fertility tests

Fertility Tests & Ovulation Predictors

"Fertility Tests come in many shapes and sizes - from handheld microscopes that use saliva samples to traditional urine tests that detect luteinizing hormone..."

Varieties of Fertility Tests (Home Use)

Saliva Ovulation Tests (or Ovulation Microscopes)
Lh Urine Tests (OPKs or Urine Ovulation Test Sticks)
Fertility Monitors
FSH Tests: Follicle Stimulating Hormone Tests
Male Fertility Tests
Pregnancy Tests

Saliva Ovulation Tests: A “personal ovulation microscope” allows you to predict fertility by observing the visual changes that take place in your saliva throughout your cycle. When a woman is about to ovulate, her saliva begins to form a distinct fern-like or crystal pattern (when viewed under a microscope) due to an increase in the level of estrogen present. A strong ferning pattern begins to appear around 3 days prior to ovulation.

Ferning pattern: A positive ovulation microscope result.

With the ovulation microscopes, you simply apply saliva to a slide or lens and wait for the sample to dry. The sample is then viewed through a microscope allowing you to identify the fern-like pattern (present before and during ovulation) and predict ovulation in order to time intercourse.

Urine Ovulation Tests (LH Tests): Ovulation tests 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 means that the woman will most likely become fertile over the next three days - with peak fertility at 36 hours following the LH surge.

The LH surge is brief; in order to detect the LH surge, a woman needs to test at the right time of the month. 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 36 hours after the LH surge (or positive result). 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.

Fertility Monitors: Urine-based fertility monitors work by detecting the levels of key hormones present in urine which can indicate ovulation. The most popular urine-based fertility monitors work by tracking the LH (Luteinizing Hormone) and Estrogen levels in urine through the use of fertility monitor test sticks.

FSH Tests and Infertility Issues:
FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) tests are designed for women in cases where elevated levels of FSH may be associated with infertility. Women experiencing infertility, recently missed periods, annovulation or ovulatory irregularity, hot flashes, etc, can use an FSH test to discover if these symptoms are the result of elevated FSH levels. A follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) test may be done to help find the cause for a couple's inability to become pregnant (infertility). FSH testing is commonly used in infertility clinics to evaluate a woman's egg supply (ovarian reserve) if she is infertile and assist in evaluating menstrual problems, irregular or absent menstrual periods (amenorrhea).

Male Fertility Tests: Sperm concentration is one of the primary factors used by physicians to diagnose male infertility. One common reason is an abnormally low production of sperm cells. Other reasons can be over production of inactive, weak, or deformed sperm cells, high levels of other cells in the semen that interfere with fertilization, or other physiological factors.

Male Fertility Tests works by staining the cells in the sperm sample to produce a color in a pretreated sample well. The intensity of this color is then compared to a pre-calibrated color reference on the test cassette. The color comparison will identify whether the sperm concentration in the test sample is above 20 million/mL (positive test) or below 20 million/mL (negative test). Two test results with sperm concentration less than 20 million/mL could result in an inability to conceive reproductively, and should be confirmed through more extensive clinical analysis.

Pregnancy Tests: HCG pregnancy tests determine pregnancy through the detection of the hormone hCG in a woman's urine. hCG is secreted by the developing placenta shortly after a fertilized egg has implanted in the uterine lining. Early detection pregnancy tests can detect pregnancy at seven to ten days past ovulation. Two lines in the result window of your pregnancy test indicates a positive result. For high sensitivity pregnancy tests, click here.

Pregnancy tests come in two common formats - tests strips and midstream tests. To use a pregnancy test strip, you fill a clean, dry container with urine and hold the test strip in the container for several seconds. With midstream tests, you simply hold the test in your stream of urine (or you can dip the absorbent end into a container of urine). Both test formats are equally reliable - but always read pregnancy test kit instructions carefully.

To use the iBabydust.com Ovulation Calendar, click here.