How to Use Ovulation Test Strips?

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Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting..

Ovulation Test Strips

If you are planning for a pregnancy, tracking your ovulation is one of the important aspects. Ovulation is the process where the mature egg gets released from the ovary. Given the right conditions and the availability of healthy sperm, fertilisation happens which results in pregnancy. So how can you track your ovulation? You can take the help of ovulation test strips. In this article, we explain what they are and how to use ovulation test strips.

You will normally get these test strips as ovulation predictor kits or OPKs, these strips can help you to find when you are ovulating and then your chances of conceiving are more. With ovulation test strips you can test your urine sample at home and confirm when you are ovulating and plan accordingly. The best part about these strips is that they are very discreet and ensure complete privacy when tracking your fertility cycles.

In This Article

How Do These Ovulation Strips Work?
When Will You Ovulate After Getting a Positive Ovulation Test?
What Time of Day Should You Perform the Ovulation Test?
Steps to do an Ovulation Test in a Correct Way

How Do These Ovulation Strips Work?

These pregnancy test strips or OPKs are very easy-to-use and show you the results in just a couple of minutes. These strips detect your luteinizing hormone (LH) hormone and tell you your most fertile days of the month very accurately. So what does measuring LH mean? LH makes your body release the egg every month and this process is called ovulation. If you get a positive result on your strip, it means that you will be ovulating within the next couple of days. The test line on the strip should be of the same intensity or of a darker shade than of the test control band. However, in case the LH hasn’t been released, your test line will be of a lighter shade as compared to the other line.

Remember, that the LH surge is a brief period. So if you want to detect the LH surge, you need to perform the test at the right time and also the correct time of the day. Yes, time of the day is important as well. LH is only produced by your body in the morning, mid-afternoon is considered the ideal time to test. Your peak fertility is almost after 36 hours of your LH surge – so make a note of it and plan accordingly.

When Will You Ovulate After Getting a Positive Ovulation Test?

Ovulation happens usually between 12 to 36 hours after you get a positive ovulation test result. The surge typically lasts for a couple of days and you must perform a test daily without fail. In fact testing twice a day is a better idea – do it once in the morning and then in the afternoon; this will help you to get sure shot results and find where are you in the surge.

[Read : Best ovulation period for pregnancy]

What Time of Day Should You Perform the Ovulation Test?

The time of the day varies depending on the brand of test. Some tests are to be done with your first morning urine sample, and some other tests are to be done with the afternoon urine sample. So, just follow the instructions given on your test and do it on the time mentioned. But scientifically, LH surge happens in the morning; however, it could take a few hours when this hormone appears in the urine. That is the reason many ovulation test brands are to be done in the afternoon. You should also remember that some women may have an LH surge lasting for a few days, and some other might have a surge lasting only for a few hours. Hence, it’s advisable to test twice in a day to make sure the results are captured properly.

[Read : BBT (Basal Body Temperature) Chart]

Steps to do an Ovulation Test in a Correct Way

ovulation strip tested on urine

Simply follow the instructions mentioned on the OPK package.
Do not drink too many liquids before performing the test.
Do not urinate for at least 3 to 4 hours before doing the test.
Test should be taken at the same time every day.
Chart your temperature using a basal thermometer every day.

The good news is that if you use an OPK in a correct manner, then you have high chances (of about 97%) that you will detect your ovulation as per your LH surge. With these kits, which are simple to use and reasonable too, you can detect your LH surge and hence the ovulation. But there are a few exceptions to this. If any fertility drugs are there in your body, then the OPK wouldn’t show proper results. It also doesn’t guarantee success if you are above 40. So remember these points and use these handy test strips to find when you are ovulating.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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