BLOG: How To Use Ovulation Test Strips

By Elizabeth Dunn
Newborn baby

When I was trying to get pregnant, I used ovulation test strips to help me find my fertile days. Unlike temperature charting, which tells you that you have ovulated, an ovulation test predicts ovulation so you know when you will be fertile. Since an unfertilized egg has a short lifespan, knowing when you will ovulate can greatly increase the odds you will get pregnant.

There are two types of ovulation tests: test strips that you dip in urine and midstream tests that work similar to a pregnancy test. Most home kits give results in less than 5 minutes. Similar to a pregnancy test, there is a control line to let you know the test worked properly. The control line also gives you the baseline color to interpret the test results.

The test works by detecting and measuring luteinizing hormone (LH). This is the hormone that causes your body to release the egg each month, which is more commonly known as ovulation. Your body produces a small amount of LP during your cycle, but your body produces a much higher amount halfway through your cycle. A positive results means you will ovulate in the next three days.

To read ovulation test strips, the test line will be the same intensity or a darker shade than the test control band. This means you will ovulate in the next three days, but it does not necessarily mean you have ovulated. If your body has not released its surge of LH for the cycle, the test line will be a lighter shade than the other line.

By using ovulation tests and charting my temperature, I was able to not only predict ovulation but also tell when ovulation was over. Using both of these methods helped me to get pregnant in just three months. Now, our family is complete.

What do you swear by to get pregnant faster?