Ovulation is the moment in a female body when a ripe egg leaves the ovary and starts its short trip. In a woman, this usually happens about once each month, often around the middle of the cycle — though actually the day is not the same for everyone, and some months it does not happen at all. People talk about ovulation when they are talking about periods, pregnancy, or animal breeding; it is a biology and doctor word, not a kitchen word. It does not mean a baby has started. It only means an egg has been let go. If sperm meets that egg later, pregnancy may follow; if not, the egg is lost and a period comes. Female animals ovulate too, but not on a human timetable — some only a few times a year.