There are a number of ovulation tests which will give you a good
indication of whether or not you have ovulated, and if you have -
when this is likely to have occurred.
Recent advances in medical technology have made the ovulation
test an easily accessible and relatively cheap option.
Healthy young couples trying to get pregnant are usually told
that they should not worry about seeking medical advice until they
have had twelve months of 'trying.'
However, as the average age of first-time mothers rises, we are
seeing an increase in fertility problems.
As a result, many couples are keen to eliminate potential
problems as soon as possible - and the ovulation test is an easy
way to ensure that at least one part of the complex process of
getting pregnant is probably on track.
Some women fail to ovulate regularly. This can be caused by any
one of a number of common conditions, such as obesity, polycystic
ovary syndrome and a variety of thyroid conditions. Many of these
can be treated, once you've identified the cause.
Is the ovulation test 100 percent accurate?
The short answer is - no. The only ovulation test that can give
you definite proof that ovulation occurred is a pregnancy
ultrasound showing the presence of a foetus.
However, the ovulation test does tell you whether your body is
producing the level of certain hormones that is likely to cause you
to ovulate, and - crucially - when that particular hormone level is
at its peak, allowing you to then pinpoint your most fertile time
(which is the four to five days just before you ovulate).
What different varieties of the ovulation test are
available?
A number of different types of ovulation tests are
available.
The most common is the ovulation predictor urine test, sold in
home-test kits. The other main self-administered ovulation test is
the 'saliva ferning' test, which usually involves a one-off
purchase of a measuring gadget.
You can also arrange for an ovulation test through your doctor,
with results sent to a professional laboratory for analysis. These
tests are far more accurate, but obviously more costly and
time-consuming.
Ovulation test: Home-based kit that detects LH levels in
urine
This ovulation test measures the levels of luteinising hormone
(LH) in your urine. LH is produced by the pituitary gland and is
always present in the body in very small amounts, but this
ovulation test detects the LH surge that happens mid- cycle,
typically between 24 and 48 hours before ovulation.
Some versions of the urine-based ovulation test also measure the
presence of another hormone (estrone-3-glucuronide, or E3G) which
is produced when oestrogen breaks down in your body and causes
cervical mucus to change to a thin and slippery texture around the
time of ovulation.
This is a "qualitative" test, meaning that it only reports
whether your LH or E3G levels are elevated. It cannot definitely
tell you whether you have ovulated or if you will get pregnant.
This ovulation test will predict your fertile period with around
90 percent accuracy provided you follow the instructions
carefully.
This ovulation test only works if you start testing at the right
time in your cycle, when a hormone surge is most likely to
occur.
Usually this ovulation test comes in a packet of multiple test
strips, designed to be used once each day for a week or so.
The test is done by either adding a few drops of your urine to
the ovulation test, dipping the test in a container of your urine
or by holding the tip of the ovulation test in your urine stream
and then waiting around five minutes for the results.
Test results differ depending on the manufacturer; usually the
test gives coloured lines that tell you a result, however some
tests need to be placed into a special monitor (sold with the test
strips).
Ovulation test: Home based device to measure 'saliva ferning'
or oestrogen in saliva
The presence of oestrogen in saliva can change the appearance of
saliva when it dries, so that (when observed under a microscope),
it forms a fern-shaped pattern.
While the test involves only a once-off purchase and can be used
indefinitely, it does not suit everyone.
Accuracy can be very good for some women, however ferning can be
somewhat unpredictable and is affected if you eat, drink, smoke or
brush your teeth too close to the time of the test.
This ovulation test involves placing a small sample of saliva on
a removable glass slide supplied with the test device and waiting
until it dries (between five and thirty minutes).
The pattern of the dried saliva is observed through the test
device; normally dots or circles are spotted but during the fertile
period, a fern-like pattern can be seen.
A positive test will only indicate that your hormone levels are
high and therefore you may be near the time of ovulation.
Ovulation test: Blood tests for the presence of FSH, Estradiol and LH
Your doctor can arrange for a series of blood tests to be taken
throughout one monthly cycle to determine whether you are ovulating
and when this is likely to occur.
The blood tests usually involve taking a baseline level of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) at the very
beginning of your cycle.
Approaching the middle of the cycle, from around Day 10, blood
tests that measure the levels of the hormones estradiol and LH
(luteinising hormone) are taken either daily or every second day,
to establish whether the hormone levels are appropriate and which
day ovulation occurs.
Depending on the arrangement, either the pathology laboratory or
your doctor will often call you when results indicate that you are
in your most fertile period so that you can try for a pregnancy at
that time.
If a woman knows she has a short menstrual cycle or if there is
indication of early ovulation from previous tests, these hormone
tests may start earlier in the cycle.
Sometimes, part of the series of ovulation tests will include a
test for the presence of progesterone about a week after the likely
date of ovulation, to check that the cycle is proceeding normally
and occasionally laboratories will be asked to check for the
presence of other hormones (e.g. testosterone) to evaluate your
pituitary function and fertility.
Occasionally, as well as a blood sample drawn from your arm by
needle, tests of urine samples every few hours over a 24-hour
period may be requested, because LH levels can vary throughout the
day.
By Fran Molloy, journalist and mum of four