Ovulation is the natural process that results in the release of eggs from a woman’s ovary. Every month, on average 15 to 20 eggs will mature inside one of your ovaries with the largest being swept out into the pelvic cavity and transported into the fallopian tube. This egg has a survival window of 12 to 24 hours if not fertilised, creating a small fertility window which is optimal for conception lasting typically no longer than six days. For couples who are trying to conceive, tracking ovulation through fertility awareness procedures such as ovulation calendars, ovulation calculators, fertility monitors and testing kits will help determine your expected ovulation by detecting the presence of the luteinising hormone (LH). The luteinising hormone while always present in your urine increases substantially 24-48 hours prior to ovulation, it is this surge of LH that triggers your ovulation and releases the egg from one of your ovaries. Inhealth.ie stock a complete range of ovulation tests designed to empower you with the knowledge of your fertility window, so you can best plan when to start your family, so how does an ovulation test work? What types of ovulation kits are available? And how do I use one?
How Do Ovulation Kits Work?
To successfully conceive you need to be aware of your fertility window and when you are ovulating. One of the most popular ways to document your ovulation is to use an ovulation prediction test or OPKs, as they are more commonly referred to in fertility speak. OPKs will help you confirm your dates of ovulation so you can ensure you have intercourse during your fertility window to facilitate conception. As you ovulate your body experiences a surge in luteinising hormone (LH), this is detected via your urine by ovulation predictor tests via specific antibodies within the sensitive testing membrane of the test. When the ovulation test detects a surge of LH in your urine usually between 20 to 30mIU/mI, the ovulation test will give a positive result. Ovulation tests help your predict with 99% accuracy your ovulation and fertility window, and once you have received a positive result you will ovulate within the following 24 to 36 hours.
What Types of Ovulation Tests Are Available?
Choose from Basal Temperature methods, to Saliva Ferning, to Digital Ovulation Tests to Pregnancy & Ovulation Calendar Wheel. Depending on your ovulation test of choice, Inhealth.ie stock the full variety available today.
Saliva Ferning Kits: Salivary Ferning tests enable you to test your saliva with a pocket sized portable microscope for help in identifying your fertility window. As your oestrogen levels increase, so does the salt content of your saliva, as the salt dries, it forms a crystallised fern like pattern on the microscope. Saliva ferning is most likely to occur in the few days prior to ovulation, so checking for this pattern helps you to identify your ovulation.
Digital Basal Thermometers: Your body gives out several signs that you could be ovulating, one of those changes is in your basal body temperature. Your basal body temperature is your temperature when you are completely at rest, with most women experiencing a slight elevation in that basal body temperature when they ovulate. If you take and chart your basal body temperature every day, it is possible to determine if ovulation has occured. In order to do this you need a specifically created basal body thermometer that ranges only from 96 to 100 degrees. Most women will register a basal body temperature of 96 to 98 degrees before ovulation and 97 to 99 degrees post ovulation.
Pregnancy & Ovulation Calendar Wheel: For an organic approach the Pregnancy & Ovulation Calendar Wheel provides day to day information on fertility, ovulation and pregnancy milestones. The ovulation calendar will highlight ovulation and peak fertility, implantation, when to expect a missed period and the optimal time in which to take a pregnancy test, all based on your menstrual cycle length. The ovulation calendar will also assist you in indicating the optimal days to use ovulation tests.
Digital Ovulation Tests: Digital Ovulation tests such as the Clearblue range stocked by Inhealth.ie work to identify your ovulation by detecting the rise of the ovulation hormone LH prior to ovulation and highlights the best two days in which to conceive throughout your cycle. With digital effectiveness, it give clear digital results eliminating any confusion and doubt as to your ovulation. The Clearblue range of digital ovulation tests offer over 99% accuracy at detecting your LH surge and delivers results in less than 3 minutes. By using your digital ovulation test once a day at the same time each day it will identify your fertility window and when you are most likely to conceive.
