Ovulation Test Facts

If you're trying to get pregnant naturally you may be interested the home ovulation test and how it can help you.

Knowing when you are ovulating - when your body is releasing an egg - is a good way to know the best time to have intercourse each month.

Some women like to use a test to pinpoint ovulation or to verify an egg is being when their chart says that it is. There are several monitor options to choose from, ranging from simple urine and saliva tests to monitors that offer a more comprehensive picture of a woman's cycle.

The Basic Ovulation Test

The basic ovulation test is very similar to an early pregnancy test in look and in use. These ovulation tests are used by either dipping a test strip into urine or hitting the absorbent tip of a midstream test with urine.

Both of these test types detect luteinizing hormone (LH) in urine. This hormone is essential for reproduction and there is a huge rise in the amount of the hormone present in the body just before ovulation. The LH allows your egg to be released and thus facilitates conception.

When you use an ovulation test strip you simply catch some urine in a small, clean cup ( I recommend a mess-free collection cup) then dip the strip into the urine. In just a couple of minutes you'll see your result. One line means that you're probably not ovulating. Two lines means the test has picked up LH - and you're probably very fertile!

Using a midstream test is also very easy. Just unwrap it from the foil and place the absorbent tip into your urine stream for several seconds. Place the test on a flat surface and wait a few minutes. Then come back and read your results - one line for no LH, two for LH detected. Two means you're at ovulation!

Saliva Ovulation Tests

This interesting type of monitor is non-invasive and basically mess-free. Salvia tests also work by detecting hormone surges in your body - often estrogen. Each "test" is reusable and based on a high-powered microscope.

A simple microscope allows you to dab fresh saliva onto the lens. Allow the sample to dry for several minutes and then return to your microscope. A built-in light allows you to observe the pattern. If you see "ferning," then your body is experiencing a hormone surge and you are fertile!

A unique twist on the microscope saliva test is Ovulook's saliva test - it is a powerful little microscope shaped in a circle. You place a small saliva sample onto a circular lens every day during your cycle. Place the lens into your microscope and have access to the month's saliva samples. This nifty little scope allows you to look at your "chart" for each month - this can be especially helpful as you learn to read the patterns on your microscope.

Would you prefer a monitor that works a little more like a thermometer? Some oral tests work by placing a sensor on the tongue much like a thermometer. These are very non-invasive and completely mess-free.

The Clear Blue Fertility Monitor

I've given the Clear Blue Fertility Monitor its own section because it is unique. The monitor tracks fertility using two different hormones - estrogen and luteinizing hormone (LH).

To use a the Clear Blue monitor you urinate on a special test stick. The test stick is similar to a midstream pregnancy or ovulation test and is used the same way. After the test has been used it is placed into the monitor. The monitor reads the hormone levels on the test stick and gives you your fertility rating for the day!

The monitor also stores your ovulation test results so that you can go back and compare your cycles. It's an intuitive fertility monitor that is relatively non-invasive. It tests two hormones so you can be more certain that it is giving you accurate results. The monitor will tell you if you're not fertile, if you're becoming fertile, and when you're at you peak fertility.

Choosing to Use an Ovulation Test

An ovulation test is a relatively non-invasive way to monitor your fertility. It can be used alone or along with charting. You can also use an ovulation test to monitor your fertility while you improve your diet and work on other ways to naturally enhance your fertility.

Look over the different choices and pick the one that will fit the best into your lifestyle and routine. You may want to use something simple, like test strips, or you may wish for a more comprehensive ovulation test like the Clear Blue fertility monitor. An test system (using either saliva or urine) that keeps a record of your cycles may prove very valuable to you.

Using an ovulation test is not essential to getting pregnant naturally, and there is always room for user error. If you're hoping to learn your cycles and time intercourse for your most fertile days each month, however, you may find an ovulation test or monitor is just what you need.

Natural Birth and Baby Care.com