Ovulation Tests and Other Tools to Track Your Fertility

Want to maximize your chance of getting pregnant? If so, you need to know when your body is at peak fertility. If you’re not sure when your fertility window is open or closed, an at-home ovulation test can help.

“Fertility tests are a simple way to better understand your fertility cycle, so you can increase your odds of pregnancy,” says Melissa Mesenburg, board-certified family nurse practitioner with Beaufort Memorial Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists. “These tests are relatively inexpensive, and they can be used in the comfort of your own home.”

Learn how fertility tracking can empower you along your pregnancy journey and how ovulation tests can help.

Read More: Request an Appointment With an OBGYN Today

Why Fertility Tracking Matters

Getting pregnant is a natural process, but it can be challenging. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that nearly 20% of married women of childbearing age in America do not conceive after a full year of trying. Such prolonged difficulty is considered infertility. While pregnancy problems may be due to infertility, timing plays a role as well. 

The typical menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, while the fertility window — the time when you can become pregnant — lasts approximately six of those days. Having unprotected sex during those days is necessary to achieve pregnancy.

By tracking your fertility with an ovulation test or other method, you understand when you’re likely to begin ovulating. You can then engage in sexual intercourse for the greatest likelihood of getting pregnant.

Read More: Does Birth Control Affect Fertility Long-Term?

How Ovulation Tests Work

Ovulation occurs when your ovaries release an egg into the fallopian tube. Once there, the egg has 24 hours to be fertilized. At-home ovulation predictor tests help you know when your body is likely to release an egg.

Completing these tests is simple.

• Urinate on a test strip.
• Wait five minutes for results. (Time for results may vary.)

Luteinizing hormone (LH) tests are a common fertility test with one purpose: identifying an increase in LH. 

“When LH peaks, most women’s ovaries kick into gear and release an egg within the next 24 or 36 hours,” Mesenburg says. “Engaging in sexual intercourse during this LH surge increases the odds of pregnancy.”

Detecting this LH increase can require a few days of testing to predict ovulation. That’s why most ovulation tests come with multiple test sticks. 

To increase the odds of receiving clear results of either, the National Institutes of Health recommend the following tips:

• Pause the pills: Medications that contain estrogen, testosterone or progesterone can affect your LH levels. Talk with your women’s health provider about stopping any medication containing these hormones when attempting to get pregnant.
• Watch the water: Drinking lots of fluids in the hours before testing can dilute your urine and make it more difficult to detect rising LH levels. Avoid drinking too much for more accurate results.

LH isn’t the only hormone detected by ovulation tests. Other at-home tests look for estrone-3-glucuronide (E3G). Like LH, E3G amounts spike with ovulation. Testing for this hormone follows the same process.

Read More: Factors of a High-Risk Pregnancy

Pros and Cons of Fertility Tests

At-home ovulation tests are popular, partially due to the major benefits they offer. In addition to being easy to use and inexpensive, they’re accurate. According to the Food and Drug Administration, at-home ovulation tests accurately detect increased LH or E3G nearly 90% of the time. However, these easy-to-use tests aren’t always as accurate and useful as desired. 

Your test results may not be accurate due to the following:

• False positives: Occasionally, a fertility test indicates a rise in LH or E3G when your levels remain low. Such inaccurate positive results can cause additional frustration along your journey to conceive.
• Limited information: Rising LH or E3G levels only indicate that ovulation is likely to happen soon. These increased hormone levels cannot guarantee pregnancy or rule out potential infertility issues.
• User error: Make a mistake when taking the test, and you may get inaccurate results. For precise, clear results, read the instructions that come with your test and follow them closely.

Read More: Your Pregnancy Journey: Rules of the Road

Additional Ovulation Tracking Tools

Many women track ovulation and fertility without at-home ovulation tests. You can, too. A few ways to know when sex is most likely to result in pregnancy include: 

• Basal body temperature: Your basal body temperature is the lowest temperature your body reaches every day. You reach this temperature first thing each morning. To use basal body temperature to identify fertile days, take your temperature every day right when you wake up. When you notice an increase of 0.5–1˚ F, you’re ovulating. Fever, stress, birth control pills and alcohol consumption can affect your basal body temperature and decrease the accuracy of this fertility tracking technique.
• Calendar method: Your menstrual cycle is uniquely yours, but it can help you estimate when you’ll ovulate. All you need is a calendar and a pen. After tracking your cycle length for a few months, you should be able to predict when your next period will start. Ovulation begins approximately two weeks before that date. Having unprotected sex during the five days leading to ovulation helps position you for pregnancy.
• Cervical mucus monitoring: As you move through your monthly cycle, your body produces mucus in the vagina. When the mucus becomes slippery and clear, you’re at maximum fertility. Intercourse at this time may lead to pregnancy.

In today's digital age, ovulation tracking apps have helped women looking to understand their fertility patterns. Many of these fertility tools integrate methods like the calendar method, basal body temperature and cervical mucus observation, making it convenient to log symptoms on the go. For those using smartwatches, tracking basal body temperature can become easier. 

While these apps offer decent accuracy and insights into fertile windows, a dedicated at-home ovulation test typically provides more reliable results. 

Overall, the convenience and user-friendly nature of these apps (combined with more effective tracking methods) empower you to take charge of your reproductive health.

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When the Results Don’t End With Pregnancy

No matter what type of ovulation test you rely upon, it can’t detect the cause of infertility. Only medical experts can do that.

If you don’t get pregnant after 12 months of trying, contact your primary care provider. Testing can help determine the root of your infertility. You can then work with your care team to develop an infertility treatment plan. Soon, you may move past infertility and achieve pregnancy.

“Research has found that infertility rates are on the rise across the globe,” Mesenburg says. “The good news is that we have a growing number of treatment methods that can help couples manage infertility and ultimately need prenatal care. I encourage anyone struggling with infertility to consult their health provider to learn what options they have.”

Are you pregnant or trying to become pregnant? Request an appointment with a Beaufort Memorial OBGYN today.