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The Power of Prediction
How Ovulation Tests Can Help You Conceive
By Gwen Morrison
The test can also be affected by how concentrated the urine is due to factors such as dehydration or first morning urine. It can also be affected by certain medical conditions that may cause a woman to have higher levels of LH at all times.
The saliva testers work by having women smear some saliva on a glass slide each day and then observe it through a hand-held microscope, Dr. Morris says. "In a woman who normally develops eggs each month, the slides should develop ferning as the estrogen levels rise and get close to the time when ovulation should occur," he says. "The advantage of this system is that it is easy to use, no messing with urine, and the development of ferns is a gradual process, which allows a woman advance warning that ovulation may be getting close."
Dr. Morris indicates that the disadvantage to the saliva testers are that they don't actually predict ovulation, but instead demonstrate that the estrogen levels have increased and that the woman may therefore be close to the time of ovulation. "Anything that increases the estrogen levels, such as cysts, hormones and fertility medications may cause ferning when ovulation is not imminent," he says.
Dr. Morris maintains that currently there isn't any data that indicates that ovulation predictor kits actually help couples achieve pregnancy more easily than having periodic intercourse. "If you have menstrual cycles that last 26 to 35 days, and you have intercourse every other day from day 13 through 21, you will be just as likely to get pregnant as you would with an ovulation predictor kit," he says.
If you were unsure whether you are ovulating, Dr. Morris says it would be wise to use a kit once or twice to confirm ovulation in order to obtain pregnancy. He explains that if you are trying to get pregnant with a method that requires very accurate timing of sperm placement in the uterus, the ovulation kit can be very helpful.
