About 24-36 hours before ovulation, a rise in luteinizing hormone (LH) lets the ovary know to release an egg to be fertilized. If you can detect that rise in LH with an ovulation test, you can get greater insight into when you’re ovulating. And if you log this info with Ovia, it can help us make better predictions about your cycle – including when you’re most fertile.
What is an ovulation test and why should I track it?
Your body has a few ways of indicating when you’re ovulating, including cervical fluid consistency and basal body temperature, but it can take some time to recognize and understand these indicators. Taking an ovulation test can be a simpler way to know whether or not you are fertile, though it does involve buying a test and peeing with some precision.
Ovulation will generally occur within 48 hours of the first possible positive ovulation test, so if you get a positive test, you’re either ovulating or will be soon. However, a negative test cannot communicate whether ovulation has passed or just isn’t close enough yet, so ovulation tests are best used in addition with other indicators to get the best idea of when you’re ovulating.
What does an ovulation test look for?
Ovulation is the result of a series of hormonal interactions that eventually instruct an egg to break from its follicle and move into the fallopian tube. One of these hormones, LH, surges about 24 to 36 hours before ovulation, and it remains at an elevated level until the fertile window is closed. Because ovulation tests search for the elevated presence of luteinizing hormone, a positive result indicates that you are more than likely in your fertile window, meaning either currently or very-soon-to-be ovulating.
How do you take an ovulation test?
Most ovulation tests search for the elevated presence of LH in urine, so the test must come into contact with your urine, either by peeing in a cup or peeing directly on the test. Results usually take about 10 minutes to display. Because the fertile window after the LH surge lasts only a few days at most, it’s important to test frequently as ovulation approaches. Many suggest the early afternoon as the best time to take an ovulation test, and it’s important to take the test around the same time every day. Setting a reminder on your phone can help keep your test times consistent and your tests accurate.
