Shh..The quick and easy tool Laura is looking for is an Ovulation Predictor Kit (OPK).
Laura stopped using birth control over a year ago, knowing that she and her partner wanted to have a baby. She didn’t really think much about trying, as she had spent her entire fertile life trying not to get pregnant. She just assumed it would happen.
She was struck by how strange it seemed to go from avoiding something like the plague, to wanting it. Like it had been something contagious that you did not want to catch.
Well, even after being passionately reckless she has not caught it, and is now beginning to wonder why not. Where should she even start? She just wants a quick and easy way to know the best time to get pregnant.
What she needs is an ovulation predictor kit.
How Does an Ovulation Predictor Kit Work?
- an ovulation predictor kit measures a hormone
- an ovulation predictor kit helps you identify your most fertile days
- an ovulation predictor kit is simple to use
Measures a hormone
Not all women have regular cycles, nor even understand how their cycle works. This tool can help you accurately identify your approaching fertility. This is fantastic because it gives you warning of your fertile days when you should make love! The most common type of kit works by measuring Luteinizing Hormone (LH). This is known as your LH surge, named because this hormone increases (surges) before you ovulate.
What is ovulation? This is when an egg is released from the ovary. This is when you are fertile!
Once your OPK test is positive, you will ovulate within 24-36 hours. This is the best time to conceive. Have intercourse as soon as you get a positive test result.
Identifies your most fertile days
Begin using the kit before you expect to ovulate so you don’t miss your most fertile days. How do you know when to start checking?
Ovulation occurs 14 days before your next menstrual cycle. Take the length of your shortest cycle and subtract 14 days. This would be the earliest day you are likely to ovulate. Once you know this number, subtract 3 more days to make absolutely sure you do not miss your LH surge.
If your shortest cycle was 24 days, you begin using your ovulation predictor kit on day 7 of your cycle. Remember the first day of your cycle is the day you begin bleeding (not the day you stop bleeding).
Because not every cycle will be this short, you will want to continue testing until you get your positive result, even if it takes longer than you expect.
However, many must be read carefully, as a positive result occurs when the line is as dark as the control line. It is usually not just a simple positive or negative, because LH is present in your urine every day. Read the instructions carefully.
As always, no method is completely foolproof. You can have an LH surge and a positive test result and not ovulate. Always use as many signs of ovulation as possible to increase your odds of finding the best time to conceive. These signs include cervical mucus and saliva ferning.
To Your Vibrant Health!
Veronica Tilden, D.O.
