While planning a baby might seem easy for some people, catching the brief fertile window is tricky. For those who want to expand their family, every month without a positive pregnancy test seems torture. In this article, we’ll focus on how to read ovulation test strips, their benefits, and the science behind them.
Remember that you don’t need to be planning on having a baby to use the ovulation test strips. It’s also a great way to keep track of your fertility for health reasons or to understand your menstrual cycle. Keep in mind not everyone’s cycle is the same. So, if you’re ready, read the article below to find all there is to know about reading ovulation test strips.
How to Read Ovulation Test Strips
The most common test strips include two separate lines. The control line ensures the test is working properly, while the other is the test line. Therefore, if the test line is darker than the control line, you’re about to ovulate.
Remember that a positive ovulation test doesn’t always mean you will ovulate in the next few hours. You’re looking for the peak in your luteinizing hormone (LH), which appears as the last, darkest test line. This indicates that ovulation will occur 24-36 hours later.
If the test line appears lighter, there are low levels of LH in your body. Therefore, it’s almost certain that you’re not ovulating yet.
Remember that hormonal birth controls like pills or implants may influence the test results. This also applies to some medical conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Don’t get alarmed if you go through your ovulation test strips but don’t get a result indicating ovulation. It may just mean that you’ve either started testing too early or late in your cycle.
How do they work
The ovulation period usually occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. However, every woman’s cycle may vary. An ovulation test is the best way to ensure you’re in the fertile window.
Ovulation tests are based on hormonal shifts across the natural menstrual cycles. During these periods, there are peaks in the luteinizing hormone (LH). To better understand this, below are the body’s stages during ovulation.
When the period begins, the body has low levels of important reproductive hormones. Some of them are the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E2), and the already mentioned LH. Around two weeks after the period starts, the dominant follicle, containing the egg that will eventually get released, starts to develop.
You should know that LH surges can be either gradual or rapid. When they’re gradual, the LH levels rise over a few days. On the other hand, when they are rapid, the LH levels are known to fluctuate during the same day of your cycle.
Remember that it’s more likely to ovulate later than average if your cycles are longer. It logically follows that you might ovulate earlier than average if your cycles are shorter.
Read more: How to Measure for Flange Size
Things to Consider Before Reading the Test Strips
It might get quite confusing to understand when your fertile window is if you’re new to testing. Moreover, you need to know some things that may affect the results before you learn how to read ovulation test strips.
First, you should start tracking your LH levels right after the last day of your period. With this, you make sure you don’t miss your LH surge.
The LH levels also tend to be highest from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Due to that fact, in the beginning, you should consider testing twice a day between that timeframe.
Once you know your pattern, it’s easier to define how often you should take the test. For example, if your LH surge typically lasts longer than one day, you should probably take the test only once. However, you should do it twice if it’s less than one day.
While different brands may have different instructions for urine handling, they most often require dipping the test’s absorbent tip into a cup of urine. It’s most efficient when you do it up to the black line, usually marked with “max”. You should be patient and keep the tip in urine until the dye rises into the results window.
Different Types of Test Strips
Ovulation test kits come in different types, from several paper test strips to ones that often resemble a pregnancy test. If it’s a pregnancy-test-like version, it’s most commonly required to urinate on the extended tip. However, when it comes to test strips, you urinate in a cup and then carefully dip it in the urine.
There are also tests with a digital display. These types of tests show a design on the screen indicating whether you’ve entered your fertile window.
You should also know about subtle variations in how different tests work. That’s why we always endorse reading the instructions of the specific ovulation kit you’re about to try if there are any available.
Also read: How to Sleep With a Pregnancy Pillow
Conclusion
Whether you’re trying to conceive or want to learn how to keep track of your ovulation period, the best way to go about it is through the ovulation test strips. As we mentioned, it might get confusing if you’re new to testing. That’s precisely why this article is dedicated to teaching you all there is to know about how to read ovulation test strips.
Remember to do the test correctly and have sex if you’re trying to conceive during the indicated period. Just follow the advice about taking the tests and don’t lose hope. It might take some time before you clearly understand your cycle.
Last but not least, always remember the last darkest line in one cycle signifies your LH peak. Thus, your ovulations are about to begin. So, we hope this article helps answer all the questions you have!
