They work by detecting the hormone LH. When you buy an ovulation test kit , it comes with several tests strips narrow thin papers , or they may look more like pregnancy test sticks. You either pee on the extended tip of the pregnancy-test-like version, or you pee in a cup and then carefully dip the test strip into your urine.
The results can tell you if you might be ovulating soon. More on reading the results below. Using ovulation strips can help you time sex for pregnancy. When you get a positive result on the test, you should have sex every day for the next two or three days. There are a variety of ovulation predictor kits available. Clearblue Easy and First Response are the most popular. Like pregnancy tests, you can pay relatively little or quite a lot, depending on how much technology you want.
The most expensive variety of ovulation predictors is digital. The Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor is one of the more popular digital tests. This monitor detects two hormones, LH, and estrogen. This allows it to detect more fertile days than the paper tests. The cheapest ovulation tests are simply strips of paper.
You can purchase the test strips online in bulk , but they often come with no instructions for use. What you choose to buy and use has more to do with your comfort and your ease in reading the test strips. They aren't always easy to interpret. A digital monitor takes the guesswork out of ovulation testing. A digital test will tell you whether you're fertile or not. That said, it is pricey.
The paper tests, especially the cheaper ones, aren't simple to read. Unlike a pregnancy test where you either have a line or you don't, an OPK test requires you to determine if the test line is darker than the control line.
That's not always easy to determine. More on this below. Despite the slightly more difficult result interpretation, some people love the extra cheap test papers. Ovulation predictor kits work by detecting the levels of LH hormone in your urine. LH stands for luteinizing hormone. As ovulation approaches, LH spikes in order to push the egg into the final stages of maturity.
This spike of LH is called the LH surge. About 36 hours after the LH surge, ovulation occurs. To increase your chances of getting pregnant, you should have sex the two days before ovulation occurs. Since OPKs detect the LH surge that occurs 12 to 36 hours before ovulation , you can be sure to have sex at just the right time for conception. Because estrogen begins to rise before the LH surge, the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor can give you more warning that ovulation is coming. This will allow you to have conception sex for up to a week before you ovulate.
Be sure to read the instructions of your particular ovulation predictor kit, since there may be slight variations on how they work. Generally, however, an ovulation predictor kit comes with a set of test strips or sticks. Some OPKs come with five tests, others with as many as You should begin using the tests about two days before you expect to ovulate. There are also fertility apps that will attempt to guess at when ovulation is likely to occur for you.
It helps to have a kit with several test strips if this is your situation. Ovulation predictor kits have two lines. One line is the control line. This just lets you know that the test was used properly and is working.
The second line is the test line. This is when pregnancy is most likely to occur. These kits can be bought at most drug stores. LH urine tests are not the same as at home fertility monitors. Fertility monitors are digital handheld devices. They predict ovulation based on electrolyte levels in saliva, LH levels in urine, or your basal body temperature. These devices can store ovulation information for several menstrual cycles.
Ovulation prediction test kits most often come with five to seven sticks. You may need to test for several days to detect a surge in LH. The specific time of month that you start testing depends on the length of your menstrual cycle. For example, if your normal cycle is 28 days, you'll need to begin testing on day 11 That is, the 11th day after you started your period.
If you have a different cycle interval than 28 days, talk to your health care provider about the timing of the test. In general, you should begin testing 3 to 5 days prior to the expected date of ovulation. You will need to urinate on the test stick, or place the stick into urine that has been collected into a sterile container. The test stick will turn a certain color or display a positive sign if a surge is detected.
A positive result means you should ovulate in the next 24 to 36 hours, but this may not be the case for all women. The booklet that is included in the kit will tell you how to read the results.
You may miss your surge if you miss a day of testing. You may also not be able to detect a surge if you have an irregular menstrual cycle. 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. In fact, studies suggest they can detect ovulation up to 97 percent of the time, making them the most accurate option out there.
But there are a few key things to keep in mind. Most important? Ovulation strips show whether your hormones are at the right level for ovulation. The kits also tend to be more accurate for some women than others. Ovulation predictor kits work best for women whose cycles are relatively predictable.
But they might be less reliable if you:. Have very irregular periods. That can increase the chances for using an ovulation predictor kit too early or too late and missing the ovulation window altogether. Have a health condition like PCOS. That could make test results unreliable. Are taking certain medications. Fertility drugs , hormones like birth control pills and antibiotics can all make ovulation test strips inaccurate.
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