Honolulu: Ovulation Predictor Kits - What You Should Know Before Trying to Conceive

Honolulu,

If you think you know when you ovulate during your cycle, think again. One of the main reasons healthy, fertile women fail to conceive is due to poor timing of intercourse. Ovulation predictor kits are essential when you are trying to conceive because they help to identify your most fertile days. This will greatly increase your chances of becoming pregnant.

Why do I need an ovulation kit?

Most women have been taught that the average length of a woman’s menstrual cycle is 28 days, and that ovulation occurs on day 14. However, cycles can vary greatly, especially for those of us who stop taking birth control pills in order to conceive. You might find that you have much longer or shorter cycles, and ovulation does not necessarily occur halfway through your cycle. Ovulation predictor kits can help you pinpoint when you are about to ovulate, so that you can time intercourse accordingly.

For example, let’s say a woman has a 32-day cycle, and she ovulates on day 20 of that cycle. If she assumed that she ovulated on day 14 and had intercourse around that time, she would be off by 6 days. Keeping in mind that sperm can only survive inside a woman’s body for a maximum of 5 days, this woman would miss her actual ovulation date every time. By using an ovulation predictor kit, she would have identified that her ovulation occurred later than she had been expecting, and she would be able to plan for intercourse at her most fertile time of her cycle.

How do ovulation predictor kits work?

Just before ovulation, your body produces more luteinizing hormone (LH) in order to help the mature ovum release from its protective follicle. Ovulation predictor kits detect this LH “surge” and indicate that you are in your fertile window. When your ovulation test shows a positive result, it means ovulation is likely to occur within 24 to 36 hours. You are most fertile in the 2-3 days before ovulation as well as on the day you ovulate. Many women choose to test twice a day to be sure they do not miss their LH surge, thus increasing their chances of becoming pregnant.

You have a much better chance of becoming pregnant if you can predict when ovulation is likely to occur. However, an LH surge does not guarantee that you will ovulate, and some women experience multiple LH surges throughout the course of their cycles. The only way to tell if you actually ovulated is to track your basal body temperature and look for an increased thermal shift which indicates that ovulation has occurred. Read more about basal temperature charting here.

Source by Melissa M.

Ovulation Predictor Kits - What You Should Know Before Trying to Conceive