With the advent of such a convenient invention as ovulation tests into our lives, it has become much easier and more reliable for women to determine whether the right time has come to conceive a child, which makes pregnancy more likely. Now the girl herself can determine the successful period, using such a quick and reliable method. When the follicle ruptures in the ovary and the egg, ready for fertilization, enters the abdominal cavity, some changes occur in the female body. In particular, 24-36 hours before the onset of ovulation in urine, the amount of luteinizing hormone increases sharply, which is what the tests record. Therefore, using them you can easily determine the almost exact time of ovulation. To make the results of the ovulation test more accurate, it should be performed on freshly collected urine. The accuracy of the calculation depends on whether the woman has a regular menstrual cycle.
One-time tests
To understand when it is better to do an ovulation test, you need to figure out what types of devices are and study their individual characteristics. All of them are based on monitoring the level of LH in the urine and choosing a time favorable for conception when there is a sharp jump in the content of this hormone in the urine. Today, pharmacies have one-time and reusable ovulation tests.
One-time tests for ovulation are similar to pregnancy tests, but you need to use them daily during the entire menstrual cycle. With their help, results are achieved much more accurate than when measuring basal temperature. True, it will cost more, but the effectiveness of using tests is higher.
How to use a disposable device?
So when is it best to do an ovulation test? It can be carried out at absolutely any time throughout the day, only this time should not change throughout the entire research cycle. The procedure should be preceded by preparation. 4 hours before testing, you can not drink a lot of fluids and you need to refrain from urinating. If these conditions are not met, the reliability of the result will be less. How to do a one-time ovulation test? Just the tip of the test needs to be placed under the stream of emitted urine for 5 seconds or in already collected urine for 20 seconds. After three minutes, the result will appear. After its manifestation, it is necessary to make a comparison of the level of LH in urine with the control line located on the test.
Deciphering the results of a one-time test
And what does the ovulation test show? Here, too, everything is extremely simple:
- if the color of the control line is thicker and darker, and the test strip looks paler compared to it, then the ovulation time has not come yet and the level of LH remains the same;
- if the test sample is similar in color to the control or even darker, then the hormone has already increased and ovulation will occur in the interval from 24 to 36 hours.
Having determined that the long-awaited release of the hormone has occurred, you get a chance to get pregnant within the next 48 hours, and at this time sexual intercourse will be most effective. After this, there is no need to continue the study.
Reusable tests
Reusable tests differ in that they can be used constantly, changing only the strips. This is a portable device in which the disposable strips included in its package are inserted each time. It is necessary to carefully study the instructions for use in order to know how to properly do an ovulation test. For this, it is necessary to produce 10-20 samples per month. The testing process itself is identical to the previous method. However, the results appear differently. A replaceable test strip is inserted into the device, and the result - the degree of fertility - appears on its display. Its undoubted advantages include the fact that the device shows not only the most favorable days for conception, but also adjoining them a couple of days before the start of ovulation and after, when the likelihood of conception is also quite high.
These home tests are useful not only for those who want to conceive a baby, but will be useful for those who want to protect themselves from pregnancy. In this case, fertile days will be undesirable for sexual intercourse.
Kinds
What can be called the best ovulation tests among existing ones? Ovulation tests are offered to consumers of several types:
- A test strip is a special strip of paper impregnated with a reagent. When immersed in urine, a reaction occurs and the result is manifested, its accuracy is high.
- Test tablet - a plastic small case with a window. You can substitute it under a stream of urine or drip a little on it, and the result will appear in the window. These devices are more reliable in terms of accuracy of the result, but also cost more.
- The jet test is the most reliable among the proposed options, either substituted under the current stream of urine, or immersed in a container with urine and after a few minutes gives the finished result.
- Reusable test - a device with a set of disposable strips, which was mentioned above.
- An electronic test is a device that determines the degree of fertility not on the basis of urine, but on saliva that is placed on the lens. Its pattern is being examined. The values of the patterns are described in the instructions. This test, although quite expensive, is the most accurate.
But, focusing on the testimony, it should be understood that they do not show the exact period of ovulation, but only the period of increase in the level of LH in the female body. Ovulation occurs shortly after this, and this must be taken into account in your calculations.
When to spend?
When is it best to do an ovulation test? This is one of the issues that are extremely interested in women who have set themselves the goal of becoming pregnant. Sometimes inept actions can negate all efforts to identify the exact time of ovulation. Many women are not aware that the egg can be fertilized only during the day. If it is a mistake to assume that after the test shows the results favorable for conception, there is enough time for fertilization attempts and there is no need to rush in this delicate matter, you can easily skip this extremely important point. To get the most reliable result, you need to know on which day the ovulation test is best to start.
The beginning of testing is largely determined by the duration of the menstrual cycle, as well as its regularity. The first day in the cycle is the one in which menstruation began, and its duration is determined by the length of time until the next menstruation begins. If your cycle is regular and its duration is consistently the same figure, then you need to start the ovulation test no later than 17 days before the start of your period. For example, if the cycle is 28 days, then the start of the study should be on the 11th day, and if 32 days, then on the 15th. But when is it better to do an ovulation test if the cycle is unstable? In this case, you need to take as a basis the shortest period and start the study 17 days before this date, but continue to apply tests further if menstruation does not start at the estimated time.
An ovulation test can be done absolutely at any time. But it is better to control the level of LH twice a day - in the mornings and evenings, so as not to miss the expected event. After all, if in the morning your test does not show the necessary level of the hormone, and the release occurs, for example, in the afternoon, then after the next morning test you can no longer have time to carry out fertilization, because the egg lives only 24 hours. For this reason, usually the study is carried out somewhere at 12 and 17 hours daily until the test shows a positive result.
How to do? Deciphering the results
All ovulation tests have two lines - test and control, on which the chemical composition is applied, giving it a certain color intensity. When urine acts on the control strip, it remains pale or acquires brightness depending on the result of the study. What does the weak strip on the test say? This means that the result is negative and the level of LH in the urine has not increased. In this case, ovulation tests should be continued. If the second line becomes as bright as the first, or maybe even darker, then in the next 24-36 hours you should expect the release of an egg ready for fertilization. A positive result is considered when the ovulation test showed two strips.
The most popular tests for establishing ovulation
The most reliable and reliable tests proved to be the following brands:
- Eviplan.
- Clearblue
- Frautest.
The last brand has three options - Ovulation, Planning, Ovulation (test cassettes). The first is suitable for a stable menstrual cycle, the second is equipped with 5 strips, two of which are for pregnancy, and the third consists of 7 cassettes and is very relevant for women, whose cycle is always different.
The Eviplan and Clearblue brands have a lower cost than Frautest. Moreover, they have the same accuracy. The Clearblue test differs in that when a positive result is achieved, a smiley with a smile appears on its electronic display. It is not difficult to use such a device, only you first need to read the instructions.
"Clear Blue"
The Clear Blue electronic ovulation test must be removed from the foil before use and the cap removed. Insert it into the device case, combine the pink arrow on the case with the same on the test and insert it until it clicks. When a symbol appears indicating that it is ready, you can conduct a study.
Place the absorbent sampler pointing downward under a stream of urine for 5 to 7 seconds or immerse it in collected urine for up to 15 seconds. In this case, try not to wet. During the test, you should not keep the strip pointing up - either lower it down or put it on a flat horizontal surface. It takes 3 minutes to pass, so when after some time the device starts blinking and notifying that the test is ready, do not rush to remove it from the urine until you get the result on the screen. The result can only be seen on the screen. The tests themselves do not display any information. After the study, they are removed from the device and discarded.
Eviplan
To properly use the Eviplan test, you will need instructions for use. She is attached to it. Before starting the test, study it well and perform all the actions strictly according to the text. Features of use we will consider further. Note that morning urine should not be used.
Step-by-step instructions for using the Eviplan ovulation test:
- Open the box, take the test out of the sealed bag.
- Collect urine in dry dishes. Place the test there to the level indicated by the arrow at “5 seconds”.
- Put the test on a horizontal level plane.
- Wait 10 minutes.
- Compare the color intensity of the test strip with the control (control strip at the end of the field).
With a positive reaction, both strips will be equally intensely colored or the test will be darker than the control. If the result is negative, it will be pale. If after 10 minutes the result does not appear in the window, then the test is considered invalid.
Important Tips
Carrying out tests for ovulation, it is necessary to receive results every day until a positive reaction is obtained. What does it take to do the right test? Listen to our advice, and your result will be successful and as accurate as possible:
- It is necessary to carry out tests at the same time every day.
- The best time for the test is from 10 to 20 hours.
- Starting the testing process, exclude those that contain luteinizing hormone from the list of medications taken, otherwise the study does not make sense.
- Limit the amount of fluid 4 hours before the procedure.
- For 6 hours before the study, you must refrain from urinating.
- Do not use the first daily urine for the test.
- Do not discard used tests so that you can compare the brightness of the second strip with them.
Conclusion
In this article, we tried to clarify as much as possible why, when and how to conduct ovulation tests. If you decide to continue your family, have a baby, then use these tips and choose the best time to conceive a child.