Hormones
and ovulation
The menstrual
cycle and ovulation are regulated by several hormones including
FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone), estrogen, LH (Luteinzing
Hormone), and progesterone. The start of your menstrual period
is the first day of your menstrual cycle. During menstruation
estrogen and progesterone levels decrease causing the lining
of your uterus to shed. Also during the first half of your
cycle FSH levels increase causing several follicles to form.
Each follicle contains an egg. As your cycle continues, only
one follicle will remain. This follicle produces estrogen
and will be the one that produces an egg during ovulation.
Once the egg has matured, LH levels will surge and cause the
egg to burst from the follicle. This is ovulation. An unfertilized
egg only lives for a short time so timing is everything.
How to
use an Ovulation Prediction Kit
You may
use a test strip or a midstream ovulation prediction test.
Both work the same way. With the test strip, you will need
to dip the test strip into a container of urine and keep it
in the urine for several seconds. The midstream test should
be held in your urine stream. The tests normally take about
five minutes to read. There is a control band and a result
band. The control band gives you a color to compare the result
band to. When you test you will detect some LH at any time
during your cycle. That is because you produce LH throughout
your cycle. You are looking for the results to be
darker or the same color as the control band. If
the result band is lighter than the control band you have
not ovulated.
Tips
for using an Ovulation Prediction Kit
You may
want to chart
your basal body temperatures as well as using
an ovulation prediction kit. By looking at previous charts,
you can have an idea of when the best time to use the ovulation
prediction test is.
Test more
than once a day. Because your LH surge happens briefly, you
may want to test twice a day to ensure that you do not miss
seeing your surge.
Test at
the same time each day. It does not matter what time you test
but it is better to not urinate for four hours prior to testing.
Try to be consistent so that you do not miss your LH surge.
Read the manufacturers instructions for best results.
If you
do not see a surge in your LH continue testing every day until
you see a surge.
Have intercourse
within 36 hours of testing positive for your LH surge.
Other
Ovulation Prediction Methods
There
are a few other ovulation prediction methods available.
They are more expensive than the test strips but may
be worth investing in if you have been testing for
several cycles. One method is the saliva
based ferning microscope (available at
early-pregnancy-tests.com).
It predicts ovulation by using your saliva and viewing
samples in the microscope. One nice thing about the
microscope is that it is reusable. Another method
of predicting ovulation is the fertility monitor.
This method is nice for making reading test strips
easy. It is a small electronic monitor that reads
your urine test strips. It evaluates your estrogen
and LH level for you to more accurately predict ovulation.
The Clear
Blue Easy fertility monitor is available
at early-pregnancy-tests.com.
