Ovulation tests are used to check whether or not you have been fertile during the last cycle. If your body produces enough eggs, then it means that you are likely to get pregnant soon. However, there is no way of knowing for sure unless you take an ovulation test. OV-test strips work like a time machine; they allow women to monitor their fertility levels over a long period of time.
The first thing you need to do is buy an ovulation test strip. There are many brands available online and at drugstores. You can also order them from medical supply stores such as Walgreens or CVS.
Some of these strips come with a little booklet which contains all the instructions for how to use it properly. Others are sold without any instruction whatsoever, so make sure you read through the instructions carefully before using one!
You can buy ovulation test strips online, but remember that some of them may not always work perfectly. So, it’s best to purchase them from a store where you’re comfortable dealing with. You don’t want to risk buying something that doesn’t work right away because you were worried about getting ripped off!
If you already own an ovulation test strip, then you’ll probably find that its batteries die within a few months of being unused. Always double-check the batteries before using the test strip on your own. If you’re not sure how to use an ovulation test, then here are some step-by-step instructions.
In order to use an ovulation test, you should first take your basal temperature. After you’re done with that, it’s time to check your cervical mucus or CM for short. Before you do anything else, wash your hands and then inspect your CM.
Here’s how:
Wash your hands and then inspect the color, texture, and amount of mucus that you produce around the opening of your vulva.
Next, using the strips that come with your test kit, dip it into your CM. Be careful not to let it touch anything else except for your CM!
Look at the test strip after 5 minutes, and compare the color on it with the color chart included in your test kit. If the strip does not get checked after 5 minutes, then that means you need to wait for another 15 minutes before making a judgment on the results.
The majority of ovulation tests include a control line. This line appears as a vertical gray line, and it should always stay on the test strip no matter what. If the control line appears to be any other color than gray, then it means that something’s wrong with your tests kit.
If this happens, then you should throw the entire strip away and buy a new one as soon as you can.
If all of your tests results come out well, then congratulations! You are now ready to increase your chances of getting pregnant. The last thing that you should do is have unprotected sexual contact with your partner around the time before you expect to release an egg from your ovary.
If everything goes well, then you should be able to get pregnant in no time!
Self-Checking For Ovulation
If you don’t want to buy an ovulation test, then there’s another way of tracking your body’s changes during ovulation. This method involves using your fingers to check for CM as well as changes in the texture and color of your vaginal walls. You can also use this technique with or without an ovulation kit.
Either way, you’ll get excellent results!
In order to practice this technique, you’ll need to:
Buy a calendar and a pencil
Find a comfortable spot where you can sit or lie down for at least half an hour
A comfortable position is one of the most important things when tracking your ovulation cycle! Once you’re prepared and in your comfort zone, start checking your body for any sign of changes. Here’s how:
Start with inspecting your vaginal opening. Gently part your labia and inspect the area around your vaginal opening.
Are you able to notice any changes in color or texture compared to yesterday? Does it feel any different than usual?
Afterwards, gently insert one or two fingers into your vaginal canal without touching your cervix. Slowly move your fingers around, and note any changes you notice in the color or feel of your vaginal walls.
Do you notice anything different from yesterday?
As you do this, also take note of the level of wetness in your vaginal canal. If your vaginal walls are more sticky or tacky than usual, then this means that an egg might be released soon!
Cold Temperature and Your Chances of Conception
While most doctors these days advise against using a traditional thermometer when tracking your cycle (due to possible false readings), there is a way for you to take your temperature rectally without any hassle.
See, your body’s temperature changes whenever you ovulate. In fact, your body releases a surge of progesterone during this time, which is the reason why you feel colder during that period. This change in temperature affects the entire length of your fallopian tubes, which gets longer by several inches once ovulation starts!
One way for you to take advantage of this change is to use a special thermometer called a basal thermometer. If you’re thinking of getting one, make sure that you get one that’s at least as long as a regular thermometer (4 to 5 inches) so you’ll be able to take an accurate reading.
How does it work?
Well, all you have to do is gently insert the thermometer 1 inch into your rectum first thing in the morning (before you do anything else like going to the bathroom or touching any part of your body). Once the thermometer beeps (or you get a reading), then you’ll need to record the exact reading that you got.
Another important thing that you should keep in mind is taking your temperature as soon as you wake up.
Why?
This is because your basal temperature decreases during the night when you’re asleep. So if you were to take your temperature late in the morning, you might get a lower (yet inaccurate) reading!
Now, if you were to take your temperature regularly (first thing in the morning, before doing anything else), you’ll get a clear picture of the changes happening inside your body. In fact, you’ll be able to track when you’re ovulating with little to no problems!
As for other signs of ovulation, you might experience mild cramps and light bleeding during this time (although this isn’t always the case). If you’re planning on having unprotected vaginal (or even unprotected vaginal) contact with your partner during this time, then it’s best to use extra protection.
In fact, it’s always a good idea to use extra protection during the entirety of your cycle! That way, you won’t have to worry about any unwanted surprises!
Supplementing With Fertility Supplements
So you’ve been tracking your temperature and there still doesn’t seem to be a clear change?
If this is the case, then you might want to try using fertility supplements to help out.
Most doctors don’t readily recommend taking these everyday supplements because (in most cases) women can naturally get pregnant without them. However, some people have lower quality eggs, thinner lining on their uterus, or just find it difficult to get pregnant in general. If you happen to be in this category, then taking a good supplement should help out!
The type of fertility supplement that you should take depends on what your situation is. For example, if you’re a smoker and you’re having trouble getting pregnant, then you might want to take FertilAid for Women. This particular supplement is formulated to help smokers improve the quality of their eggs, help prevent miscarriages, and it can also help protect against birth defects.
Sources & references used in this article:
A feasibility study of women’s confidence and comfort in use of a kit to monitor ovulation by AB Ayoola, D Slager, C Feenstra… – Journal of Midwifery & …, 2015 – Wiley Online Library
Ovulation: Achieve and Conceive? by A Scholten – excelahealth.org
Fertility Supplements by CD Meletis – fairhavenhealth.com
Staining traditional colloidal gold test strips with Pt nanoshell enables quantitative point-of-care testing with simple and portable pressure meter readout by D Huang, B Lin, Y Song, Z Guan, J Cheng… – … applied materials & …, 2018 – ACS Publications
Promises and pitfalls of home test devices by R Kisabeth, CA Pontius, BE Statland, C Galper – Patient Care, 1997 – go.gale.com
Pilot Evaluation of a New Urine Progesterone Test to Confirm Ovulation in Women Using a Fertility Monitor by TP Bouchard, RJ Fehring, M Schneider – Frontiers in public health, 2019 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Technologies of time: women’s practices of trying to conceive with ovulation biosensing by J Wilkinson – Sociology of Health & Illness, 2020 – Wiley Online Library