Pregnancy
Ovulation Test

Planning Pregnancy through an Ovulation Test

A positive result on an ovulation test means that an LH Surge has occurred as interpreted by the intensity of test colour band on the strip. This means that the chances of the woman becoming fertile over the next 3 days are very high. Peak fertility will be the highest at 36 hours after the LH Surge.

ovulation test takes advantage of this to effectively predict the ovulation period or most fertile time for a woman. Infertility is one the rise in modern times or perhaps, statistics are more readily available indicating this fact. Whatever it may be, inability to conceive or go through a full pregnancy is a definite worry to women and couples.

However, the good news is that in several cases, infertility can be minimised by planning sexual relations through proper timing leading to higher chances of conception and pregnancy. The ovulation window in a menstrual cycle is the most fertile time for a woman to get pregnant. Knowing the precise timing of this window can be extremely helpful.

An ovulation test is handy in such cases to assist women in planning pregnancies. A prescription isn't required for an ovulation test kit. It is easily available over the counter. It is simple to operate and comes with clear list of instructions on when to use it and how to interpret results. Importantly, a test is inexpensive and addresses privacy concerns of women who can use these tests at home without requiring to visit the clinic, hospital or Doctor.

These tests are available in 2 formats viz., test strip ovulation test and midstream ovulation test. Fortunately, both are equally effective in terms of the results they generate which take approximately 5 minutes. The test strip ovulation test requires the woman to collect her urine in a container and then immerse the strip into it. In contrast, the midstream ovulation test, the test strip needs to be passed through the stream of urine. The tests have control bands and test bands. The control bands indicate whether the test is working or not. Additionally, they also have a colour band for interpretation of test results. The test band is where the test produces a colour change. This is compared with the colour band of the control colour / intensity baseline to either confirm or negate ovulation results.

Whatever may the test, the critical determinant is LH which stands for Luteinising Hormone. Higher levels of LH may mean that an LH surge has occurred and the time is right for ovulation. This is when women ideally need to plan unprotected sexual relations to maximise the ovulation window and chances for conception and pregnancy. A woman's body always has some levels of LH. However, midway through the menstrual cycle, the levels of LH climb rapidly though this is for a limited time only. This is what is often referred to as the LH Surge.

ovulation test detects this LH Surge by way of anti-LH antibodies present in the testing membrane.

ovulation test takes advantage of this to effectively predict the ovulation period or most fertile time for a woman.