If you're not into apps , we also include a handy color chart with your test to make interpreting your results super easy. The exact guidelines for how you should use ovulation tests depend on how regular and long your cycles are.
In these cases, ovulation test manufacturers recommend starting to test a couple of days before the anticipated day of ovulation. If this sounds like you, the conservative approach would be to start testing a couple of days after your period ends and to continue testing until you get indications that ovulation is coming up. For example, for our Ovulation Test , we recommend you start testing 19 days before the start of your period.
Regardless of when in your cycle you start using ovulation tests and which type of test you use, the way you use them should be similar and consistent. Though ovulation tests are likely better than the other cycle-tracking measures, you might be wondering: How good are they? Luckily, manufacturers of many tests will provide numbers on two key metrics — positive predictive value the percent of people who are ovulating when the ovulation tests tells them they are and negative predictive value the percent of people who are not ovulating when the ovulation tests tells them they are not — to give us an idea of how accurate a test is.
There are ways to increase the positive predictive value of ovulation tests, though. For example, when considering both LH surges and cervical mucus characteristics together, the positive predictive value can increase. The accuracy of threshold-based tests will also depend on what your average LH levels look like. The take-home here? False positives can be expected for women on the higher end of LH production, and false negatives can be expected for women on the lower end of LH production.
Hormones found in birth control medications — particularly estrogen and progesterone — can decrease your LH levels and affect your results. Drugs containing testosterone also decrease LH levels and can affect your results.
One of the fertility drugs used in fertility treatment, clomiphene citrate Clomid , increases your LH levels to help you ovulate, and will affect your results. Here at Modern Fertility, our test strips are fairly priced so as many people as possible can get access to this important information.
You may also be able to get the cost of test strips reimbursed if you have a health savings account HSA or flexible spending account FSA as part of your health insurance plan. There are so many reasons why you might choose to use one cycle-tracking measure over another. Your best option might depend on what your goals are i.
For most of these methods, there are clear trade-offs in convenience and accuracy. Of frequently used methods, counting-based methods are the most convenient and require the least amount of effort, but are likely the least accurate. Cervical mucus monitoring takes more time and effort, but is more accurate in pinpointing the fertile window.
Generally speaking, the most accurate cycle-tracking measures will be the ones that measure ovulation most directly. The third most direct measures are things like cervical mucus and basal body temperature , which are associated with the hormones that are associated with ovulation. Each step removed from ovulation itself makes things more complex to interpret, and potentially introduces error — both of which affect how accurate a measure is. Ovulation tests get a big thumbs-up from us.
First, the Modern Fertility Ovulation Test tracks your LH at low, high, and peak levels to help you predict ovulation and your fertile window. The app also makes predictions and testing recommendations for future cycles. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're reading.
Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. Ovulation occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Ovulation test strips work by measuring levels of luteinizing hormone LH in your urine. Using an ovulation test strip with a digital readout can eliminate this confusion altogether.
Ovulation tends to occur about halfway through your menstrual cycle. If your cycle is 28 days, for instance, take your first test on day 10 or If your cycles are irregular, use the length of your shortest cycle in the last 6 months as a guide and begin testing three to four days sooner than the midpoint of your shortest cycle.
You might need to test for a few days to detect a surge in LH, which is totally normal. Most kits come with five to 10 test strips. That can make it even easier to determine when your LH is surging. Are there any other pointers you should consider? Use an ovulation test strip between 12 p. Most women have a surge in LH in the morning, and those levels can be picked up in your urine about four hours later.
You could even test twice a day — once between 11 a. But whether you test once or twice, aim to do it at the same time or times each day. Make sure your urine is concentrated enough. Avoid peeing for an hour or two before the test, and try not to drink large amounts of fluid. Follow the package directions carefully. Once the test indicates that your LH levels are on the upswing, start having sex that day.
Have sex for two to three days afterwards too, since ovulation can occur within 36 hours of LH levels rising. Keep in mind that liquid can dilute the amount of luteinizing hormone LH in your urine. So limit your intake of fluids about 2 hours before testing.
It also helps not to urinate 1 to 2 hours before testing. For the reasons above, many women use ovulation test kits right when they wake up. Testing in the morning also allows you plenty of time to get it on if the test gives you the green light! While women with a regular cycle only need to test ovulation once a month, someone with an irregular cycle will have to test more frequently.
Ovulation test strips are designed to detect levels of luteinizing hormone LH in your urine. This hormone signals ovulation, which is the release of an egg from your ovaries into the fallopian tube. To test ovulation, you can urinate on the test stick, or urinate in a cup and place the stick in the urine.
Results are usually available in about 5 minutes. Ovulation test kits have two lines: One is the control line that signals the test is working properly while the other is the test line. The test line appears lighter when you have a low level of LH in your body. With such a short window to conceive every month, using an ovulation test kit improves the guesswork of predicting your most fertile days. This information lets you know the best days to have sex for the best chance of conception and can increase your likelihood of getting pregnant.
Trying to get pregnant? We have some suggestions on how you can increase your chances of getting a positive result. If you're trying for a baby, you're probably ready to get pregnant — now.
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