If you are hoping to become pregnant, ovulation predictor kits are one way of naturally boosting your fertility. By tracking your fertility cues accurately, you can make your chances of conceiving in any given month much higher.
Even if you are eating a healthy fertility friendly diet and doing all the right things to get your body in optimal shape for pregnancy, if you don’t know your fertile days each month, you run the risk of missing them completely.
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Fertility trackers have come a long way since the days of taking your temperature every morning and recording it in a notepad before calling your partner at work in a frenzy.
Nowadays, It is easy to take control over your fertility by tracking your fertility cues with wearable technology and apps.
One of the easiest ways to increase your chances of getting pregnant is to pinpoint the exact 4-6 days each month that you are fertile.
While a “typical” woman with a “typical” 28 day cycle ovulates around day 14 each month, in reality many women miss their fertile period unless they are tracking their fertility or using ovulation tests.
Signs That Ovulation Is Near
- Increased egg white cervical mucus (cm). This helps the sperm travel to the egg and creates the perfect environment for fertilization. If you think you need help in this area, there is a supplement called FertileCM that may be worth trying.
- Sharp pain on one side. This normally occurs during ovulation
- Breast tenderness
- Increased sex drive
If you really want to pinpoint your ovulation, the best thing is to use a fertility tracker or ovulation test.
The only way to 100% confirm that ovulation has taken place is with a vaginal ultrasound and/or a blood test to measure progesterone levels but ovulation predictor kits can help you to know which days each month you should be having sex in the run up to ovulation.
Some of the older methods of tracking like taking your temperature only confirm ovulation after the fact. That is not great if you are trying to maximize your chances of conceiving each month.
One thing to note is that egg quality can play a role with how strong your ovulation is. You can download this free ebook on improving your egg quality naturally.
Ovulation predictor kits track the following fertility cues:
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- LH surge – luteinizing hormone (LH) is the hormone that tells your ovaries that it’s time to release an egg. Urine tests can detect the surge which usually means ovulation is 12-24 hours away.
- Basal Body Temperature – Your basal body temperature rises by about one half of a degree after ovulation, and remains elevated until your next period begins.
- Pulse – If you have ever visited an acupuncturist for fertility, you might be familiar with this cue. Most practitioners take your pulse at the beginning of the session. In a study conducted for the Ava bracelet, researchers found resting pulse rates increase an average of two beats per minute at the beginning of the fertile window compared to the menstrual phase.
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With these cues, fertility trackers are able to detect ovulation and tell you when you are most fertile each month. Some of the ovulation tests below give you up to 6 days of key fertile time each month which can dramatically increase your chances of getting pregnant.
1.Clearblue Fertility Monitor
The original ovulation predictor kit, the ClearBlue fertility monitor gets to know your cycle and learns to “predict” your most fertile days.
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- The monitor is not too expensive but it requires fertility sticks that cost close to $45 for a 3 month supply. You will need to use less sticks each month as the monitor gets to know your cycle.
- This monitor requires that you pee on the fertility sticks each morning at roughly the same time. It can be a bit tricky if you travel between time zones or would prefer not to use urine tests.
- I like this monitor because it gives you 3-4 fertility days beyond your actual ovulation day which it says increases your chances of getting pregnant by up to 82%.
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2. OvaCue Fertility Monitor
Fairhaven Health Fertility Products are some of the most popular around. They are the creators of many fertility boosting vitamins and supplements such as FertilAid and MotilityBoost for Men.
The OvaCue fertility monitor is pretty unique in that consists of a hand-held monitor, an oral sensor, and a vaginal sensor to predict ovulation accurately.
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- There are no sticks to buy, just a one time cost with free shipping from the Fairhaven website
- OvaCue claims to be over 98% accurate
- It works by measuring changes in the electrolyte levels in your saliva and cervical mucus that are impacted by the hormone estrogen. You place the oral sensor on your tongue daily and the OvaCue will record a reading of the electrolyte resistance in your saliva.
- OvaCue is one of the only ovulation prediction kits that works for women with irregular cycles and PCOS.
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3. Fertile Focus Ovulation Microscope
Another fertility tracker from Fairhaven Health, Fertile- focus is a mini microscope (the size of a lipstick) that allows you to analyze your saliva for signs of “ferning” which is an ovulation predictor.
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- This is not as foolproof and handsfree as the Ovacue, Ava or Clearblue monitor. Fertile-Focus requires you to use the microscope to analyze your own patterns.
- This isn’t the product for you if you want a quick and easy monitor that tells you exactly when you are ovulating.
- If you like science and a more natural approach, Fertile-Focus is for you.
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4. Clearblue Connected
Clearblue Connected Ovulation Test System connects to your phone via Bluetooth technology with smart reminders based on your personal cycles. This is a good option if you like the sound of the Clearblue monitor but find it too pricey.
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- Low start up cost but it does require fertility sticks (different to the ones for the Clearblue fertility monitor)
- Only available in the US
- The Clearblue connected detects LH surge to work out your most fertile days.
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5. Wondfo Ovulation Tests
If you are look for a simple and low cost way of tracking your fertility cues, while still using an ovulation test, Wondfos are the cheapest option.
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- The tests consists of a very simple urine strip test that you use each day. One the two blue lines on the tests become the same colour, your LH surge has been detected.
- Wondfos are cheap and easy to use without any bells and whistles.
- They are not the right product if you have PCOS or are unsure if you ovulate, one of the multi-cue trackers will probably give you a more accurate picture of your ovulation dates.
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6. Smart Basal Thermometer by Femometer
If you want a little more handholding than a do-it-yourself basal thermometer but don’t need a full on fertility monitor, the Smart basal thermometer from Femometer might be for you.
7. Himama Fertility Monitor
Similar to the Ava bracelet, the HiMama monitor tracks your Basal Body Temperature, heart rate and sleeping patterns for insights about your fertility and health.
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- Claims to be 99% accurate in detecting ovulation
- The device consists of a small monitor and a bra-like top that you wear while sleeping
- There is a one-off cost only, no sticks to buy.
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Lisa
Thursday 3rd of May 2018
Wonder resources for the "want to be" parents!