Ovulation Test Kit Types

Ovulation Test Positive LH Test An ovulation kit can help you find your most fertile days and boost your chances of getting pregnant naturally. There are two types of ovulation kits: urine and saliva. They both have their pros and cons:

Urine Based Tests

+ They claim 99% accuracy and are usually more accurate than the saliva tests
+ You can get digital versions of these tests
– You must use your wee (urine) for the test which can be messy
– In the long run, they can be more expensive than saliva based tests as you need to keep buying them while you are trying for a baby

Saliva Based Tests

+ They can represent better long-term value for money as they are reusable
+ Some people find using a saliva tests less messy and off-putting than urine kits
– They can be less accurate than urine based tests
– They are not instant as you have to wait for your spit to dry
– They can be more difficult to interpret than urine based tests, especially if you have poor eyesight

How Do Urine Based Ovulation Kits Work?

Hormones of the Menstrual Cycle Small — Hormones of the Menstrual Cycle
(Click to Enlarge)

Urine based kits have strips of card that you can either wee directly onto or you can wee into a cup and dip the card in. This piece of card has chemical which tests for increases in Luteinising Hormone (one of the main hormones that control the reproductive cycle). This hormone increases by more than double its usual amount in your blood roughly one to two days before you ovulate (when the egg is released from the ovary). This is the time when you are most fertile (remember sperm can live for up to five days inside a woman’s body, so sex before and during ovulation increase the chances of becoming pregnant).

How Do Saliva Based Ovulation Kits Work?

Saliva based kits work on the principle that your saliva (your spit) becomes more salty in the days leading up to ovulation. What you do is deposit saliva from your mouth onto a slide and wait for it to dry. When the saliva dries, the salt in it turns into crystals; the more crystals, the more salty your saliva. Using a pocket-sized microscope (provided in the kit) you then compare this to example charts in the kit to see when you are near ovulation and are fertile.

Can Anything Affect the Results?

Most common medications don’t affect the tests, but medications that contain Luteinising Hormone (abbreviated as “LH”) or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (abbreviated as “hCG”) can affect the results. And if you are using a saliva based test, drugs containing Clomid can give false positives. If you are in doubt about a medication’s content, always ask your pharmacist or doctor if they contain these ingredients and if they can affect the test you are using.

NEVER stop taking prescription medication without discussing it first with your doctor.

Do You Have Any Tips on The Use of Ovulation Kits?

When using the urine based tests, once the test has detected you are about to ovulate, you can stop testing for that period of your cycle. This will save you money as you can save any unused tests for the following month should you be unsuccessful conceiving that month.

Always carefully read the instructions of the test you decide to use to make sure you get the best results. You would be surprised at the number of people who complain to me that their test isn’t working, but it turns out they haven’t followed the instructions properly.

Finally, don’t use these tests as a contraceptive. Sperm can live in a woman’s body for up to five days and you can still get pregnant a day after ovulation.