your cycles look “normal” again.

Today we’re diving deep into ovulation, how it works, why it matters more than the bleed, and how to know if it’s happening… even if you aren’t cycling monthly yet.

And to start, here’s a little piece of my story.

After being on the pill for 17 straight years, I spent 2.5 years in full amenorrhea once I stopped it. During that entire time, I genuinely didn’t understand what ovulation meant, neither biologically or physically. It was this vague “cycle event” I would heard about but never paid attention to.

Then, about two years ago, something happened.

Even before my cycles had regulated… I started to feel the physical signs of ovulation for the very first time in my life:

It showed me something I remind clients of all the time:

Never doubt the body’s ability to heal when it finally feels safe.

Which brings us to the real heart of this topic.

Most women grow up believing the period is the “main event.”
But in reality?

Ovulation is the star of the show.

It’s the moment one of your lifelong eggs, given to you at birth, matures, rises to the surface and is released from the ovary. That’s the moment your body officially marks the reproductive “yes,” even if pregnancy isn’t your goal.

Fun fact:

Without ovulation, pregnancy is impossible. But beyond fertility, regular ovulation is also a sign of metabolic stability, hormonal communication, and long-term health.

Here’s why you should care, even if you’re not trying to conceive:

This often happens before your period disappears which is why focusing only on the bleed can be misleading.

And here’s a crucial truth:

If you ovulate, you will have a period.
But if you bleed, you may not have ovulated.

This is why many women “get their period back” after HA…
but are still not actually ovulating.

To understand why, remember this:

A period is not the start of your cycle.
It’s the result of what came before.

You can absolutely ovulate once even sporadically without having consistent monthly bleeds. This is very common during HA recovery, when your hypothalamus is slowly coming back online.

Ovulation often returns in a messy, imperfect, unpredictable way.

And understanding this helps you track healing more accurately.

This is where many women get confused.

Anovulation means the egg never reached full maturity, so ovulation didn’t happen.
Yet you might still have a bleed.

Why does this happen?

Because the body sometimes produces just enough estrogen to build a small uterine lining and just enough progesterone to shed it but not enough hormonal strength to complete the full ovulation process.

Common in HA recovery, this is your body saying:

“I'm trying… but I don’t have everything I need yet.”

This is normal, and it doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means your hormones are waking up.

You can’t predict ovulation with certainty but you can recognize patterns.
And you can only confirm ovulation after it’s already happened.

Here’s a practical breakdown:

These tell you your body might be gearing up:

More mucus = estrogen rising
Peak stretchy/egg-white mucus = ovulation is close

High, soft, open cervix = ovulation window

A surge suggests your body wants to ovulate (but not that it actually will)

A maturing follicle near full size indicates ovulation is close

Seeing two or more of these at once?
You’re probably approaching ovulation.

A sustained temperature rise for 3+ days = you ovulated.

A few days of increasing mucus → abrupt stop
This often indicates ovulation has just occurred.

Closed/firm cervix after the window has passed

A doctor can see if a follicle has ruptured

Use a combination of these for the most confidence.

If ovulation hasn’t returned, don’t panic.
In HA recovery, the system often needs a little more support.

Here are the biggest factors that affect whether ovulation can happen:

High caffeine intake stresses the hypothalamus and can suppress hormonal signaling.

Under-eating—even unintentionally—keeps estrogen too low for ovulation.

Too much intensity or volume tells the brain you’re in “survival mode.”

Life stress counts just as much as physical stress.
Nervous-system calm = hormonal safety.

Research on Hypothalamic Amenorrhea consistently shows that the reproductive system does not return in a neat, predictable order.

Studies from the last few years confirm that:

Translation?

Your body may be working long before you can see visible proof.

This is why I always tell my clients:
Never underestimate your biology.
Never assume that silence means nothing is happening.
Never believe your body is “broken.”

If the conditions are right, the body will always, always move toward healing.

For years, I believed that no period meant no ovulation.
That no ovulation meant no fertility.
That no fertility meant my body had given up.

But I was wrong.

I discovered that ovulation is not a switch, it’s a negotiation.
A conversation between your brain and your ovaries.
A dialogue about safety, nourishment, calm, and abundance.

And even when that conversation has been silent for years…
It can restart.

Just like mine did.

When I felt those first ovulation symptoms , after nearly two decades I felt overwhelmed by joy…
Not because I was trying to conceive.
Not because I was tracking every day obsessively.
But because it meant my body was trusting me again.

It meant I had finally created enough safety, softness, rest, nourishment, and care…
for my cycle to return.

Yes.
And more importantly:

Even with HA.
Even after birth control.
Even after long-term amenorrhea.
Even if you feel like it will never happen.
Even if you’ve convinced yourself you’re the exception.

Your body is never the exception.
It just needs the conditions that tell it:

“You are safe now. You can open again.”

If you’re reading this at the start of a new year, feeling hopeful but scared, wanting change but doubting your body, please hear this:

Your body is not fragile.
Your hormones are not lost.
Your cycle is not gone.
You are not broken.

Ovulation will return.
Not through force.
Not through micromanaging.
Not through punishing discipline.
But through nourishment, rest, compassion, and consistency.

My body whispered to me after 19 years of silence.
Yours will too.

Never doubt your body’s capacity to heal when the right conditions are met.

With love,

Audrey