Many women opt for certain processes or “tactics” when they are planning a pregnancy, this is especially so for those who have a problem or difficulty in getting pregnant.
An example of this is to monitor the fertile period and ovulation, since when the woman is ovulating the chances of becoming pregnant are greater.
For this, one of the resources is to carry out an ovulation test . Check and understand better:
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What is an ovulation test and how to do it?
The ovulation test has a similar appearance to the pregnancy test and its form of action is also similar. In the case of pharmacy tests aimed at finding out about pregnancy, the level of the hormone estrogen is measured. In the case of ovulation tests, the objective is to measure the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH).
As the name suggests, these tests aim to identify ovulation. What happens is the following: the levels of the LH hormone generally increase 2 days before the woman ovulates.
Then, when doing an ovulation test, the release of eggs from the uterus is identified in advance – a favorable time to have sexual intercourse with the aim of becoming pregnant.
To do this testing at a more assertive time, it is ideal to know the length of your menstrual cycle. This, since the date of ovulation varies according to the day of the last menstruation and the total cycle time (usually lasts 28 days, but can vary between 21 and 35 days).
The way to use ovulation tests is quite simple, just like pregnancy tests at the pharmacy: just urinate on the reagent strip (or put it in a collection cup with urine). The result comes out in a few minutes.
It is recommended to avoid doing the test with the first urine of the day, giving preference to the test between the hours of 10:00 am and 8:00 pm, as there is greater hormonal stability. Remembering that, when repeating the test, it should be done at the same time as the previous day.
It is also possible to avoid drinking liquid 2 hours before, so that the excess water does not dilute the urine, affecting the concentration of the hormone and, consequently, the test result.
What is the use of knowing when ovulation occurs?
Ovulation corresponds to the period in which estrogen levels increase, in order to induce the production of luteinizing hormone (LH). This is responsible for stimulating the ovary to release an egg.
Therefore, considering the fact that it is only possible to become pregnant when a sperm fertilizes the egg, knowing when ovulation occurs can favor this process. That is, having sex during this period increases the chances that the woman will become pregnant.
It is worth noting that ovulation occurs, on average, around the 14th day of the menstrual cycle (counting from the 1st day of menstruation). At this point, it is common for some symptoms to appear, such as the release of vaginal mucus (color and consistency similar to egg white).
Still, it is interesting to know that from the moment the egg is released by the ovary, it survives only for 24 hours. This being the time for it to be fertilized or not.
In return, sperm can survive for up to 5 days inside the woman’s body. With this, it is possible that the woman becomes pregnant even though she has intercourse before the egg is released, since sperm may still be active in her body.
Thus, knowing when ovulation occurs allows for planned intercourse, either before or during the egg release period. For this reason, some women use ovulation tests in order to detect changes in LH hormone levels in advance.
When to start the ovulation test?
The ovulation test can be done a few days (3 to 5) before ovulation. However, it is necessary to consider that each menstrual cycle has its own time, that is, there is not a standard cycle for all women – some last longer, others less.
So, the first step is to understand how your menstrual cycle works and how often.
For example, for women with a 28-day cycle, it is recommended to start testing from the 11th day (that is, 10 days after the first day of menstruation). This is because the period of ovulation tends to occur between the 11th and the 17th day.
For women who have a cycle of 31 days, you can start the ovulation test from the 14th day, which corresponds to 13 days after the first day of menstruation.
However, it must be kept in mind that the regularity of the menstrual cycle can also change due to external factors. For example, due to the use of certain medications, emotional issues (such as stress ) and hormonal changes.
Therefore, it is not difficult for the day of ovulation to change from one month to the next. To assist in this control, an alternative is to make use of menstrual cycle control applications.
In these apps , you can fill in relevant information daily to indicate when the next menstruation will occur, possible fertility window and day of ovulation. So that it adapts according to your data, increasing the chance of accuracy.
However, it is worth remembering that they are not 100% accurate, since they are not able to identify changes caused by external factors. So, you need to be aware of these possible issues that can change the regularity of the cycle.
How to do an ovulation test online?
An online test does not allow you to tell whether you are really ovulating, as it is necessary to measure the rates of luteinizing hormone (LH) to pinpoint this information.
However, there are some websites that offer a feature called “ovulation calculator” or even “ovulation test”. In these cases, the idea is to inform when your last menstrual period was and what the regularity of your cycle was (usual length of time).
From that information, this site will tell you when you can start testing to see if you are ovulating. That is, when the real ovulation test should be done.
Therefore, the idea of these platforms is not to indicate whether you are (or not) ovulating, but rather to help you understand the best period to do a test and obtain a reliable result.
Remembering that the first step in understanding the date of ovulation (or the days that come before) is to know your menstrual cycle. In general, women ovulate between the 11th (28-day cycle) and 14th (31-day cycle) cycle – but it varies depending on the duration of each cycle, and may be longer or shorter.
Brands and prices
You can find different brands of ovulation tests and they can be purchased at ordinary pharmacies. And a prescription is not necessary. Usually, they are located next to the pregnancy tests – it is worth paying attention not to buy the wrong one, as the packaging is very similar.
In the sequence, you can understand more about some options and see their respective prices:
Clearblue
The Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test guarantees an accuracy of more than 99% in the detection of the LH hormone in urine. Thus, it serves to attest to the most fertile days of the month, when the woman is about to ovulate (or already ovulating) and is more likely to become pregnant.
In general, this increase in the hormonal rate occurs between 24 and 36 hours before ovulation. So when the test shows a positive result, it means that the next day should be the most fertile – that is, the day on which ovulation will actually occur.
Then, the ovulation test can be done a few days before that period, in order to ensure that the woman knows the day of ovulation more accurately. In fact, there are many who do these tests daily to monitor the cycle more closely – which is not a problem.
In the case of the Clearblue test, the result can be read in 3 minutes: a happy face indicates increased rates of the LH hormone.
To do this, it is quite simple, just pee directly on the strip (for 7 seconds) or collect the urine in a clean and dry container to then immerse the strip (15 seconds).
The price * of the Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test (10 units) is between R $ 78 and R $ 120.
* Prices consulted in November 2020. Prices may change.
Confirmed
Like the others, the Confirm Fertility Ovulation Test aims to measure the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in order to indicate the day of ovulation (the most favorable period for pregnancy).
It has the sensitivity to measure changes in the hormone up to 48 hours prior to ovulation. However, there is no obstacle to testing before this period, especially for women who are not sure about the expected date of ovulation.
It comes with a collection cup for urine, so that it is enough to immerse the tape after making the collection. Then, wait 3 to 5 minutes to get the result: two streaks indicate an increase in the hormonal rate and one streak indicates that there is no change.
About the price * of the Ovulation Test Confirm Fertility (5 units), it can vary between R $ 34 and R $ 80.
* Prices consulted in November 2020. Prices may change.
Needs
The Needs Fertility Test has 99% accuracy to measure changes in the levels of the LH hormone (luteinizing hormone). Thus, it works as an indication that ovulation is close, being the ideal period for women who wish to become pregnant.
According to the brand information, this is possible due to the solid-phase immunochromatography technology, which detects these changes.
This test does not come with a collecting cup, so you can pee directly on the strip or in a container (immersing the strip in the urine). Then, just wait 5 minutes for the result.
If there are 2 lines , it means that there is a change in the LH hormone. If only 1 line appears, there is no evidence of this change, indicating that the woman is not close to ovulation.
Regarding price *, the Needs Fertility Test (5 units) costs around R $ 40.
* Prices consulted in November 2020. Prices may change.
The ovulation test is an ideal tool for women who wish to have “planned intercourse” in order to increase the chances of pregnancy. We hope this article has helped you and clarified your doubts, keep following the Healthy Minute to see more!
