An ovulation test is usually a plastic stick or test strip that indicates whether a woman is likely to be ovulating at that time. By measuring certain hormones, ovulation test kits can help a woman determine if she is about to ovulate, helping her determine when she is most fertile and most likely to conceive a child.
When you are taking fertility drugs or undergoing other fertility treatments, or even when you are not, you will have times in your monthly cycle when you are more likely to conceive than at other times. This time of optimum fertility is just after ovulation, when your egg has just been released. Since your egg will only survive for about 12 to 24 hours, if it is not fertilized, timing sexual intercourse to this small window gives you the best chance to conceive a child.
Fertility doctors normally recommend that you have sex every three or four days throughout your entire cycle when you are trying to conceive. Since sperm survive in a woman's body for up to about five days, having sex a couple of times a week helps ensure that whenever the egg is released, a sperm is waiting to fertilize it. Although frequent sex may sound great at first, many couples who are trying to conceive find that having sex on a schedule starts to feel like a chore. To take the pressure off, or to accommodate hectic schedules, it helps to determine that small window of fertility and time sexual intercourse for then. You can try to determine when you are ovulating by tracking your menstrual cycle, tracking your temperature, or examining your cervical mucus for changes. However, ovulation test kits are easy to use and are usually about 99 percent accurate.
Most ovulation tests, called ovulation predictor kits, work by measuring the amount of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the urine. This is the hormone that triggers ovulation, so although it is always present in the urine and blood, the amount of LH will surge to trigger ovulation. There are about 12 to 36 hours between the start of the LH surge and the release of the egg, and this is the time that you will be the most likely to conceive.
Other types of ovulation tests, called salivary ferning kits, work by allowing you to view your saliva through a portable microscope that could fit in your pocket. As your estrogen levels rise near the time of ovulation, the amount of salt in your saliva will increase. The salt dries and crystalizes into a fern-like pattern, so the presence of this type of pattern in your saliva will likely indicate you are ovulating.
Your ovulation test kit will contain specific instructions on how and when to use your ovulation test. Generally, you should try to take an ovulation test at about the same time each day, usually between ten in the morning and eight at night, ideally between two and two-thirty in the afternoon. It is best not to use the ovulation test when you first wake up because you may miss the first day of your LH surge. For about two hours before taking an ovulation test, try not to drink too much liquid because it will be harder to detect a surge in LH in diluted urine. Depending on your particular ovulation test kit, you will either hold a stick beneath you as you urinate or you will collect your urine in a cup. The test stick or card will generally have colored bands that appear to indicate whether you are experiencing an LH surge or not, and some digital ovulation tests use symbols. You should usually read your test results within 10 minutes in case a negative result starts to show as positive. Always refer to your particular ovulation test kit for specific instructions.
When you are using fertility drugs, such as human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) or luteinizing hormone (LH), they can affect your ovulation test results. Although ovulation tests are usually about 99 percent accurate, there is no guarantee that you are actually ovulating as the test indicates. Ovulation test kits do measure luteinizing hormone which precedes ovulation, but even if you have a surge in LH, it may not always be followed by ovulation. You may also have false LH surges before your actual LH surge.
You should not use ovulation test kits as a method of birth control. Even just one day after you ovulate, you could still become pregnant.
In the case of salivary ferning tests, fertility drugs like Clomid can affect the results. Ferning could occur at other times in your menstrual cycle, and you may have trouble judging if there is a ferning pattern to your saliva, especially if you have poor eyesight.
Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovaries into the fallopian tube when the follicles rupture. Once an egg is released, it can potentially be fertilized by sperm. A surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary gland will trigger ovulation. Ovulation occurs an average about 14.6 days after the start of a menstrual period, but this can vary greatly from one woman to the next, between 8.2 and 20.5 days.
Symptoms of ovulation can include a change in body temperature, cervical fluid changes, and cervical changes like position and firmness. Other ovulation symptoms can include cramping, abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, light spotting, increased sex drive, and a heightened sense of smell, taste, or vision.
With the high cost of fertility treatments and fertility drugs, it is important to use an ovulation test to find the best time to conceive, maximizing your chances. As a licensed Canadian pharmacy we can help you buy affordable fertility drugs, but we also help you buy affordable ovulation tests and ovulation test kits. Ovulation tests have free shipping when added on to your fertility drugs order, saving you money on your fertility supplies. Ovulation test kits do not require a prescription, and there is no need to speak to your fertility doctor before using an ovulation test. Simply order ovulation test kits on our website or by phoning our customer service hotline. One of our partner pharmacies will ship you your ovulation tests so you can find the best time to conceive.