The ovulation test is a unique device, thanks to which thousands of women were able to find out on what day their efforts on the love front will be most in demand. If you have never used this test or after using it, you still have some questions – read today’s material. Use the best ovulation kit if you won’t care for your health.
What does an ovulation test measure?
Ovulation is the period of a woman’s menstrual cycle when a fertile egg leaves her ovaries into the abdominal cavity. Depending on the duration of the cycle, the frequency of ovulation is 21-35 days.
Knowing the exact period of ovulation is essential if you want to choose the most auspicious day for conception. For fertilization to occur, a man’s sperm must enter the woman’s body at the same time that the egg leaves the ovaries. Ovulation tests will help us find out this moment most accurately.
The principle of the ovulation test
During each menstrual cycle, a follicle matures in a woman’s ovaries. As they grow in the follicle cells, hormones estrogen are produced. When estrogen levels reach a peak, luteinizing hormone is released in the body.
After this, the follicle is torn for 1-2 days – ovulation occurs. Ready for fertilization, the egg moves along the fallopian tube, prepare to meet with sperm.
It is on the fixation of the moment of increase in the level of luteinizing hormone in the urine that the effect of new tests on ovulation is based.
Why ovulation may be impaired
There are several reasons for the violation of ovulation. So anovulation (irregular ovulation or its absence) can be observed in the case of:
- hormonal imbalance in the body;
- ovarian dysfunction;
- thyroid dysfunction;
- pregnancy
- sometimes after childbirth;
- age-related extinction of menstrual function;
- stress
- systemic diseases;
- after an abortion.
To restore the ovulation process, you need to contact a competent gynecologist, determine the cause that could cause anovulation, and select the appropriate treatment.
When should you start using ovulation tests?
The start time of testing is determined based on the duration of the menstrual cycle. Let us clarify that the first day of the period is the day when menstruation begins, and the length of the period is the number of days from the first day of the last menstruation to the beginning of the next.
If you are the owner of a regular cycle, ovulation tests should begin to be done approximately 17 before the start of the next menstruation. For example, if the length of your menstrual cycle is 28 days, then testing should start from about the 11th day, and if 32, then from the 15th.
If the duration of the cycle can vary, it can be different – choose the shortest one and use it for the exact calculation of the day of ovulation. If over five days, an increase in the hormone luteinizing hormone has not occurred, testing should be continued for a few more days.
To catch, you need time to use ovulation tests you need every day.
Test application
Ovulation tests can be done at almost any time of the day, but if you have already chosen to do it at 12 p.m. or 5 p.m., continue to stick to this time for all five days.
Gritsenko Marta, MD, Ph.D., obstetrician-gynecologist at the Alternative Reproduction Clinic for Human Reproduction, says: In order for the hormone concentration in the urine to be the highest, it is better to refrain from urinating for at least four hours, and also to avoid excessive drinking before starting testing.
One of the main mistakes when conducting ovulation tests is the use of morning urine. On the websites of manufacturing companies, it is indicated that the first-morning urine should not be used for such a test, sometimes this information is also indicated in the instructions for the test.
Evaluate the result
To evaluate the result, it is necessary to compare the received line (if any) with the control.
If the result line is paler than the control line, then the release of the luteinizing hormone has not yet occurred. In this case, testing should continue.
If the result line is exactly the same or somewhat darker than the control line, then the hormone has already been released and ovulation will occur within 1-1.5 days.
It is these few days, after the release of luteinizing hormone, that is best suited for conception, and the likelihood of becoming pregnant is maximum.
After determining the release of luteinizing hormone, testing can no longer be continued.
Can a test show erroneous results?
Unfortunately, ovulation tests may not show ovulation itself, but certain changes in the level of luteinizing hormone. Of course, it is the sharp rise in luteinizing hormone that is the main fact that ovulation started, however, in fact, its increase cannot give an absolute guarantee that ovulation has taken place.
In what cases may an increase in the amount of luteinizing hormone occur? Ovulation tests may show false-positive results in the following cases:
- with ovarian exhaustion syndrome;
- hormonal dysfunction;
- renal failure;
- postmenopausal women;
- after injections of hCG;
- immediately after the abolition of synthetic hormonal drugs;
- a sharp transition to raw food/vegetarianism;
- other violations.
Therefore, in the absence of menstruation or suspicion of any hormonal disorders, you should not rely only on the results of ovulation tests. More reliable results can show an ultrasound examination.
