I think it’s probably assumed, but since I haven’t actually stated it, I am not a doctor. Your fertility journey is best directed by your doctor/midwife/ob-gyn and your unique personal conditions. Any posts I make regarding possible aids/tests/supplements are to be taken as a point in which to start your own research and to spark the conversation with your medical specialist….

Welcome to part two of the joys (and frustrations) of monitoring your fertility:

We’ve already covered the cheap and free ways of checking on the progress of your day to day fertility, now we’re starting to get a little more expensive.

Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPK’s): OPK’s work by detecting the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) surge in your urine. The LH is the body’s chemical that signals to the ovary that it’s time to release the egg. While it’s important to follow each specific brand’s unique instructions, the general procedure is to test urine at least once daily. The majority of OPK’s require that you do not test with first morning urine (FMU) as LH isn’t produced until later in the day.

Unlike with a Home Pregnancy Test (HPT), the theory that a line is a positive is not true for OPKs. The key to reading an opk is to look for a test line that is as dark (or darker) than the control line. Google is helpful for finding many pictures of positive and negative tests, should you question the results of your specific test. Some women choose to test more than once a day as they approach apparently ovulation as it is possible to miss the LH surge and never receive a positive OPK, despite ovulating.

OPK’s come in a variety of styles and price levels, from a dollar or less a piece for a standard non-digital or more for a digital variety and can be purchased online or in most retail stores.

Pros:

• Can help “predict” and/or confirm ovulation.

Cons:

• Can get pricey for some people, depending on the length of their cycle.
• It’s possible to miss the surge and if you are only using OPK’s may not have an accurate idea of when and or if you are ovulating.
• Some people find limiting liquids and holding urine every day for an OPK to be time consuming/difficult.

Ferning Microscope: The ferning microscope uses your saliva to detects hormonal changes approaching ovulation. As part of a normal cycle, estrogen increases and as it increases it creates a distinct pattern that are visible with the aid of a microscope. The ferning microscopes available for the ttc crowd are usually small and portable.

You should follow the directions with the specific microscope you purchase, but as a general rule of thumb, they recommend that you test in the morning, before doing any of the following activities: eating, drinking or brushing your teeth (as these can all interfere with the results). You collect a small amount of saliva and put it on the slide and view it through the microscope. There are three different statuses of your saliva. Non-fertile, transitional, and fertile (full ferning).

I have only really ever seen these available on-line (through various merchants) but they might be available in retail stores.

Pros:

• One-time cost, reusable (for up to two years, possibly longer)
• Portable
• You can use it anywhere and it is less messy (as opposed to a urine-base test).
• You can see potential ovulation approaching, allowing you to take advantage of potentially fertile days.

Cons:

• More cost initially than some other methods
• May have to replace if you are having ttc
• Doesn’t (on it’s own) confirm ovulation
• Some women may have many periods of ferning without ovulation
• Can be affected by various medications (Clomid, for instance)
• May be difficult for people with vision problems to use

Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor (CBEFM): CBEFM’s are basically mini-computers that read a more complex OPK to distinguish approaching fertility. They differ from regular OPK’s in the fact that they don’t just detect surging LH, they also detect the rising estrogen. In that sense, a cbefm is kind of a love child between OPK’s and the ferning microscope. :-) It learns your unique cycles and will adjust accordingly. As a result, it may take a cycle or two to see the full advantage of the cbefm.

The computer unit will ask for a test stick if it feels that you could be approaching ovulation. Unlike OPK’s, you use FMU for the cbefm. You insert the stick into the reader and it’ll give you one of three fertility ratings. Low (infertile), High (possibly fertile) or peak (the most fertile). The first cycle you use the monitor, it will jump almost immediately to a high reading as soon as it starts asking for test sticks. As you develop a deeper relationship with your monitor, the # of high readings will potentially decrease. Some women have reported only one day of high reading before a peak. Once you have a peak reading, you will ovulate anywhere with in the next 48 hours. After your first peak reading, you will have a second peak. Following that, one more high reading and then lows for the rest of your cycle.

The monitor will warn you of the end of your cycle as it flashes “m” when you check it in the morning. This is helpful for women who aren’t tracking their cycle every day. When/If your cycle starts, you simply reset it to cycle day (cd) 1 and start the process all over again.

While the monitor makes the official fertility reading, it is possible to see changes with the naked eye. With the wick end to your left, the first line is the LH reading and the second line is the estrogen reading. As your LH increases, the first line will get darker. As your estrogen increases, the second line will actually get lighter. It is important to let the monitor make the official reading, but this information is more for the curiosity of my readers.

You can purchase the monitor and the refill sticks online and in some retail stores.

Pros:

• Potentially saving you $$ from wasted OPKs as the monitor learns your specific cycle
• You don’t have to decide if you are fertile or not, the monitor makes that decision for you.
• Identifies the days leading up to ovulation to allow you to take advantage of the fertile time.
• Pretty easy to use

Cons:

• Price. The initial cost for the monitor and the refill sticks can get to be pretty expensive.

Ovwatch: Admittedly, this is the one fertility monitoring method that I know the least about.  However, I do know the basics of how it works.  The watch is worn at night by the woman (from the start of her cycle through ovulation) and detects the changes in the various hormones/minerals excreted through the skin.  No temping, no charting, no peeing in or on anything.  It gives you four fertile days prior to ovulation allowing you to take advantage of the fertile periods leading to ovulation.

I have never seen or heard of this product being available in a retail store and believe it’s only available online.  However, I could be wrong.

Pros:

• Gives you advanced warning of ovulation and fertile periods
• One of the least messy/invasive of all of the other methods available
• You can share it with friends/sisters (unlike most other methods)
• You only have to buy refills on the sensors.

Cons:

• Price

Well there you go friends, some of the more specifics of the different methods.  I hope you enjoy the proverbial  trip through the aisles of fertility monitoring products.  If you have any other pros or cons you’d like to add to my lists, please feel free to post a comment or two!

Stay Safe!

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