Ovulation Testing: How Ovulation Predictor Kits Work

Ovulation Tests - or Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs) - allow you to predict, with great accuracy, your most fertile time of the month. Easy to use, ovulation predictor kits can greatly increase your chances of becoming pregnant. To improve ovulation testing results, visit our Ovulation Test FAQ [1] for testing tips. For more information on Ovulation and your Menstrual Cycle [2], click here [2].

Using Ovulation Tests to Predict Fertility

Ovulation is the defined as the separation of a mature ovum from the ovary after a follicle has been formed.

For many women, ovulation takes place midcycle, around cycle day 14. Of course, irregular cycles and countless other factors can contribute to ovulation taking place either earlier or later. That's why we use ovulation tests and chart fertility. In fact, "normal ovulation" can occur as early as day 8 or as late as three weeks into your cycle. When ovulation occurs is a coefficient of menstrual cycle length, so women with long cycles will ovulate later than women with shorter cycles.

To provide a brief overview of ovulation, the growth of an ovum takes place due to the influence of FSH - or follicle stimulating hormone. At ovulation, a surge in lh - or luteinizing hormone - facilitates the separation of egg from follicle. Here, cilia at the end of the fallopian tube move over and brush the ovary to help assist in the release of egg from follicle. For more on how an ovulation test allows you to predict this period of peak fertility, read on!

> How do OPKs work? [3]
> How do I interpret ovulation test results? [4]
> How do I determine when to begin testing? [5]
> Ovulation Testing FAQ [1]
> Fertility Monitor FAQ [6]
> Capturing the Surge [7]: Advanced OPK Suggestions!

Ovulation tests [8] - or ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) - are excellent tools for predicting ovulation, a woman's most fertile time during her menstrual cycle. Unlike BBT charting, ovulation tests anticipate ovulation - not just confirm that ovulation has taken place. Visit Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com to see a photo gallery of positive ovulation test results [9].

Ovulation tests [8]work by detecting luteinizing hormone (LH). Just preceding ovulation, women experience an "LH surge" - a sudden, dramatic, and brief rise in the level of luteinizing hormone. Ovulation tests detect the LH surge, allowing you to accurately predict when you will ovulate. A positive result on an ovulation test [8] means that the woman will most likely become fertile over the next three days - with peak fertility at 36 hours following the LH surge.

How do OPKs Work? Luteinizing Hormone and Ovulation
How do ovulation tests work? At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, the body begins to produce follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH facilitates the formation of a follicle on one of the ovaries. The follicle contains and nurtures the egg. When a follicle has adequately matured, a surge of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) causes the follicle to burst and release the egg into the fallopian tube - the moment of ovulation.

Throughout the menstrual cycle, a small amount of LH is produced - but during the middle of the cycle LH briefly and dramatically increases. Elevated quantities of luteinizing hormone facilitate ovulation - and OPKs detect this LH surge through anti-LH antibodies contained in the sensitive testing membrane of the test.

The LH surge is, alas, very brief - and in order to detect the LH surge, a woman needs to test at the right time of the month - and the right time of day. As LH is produced by the body in the morning, mid-afternoon is considered the ideal time to test.

Once the LH surge has been detected, successful fertilization is most likely to take place one to three days following the LH surge - with peak fertility at 36 hours post-LH surge. Since this ovulation "window" only opens once per month (and the unfertilized egg has a short 24-hour life-span) predicting ovulation accurately is very helpful when trying to become pregnant. Below, you will find information on getting the most out of your ovulation tests (and visit our Ovulation Test FAQ [1] for more testing tips).

Using OPKs and Interpreting Ovulation Test Results

Ovulation tests come in two formats: test strips [10] and midstream tests [11]. To use the ovulation test strip [10], you fill a container with urine and hold the test strip in the container for several seconds. With midstream tests, you hold the test in your stream of urine. Both test formats are equally reliable. Always read ovulation test kit instructions carefully.

With most home ovulation testing products [10], the "reaction time" of the test is five minutes. At five minutes, you can interpret the tests. All tests have a "control" color band (or color line) that indicates whether the test is working or not. Also, the control band provides a color/intensity baseline by which to interpret the "test" band results. The "test" color band indicates a positive or negative result (please refer to the graphic below).

A positive result (indicating an LH Surge) is indicated by a test band that is of equal or greater intensity (equal or darker) than the control band. A negative result for the LH Surge is indicated when the test band is of lesser intensity (lighter) than the control band or cannot be seen. A negative result means the LH level of the urine sample is at or near its normal level and that the LH surge is not in progress. Remember, there is always some quantity of LH in your system, so a light color band in the test region is NOT an indicator of a positive result.

How do I Determine when to Begin Testing?

To determine when to start testing, you must first do a little calculating. Use the Cycle Chart below to figure out when to begin testing for your LH surge [8].

First, determine the average length of your menstrual cycle. The length of the menstrual cycle is the number of days from the first day of menstrual bleeding to the day before bleeding begins on the next period. Determine the usual length of the menstrual cycle over the last few months. Then, refer to the Cycle Chart to determine on which day of the menstrual cycle to begin testing.

Your Cycle Length	Day to Begin Testing
21 days	Day 5
22 days	Day 6
23 days	Day 7
24 days	Day 8
25 days	Day 9
26 days	Day 10
27 days	Day 11
28 days	Day 12
29 days	Day 13
30 days	Day 14
31 days	Day 15
32 days	Day 16
33 days	Day 17
34 days	Day 18
35 days	Day 19
36 days	Day 20
37 days	Day 21
38 days	Day 22
39 days	Day 23