Test strips for determining ovulation allow you to determine at home and with a high degree of accuracy the days when the woman’s body is maximally ready for conception. Relatively recently, ovulation tests have appeared, there are still few reviews about them, since not all women who are planning a pregnancy are aware of such a diagnostic device. Next, we consider the principle of operation of such tests, their types and diagnostic features. They will also give instructions for ovulation tests and a list of the most popular ones.
The principle of determining ovulation test
Immediately after the next menstrual bleeding in every healthy woman of reproductive age, the egg begins to mature. Sometimes two or more of them ripen in one cycle, which increases the chances of a multiple pregnancy if conception takes place at this time. There are anovulatory cycles, during which the egg does not mature. This condition can be caused by both physiological and pathological causes. Alternatively, a healthy woman may have one or two anovulatory cycles per year.
Before the egg ripens and leaves the follicle, the body undergoes hormonal changes. In the blood, for example, the amount of the hormone increases, which is responsible for maintaining the pregnancy in case of its onset. There are other signs that determine ovulation. These include pain in the lower abdomen, a decrease in basal temperature, a change in the nature of the discharge, and the like. Such signs are subjective and may not occur in all women, so only sensations to determine ovulation may not work.
The hormone mentioned above is called luteinizing (LH). It can be found in the blood, saliva, and urine of a woman. It is on the definition of this hormone that diagnostics is built. So, a positive test for ovulation "Ovuplan" or any other will indicate that the egg is ready for conception.
What should be an ovulation test
The technique is very important for the possibility of conception, so we should highlight the criteria that the best test should meet:
- accurate result (it is better if the percentage of determination of ovulation is as high as possible);
- ease of use (a woman should clearly understand how to perform the test and evaluate the result);
- convenience (it is not always possible to use the test in comfortable conditions, you also need to think about this when planning a purchase);
- cost (if several tests are necessary, the price of the diagnostic device also matters).
When to do an ovulation test
How to do an ovulation test, on which day of the menstrual cycle the study will be effective? Dates must be calculated by the duration of the cycle. With an average menstrual cycle (28 days), you need to start the study from the 11th day, counting from the first day of the last menstruation. If the cycle is longer than normal, then you can start using tests from day 17. For various lengths of the interval between ovulations, the shortest cycle should be taken as a basis: 24 days - you can do the test starting from the 7th day, 26 days from the 9th day, 32 days from the 15th day. How many days to do an ovulation test? Diagnosis should be carried out for five consecutive days. The instruction for ovulation tests says that the study should be carried out at the same time, morning and evening, or only in the morning, without gaps.
Is it possible to do tests every day
The use of tests to determine ovulation every day is impractical from a financial point of view, but it is completely harmless. Such behavior is characteristic of women who suffer from infertility or are faced with suspicion of it. Here you can only advise you to let go of the situation, have a good rest, take care of your own health in general and lifestyle. Then, soon, two treasured strips will appear on the pregnancy test.
Is ovulation always in the middle of a cycle
Even in an absolutely healthy woman, ovulation does not always fall exactly at the middle of the cycle, that is, approximately on the 14th day. This is a variant of the norm and does not carry any danger if there are no deviations. There are many cases when conception occurred a couple of days before the next menstruation, which never came, or immediately after it, that is, on “safe” days. At the time of the onset of ovulation, stress, physical overstrain, climate change, infectious diseases and much more affect. So that you can “catch” a high level of the hormone not only in the middle of the cycle, but also earlier or later than the time indicated above, if it is really important for a woman.
Types of tests and diagnostic features
Clearblue Digital and other manufacturers' ovulation tests are very similar to pregnancy strips. For diagnosis, urine is also used in this case. Manufacturers produce various types of diagnostic devices with different price categories, diagnostic features and reliability.
The most common test for most women is a strip or strip. Such a device for determining the onset of ovulation is a paper strip, on the part of which a reagent is applied before the control strip. How to do an ovulation test? To conduct this test, you need to prepare a clean container for urine. In the material collected for the study, lower the strip to the control mark for ten seconds. Then you need to put the strip test on a clean and dry horizontal surface and wait five to ten minutes. After the time, you can read the result.
If the result is positive, a second strip will appear on the test. This indicates a high concentration of LH in the woman’s urine and a readiness for conception. A weak strip on the ovulation test may appear from the first day of the study, but for reliability, you need to wait until it is expressed in the same way as the control. This usually occurs on the third or fourth day of diagnosis.
A test tablet is a plastic tablet on which there are two windows. How to use an ovulation test? In the first, you need to drip material for research, in the second, after two or three minutes, the result will be visible. At a high level of LH, the test will show two bars. The reliability of such devices is rated higher than strips.
The blast test is convenient to apply. Diagnosis does not require collecting urine into a prepared container and / or using a pipette. A strip coated with a special reagent should be placed under a stream of urine and evaluate the result after three to five minutes. With a high level of the hormone responsible for preparing the female body for a possible pregnancy, two stripes will appear on the test.
A reusable ovulation test is a set of strips intended for immersion in freshly collected material for research, and a special electronic device. Such systems allow diagnosis on different days of the cycle and are characterized by a high level of information. A portable reusable ovulation test will determine the optimal time for conception.
Another reusable device is a digital test. Unlike others, such a device does not detect PH in the urine, but in the saliva of a woman. This is a miniature microscope that resembles lipstick in appearance. A digital test is the most accurate diagnostic method that eliminates an erroneous result. How to use an ovulation test? It is necessary to transfer saliva to the control region and evaluate using a magnifying device. Before the egg leaves the ovary, a frosty or fern-like pattern appears.
Comparison of different types of tests
Digital tests are distinguished by diagnostic accuracy, strip strips and inkjet ones also have good reliability, but a false positive or false negative result is possible. In terms of ease of use, all tests are equally easy to perform, and as regards convenience, there are features. So, for research using strips, you will need a vessel for collecting material, it is enough to substitute jet tests under a stream of urine, and an electronic one based on diagnostics with the help of saliva can be purchased only once in order to use it for a long time. The cost of the cheapest are strip strips, inkjet tests are inexpensive. Electronic (digital) tests for determining ovulation will be much more expensive.
Home Use Features
The test captures only elevated levels of LH, and does not directly indicate the onset of ovulation. If two strips appeared, this means that with the help of the reagent a hormonal surge was recorded, which precedes the release of the egg, ready for fertilization. A high level of the hormone persists during the day, so the instruction for ovulation tests recommends conducting a study twice a day: morning and evening. This will make it more likely to catch the optimum moment for conception.
It is important that two to three hours before the diagnosis you can not drink a lot of fluids. It can dilute urine, which will distort the results of the study. If you use a digital test, then the result should be compared with an example picture, and a weak bar on the ovulation test, as a rule, does not indicate an increased level of LH. In this case, you need to conduct a study the next day or in the evening / morning.
In what cases will one strip appear
The test will be negative if it is still far from ovulation or if it has already passed. Immediately after the release of the egg, the level of the hormone in the urine drops. Also, false-negative or false-positive (the second strip on the ovulation test, although in fact the egg is not expected to be released in the near future), the result can be obtained if the test turned out to be expired, stored under inappropriate conditions, is of poor quality.
When to start conception after a test
The instruction for the ovulation test says that two strips indicate the imminent release of the egg, ready for fertilization. But when to start trying to conceive? The egg remains viable and can be fertilized only during the day from the moment of exit from the follicle.
It turns out that immediately after the test and obtaining a positive result, it is too early to start trying to conceive. You need to wait a few hours until the germ cell leaves the follicle. The optimal time for sex is five to ten hours after the diagnosis.
Hoping for the last hours of the day, during which the egg can be fertilized by a sperm, is not worth it. The fact is that the male cell does not fertilize the female immediately after the ejaculation, but after a few hours, during which the sperm and the egg move towards each other.
How to conceive a boy or girl
There is a theory that helps some couples “plan” the sex of their unborn child. So, it is known that a boy is born if a female cell with an X chromosome was fertilized by a sperm with a Y chromosome. If an egg fertilizes a sperm with an X chromosome, then the girl “turns out”. Male cells with the Y chromosome, that is, those that allow the conception of a boy, live no more than one to two days, but move faster than more tenacious cells with the X chromosome. So, if sexual intercourse happened at the peak of ovulation, then the couple is more likely to conceive a boy, and if for some time before her - a girl.
Ovulation and Pregnancy Test
At numerous women's forums, held and expectant mothers discuss the fact that for some of them the Frautest ovulation test helped to determine not only the exit of the egg from the follicle, but also the long-awaited pregnancy. At the same time, according to women, a pregnancy test showed one strip. But it should be understood that such a situation is simply impossible. The fact is that the test for ovulation after it will be negative, regardless of whether the woman managed to get pregnant in this cycle or not.
Tests for pregnancy and ovulation determine the content of different hormones in the urine - hCG and LH, respectively. They cannot respond to another hormone. So, if the ovulation test "Ovuplan" or any other showed a second strip, then this is a sign of the approaching time during which it is most likely to become pregnant, and not the pregnancy itself.
Overview of popular ovulation tests
For many women who make unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child, the best ovulation test is one that will make them happy to be a mother. High-quality strips or digital devices from well-established manufacturers will help in this. Here are a few ovulation tests, reviews of which women leave positive:
- Eviplan. Five test strips and one pregnancy test are included. The cost is about 310 rubles, the reliability is high. Representatives of the fair sex like the fact that manufacturers put a pregnancy test in the packaging.
- Clear Blue ovulation test. Digital test, seven strips and one control device are supplied. If the result is positive, the screen does not show two stripes, but a smiling emoticon. Cost - 1000 rubles. Just as popular a test as the Frau. Women note in their reviews high information content, availability in pharmacies, ease of use.
- Ledy-q. A reusable device that promises 100% certainty. For diagnosis, saliva is used. The set includes control drawings, a removable glass, a miniature microscope and instructions. It costs about 2000 rubles. Reviews about him are positive. But not all women buy such an expensive device, trying to get pregnant. Many prefer cheaper stripes.
- Insure Test strips of domestic production. There are five strip tests in one package, which promise 99% reliability. Such tests are chosen for a low price - 150 rubles.
- Ovulation test Frautest. The company produces several tests: test strips (five pieces); test strips (five pieces) + pregnancy tests (2 pcs.); test cassettes (7 pieces), which are suitable for women with an irregular menstrual cycle. Cost respectively 300, 420 and 750 rubles. This type of test is most popular among women, women show that the tests are informative, easy to use and simply high-quality.
- Ovuplan. Test strips are 99% reliable, but are not popular with women. The price is about 200 rubles.
Cons of ovulation testing
No matter how accurate the test, the probability of error always remains. Strips and electronic devices determine only the possible exit of the egg from the follicle, but an increase in the level of the hormone does not guarantee the obligatory onset of ovulation. In addition, there is the possibility of obtaining an unreliable or doubtful result. Some types of testing are not convenient and are quite complicated. You also need to know that even if ovulation is detected, there is no guarantee of pregnancy, and any test is just a guide.
Basal temperature determination
Scheduling basal temperature is another effective way to determine the onset of ovulation and the most optimal time for conception. The essence of the method is that throughout the cycle (and preferably two or three cycles), it is necessary to measure the temperature every day at the same time immediately after waking up. It is measured in the rectum. You can’t get out of bed or move actively. The technique is used if pregnancy does not occur for a long time.
A few days before ovulation, it can be noted that the temperature dropped to 32.3-35.5 degrees Celsius. When the day of egg maturation comes, then BT rises to 37-37.5 degrees. This temperature lasts for several days. Two days before the start of the next menstruation, BT again decreases. In the event that the temperature remains at the level of 37 degrees and above, we can talk about the onset of pregnancy.