Ovulation kit
July 29, 2007 9:44 PM Subscribe
Can someone recommend me a good ovulation kit for detecting LH surge...I am in U.S.A.
Seconding aacheson re: the Weschler book, although my basal temp looked like an alpine mountain range month after month, so it didn't end up being tactically helpful, I learned a lot.
The brand of kit doesn't seem to matter much, as long as you pick one and stick to it! Also, be aware that if your cycle is wonky, a mere seven tests may not cut it. By accident, I discovered that I had been quitting testing way too soon for several months, and that my LH surge was actually a week later than the general norm. So keep at it - and good luck.
posted by nkknkk at 6:47 AM on July 30, 2007
The brand of kit doesn't seem to matter much, as long as you pick one and stick to it! Also, be aware that if your cycle is wonky, a mere seven tests may not cut it. By accident, I discovered that I had been quitting testing way too soon for several months, and that my LH surge was actually a week later than the general norm. So keep at it - and good luck.
posted by nkknkk at 6:47 AM on July 30, 2007
I've been pleased so far with the strips from Answer, you can get them at CVS and plenty of other places. They come in a pack of 20, unlike most others which come in packs of 7 or so for around the same price. That means that you can really test all month if you want. I have a feeling they're more fiddly and a little less fancy than other brands - just a thin cardboard strip and a little cup to pee in, but I think they work by exactly the same method. No proof of their success yet, but they seem to show different results at the expected times. I also second the advice about learning about other cues, even if you don't get way into temperature monitoring and stuff, it's helpful to have a basic idea.
posted by crabintheocean at 7:09 AM on July 30, 2007
posted by crabintheocean at 7:09 AM on July 30, 2007
Some kits don't work for some women. I've heard a fertility expert say she thinks some day kits will be marketed for different age groups. First Response, as another poster suggested, was mentioned for women 38 and older.
I'm 36 and have found ClearBlue's analog tests to work well for me; they have always predicted my LH surge reliably. I cannot say the same for either OvuQuick or the ClearBlue Easy fertility monitor; both told me my fertility was low on the day I got pregnant.
Also, make sure you're testing multiple times a day. I've often had a negative test at 6 am and a positive one at 11 am.
posted by stonefruit at 8:53 AM on July 30, 2007
I'm 36 and have found ClearBlue's analog tests to work well for me; they have always predicted my LH surge reliably. I cannot say the same for either OvuQuick or the ClearBlue Easy fertility monitor; both told me my fertility was low on the day I got pregnant.
Also, make sure you're testing multiple times a day. I've often had a negative test at 6 am and a positive one at 11 am.
posted by stonefruit at 8:53 AM on July 30, 2007
I used ovulation prediction kits as my only way to spot ovulation and got pregnant twice, each time the first month of trying, at ages 34 and 37. I used totally generic no-name kits from this place, and they were fine.
Seconding patience...with my second try, I was about to give up for the month, thinking I must have missed my surge or the kits were no good, on cd19 or something like that. The next morning, on a whim, I tested "just to prove to myself that I'd really missed it," and there it was!
posted by not that girl at 9:31 AM on July 30, 2007
Seconding patience...with my second try, I was about to give up for the month, thinking I must have missed my surge or the kits were no good, on cd19 or something like that. The next morning, on a whim, I tested "just to prove to myself that I'd really missed it," and there it was!
posted by not that girl at 9:31 AM on July 30, 2007
it's not just vaginal discharge -- saliva changes too when you're ovulating.
a friend of mine had a pretty awesome and simple kit where you lick the little pocket microsocope and then see how your saliva dries. if you get ferny patterns in the dried spit, you're ovulating. or, something like that -- i'm no longer equipped for that option so i forget the details. i'll ask around and report back.
posted by rmd1023 at 10:00 AM on July 30, 2007
a friend of mine had a pretty awesome and simple kit where you lick the little pocket microsocope and then see how your saliva dries. if you get ferny patterns in the dried spit, you're ovulating. or, something like that -- i'm no longer equipped for that option so i forget the details. i'll ask around and report back.
posted by rmd1023 at 10:00 AM on July 30, 2007
seconding the pocket microscope, it worked great for me but took some practice. First Responses were used to confirm.
posted by pomegranate at 10:52 AM on July 30, 2007
posted by pomegranate at 10:52 AM on July 30, 2007
nthing Weschler book technique to plot your own data- more reliable than tech (or can be used with tech to max your results). Good luck!
posted by kch at 7:55 PM on July 30, 2007
posted by kch at 7:55 PM on July 30, 2007
I read (I think in the New Lesbian Guide to Conception..., which I recommend to lesbians and non lesbians alike) that LH levels usually peak around 2pm, so that's the best time to test. Good luck!
posted by crabintheocean at 10:58 PM on July 31, 2007
posted by crabintheocean at 10:58 PM on July 31, 2007
I'm sure this is too late - but I bought cheapo OPKs from saveontests.com - and now I'm 15 weeks pregnant with triplets, so I sorta trust them. Ha!
That said - I also charted my temps using TCOYF.
Aaaand - saveontests.com sells those saliva microscopes.
posted by pyjammy at 1:55 PM on August 1, 2007
That said - I also charted my temps using TCOYF.
Aaaand - saveontests.com sells those saliva microscopes.
posted by pyjammy at 1:55 PM on August 1, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
However, theres a book called "Taking charge of your fertility" by Toni Weschler, that is much more useful. It shows how looking at vaginal discharge will show you EXACTLY when a woman is ovulating. Now I know, its easy to tell. It's very enlightening.
posted by aacheson at 6:33 AM on July 30, 2007