How to Use an Ovulation Predictor Kit

An egg lives in a woman's body for only about 24 hours - so pinpointing when you're ovulating can improve your chances of conceiving.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ovulation Predictor Kits

1. Buy an ovulation predictor kit at a pharmacy, grocery store or Web site. Look for the easier-to-use kind that has test sticks (like you'd find in a pregnancy test) rather than one with a cup and dropper.

2. Choose the kit with the most sticks for your dollar. They usually have between five and nine.

3. Follow the instructions carefully to keep your results accurate. The test detects luteinizing hormone in your urine - a hormone that increases 24 to 36 hours before ovulation.

4. Start testing on day 11 of your menstrual cycle if your cycle is 28 days. You probably ovulate between day 12 and day 16.

5. Keep testing each day until you detect the hormone surge.

6. Have sex within 36 hours of the time your test shows an increase - that's your best bet for conception.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the test at the same time each day, and avoid drinking water in the hours before you test.
• If your cycle is extra long, you might need more than one test kit per month.
• This is not a surefire method: Sometimes luteinizing hormone surges but you don't ovulate. There can also be a false rise in the hormone's level prior to the one that comes before ovulation.
• Kits are expensive - between $20 and $50 per cycle.
• Some medical conditions, including polycystic ovarian syndrome, can interfere with your results. See your doctor if you have particular worries or concerns.

Resources

• Ovulation Calendar

[Cell]

on 7/6/2008 My ovulation test kit shows positive result. Is it possible to have cervical muscus a week later? If yes, does it mean my test kit was giving wrong result?

[gabev209]

on 6/9/2008 I wonder what would happen if you didn't lay down after sex, what if you went out for a jog or just jumped up and down really hard. Would that you to not get pregnant?

on 11/22/2005 Lay down after sex and do the pillow under the butt it works. Don't get up and walk around just let nature do it's thing. It really works, it did for me and I have 4 kids.