For those who are looking to track their fertility, there are a variety of ways to do so with store-bought kits. These different kits will monitor over a few months what each woman's particular cycle looks like, if it is regular or not, and then give a window based on the collected information as to when the most likely time is that a woman will be able to conceive.
With methods of tracking ranging from ovulation predictor kits, fertility monitors, pregnancy wheel and ovulation calendars, and more, the number of ways to track when it is the best time to get pregnant can leave those trying to conceive a little overwhelmed with all the options available. There is no right answer as to where to begin, but knowing how each test works might shed some light on which test is the most appropriate based on how long a woman has been trying to conceive.
Here is how to track fertility at home, based on different over-the-counter tests available.
Fertility Calendar
Fertility calendars work by helping a woman determine the window that she is most fertile. According to Menstrual Cycle Calendar, most will break down a woman's cycle into different categories, including, "pre-period, period, post-period, and peak ovulation days." This is important to know because there is only a certain amount of time during the month that a woman can get pregnant. This timeframe is five days before ovulation occurs through the last day of ovulation, which is generally two weeks before the beginning of a period. If this window is missed, a woman will not conceive.
Tracking with the fertility calendar over a few months will help a woman determine if she has a regular or irregular cycle. If the cycle is regular, then it is easier to determine every month when a woman is likely to be able to conceive. If the cycle is irregular, it may take a bit more work to determine when the most fertile time of the month is.
Ovulation Test Strips
Much like a pregnancy test, an ovulation test strip will give a positive or negative result. Instead of testing for hCG though, ovulation test strips test for luteinizing hormone, (LH) in the urine instead.
According to healthline, there is always LH present in the system, regardless of what stage the menstrual cycle is at. When there is a surge in LH is when the window is open for conceiving. This will last for a handful of days, and then the window closes.
It is important to note that the strips should be used in conjunction with another tracking method, as using the strips alone daily can become extremely expensive. Outside of being cost-prohibitive, those with certain conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), consistently have raised LH levels, according to healthline. Therefore, just using ovulation test strips alone, may not be the best way to track fertility at home.
Hormone-Based Tracker
Hormone-based trackers will not only track the LH levels, but will also track estrogen levels, progesterone levels, basal body temperature, and ovulation as well. By gathering all of this data through analyzing urine, not only will a woman be able to tell when she is ready to ovulate, but if there are any issues with other hormone levels that could be throwing off the ability to get pregnant.
According to miracare.com, while most doctors will recommend that a woman tries for six months to get pregnant before seeking medical intervention, keeping track of this data before that time will alert for any hormone imbalances. These imbalances could point to reasons why conception is not happening, even though attempts to get pregnant are happening when the woman is most fertile.
Temperature-Based Tracker
Temperature-based trackers work by charting the daily temperature a woman has the first thing in the morning. The way that this shows when a woman is fertile is that her temperature will rise.
The normal body temperature for most people when they wake in the morning is 96-98 F. When a woman is fertile, the basal body temperature will rise to 97-99 F, according to Natural Cycles. For this method of tracking to work, the temperature needs to be taken daily and charted. As such, a thermometer that goes up by points of a degree needs to be used and then the data needs to be charted to see if the daily temperature is rising.
For those who find it daunting to take a temperature and chart the information, getting an all-in-one temperature-based tracker is a way to chart fertility via basal body temperature. The device will store the information and show by points of a degree that temperature changes. As the temperature rises, a woman will know that she is entering her fertile period in her cycle.
Ovulation Kits
Ovulation kits vary from just test strips alone as they include a variety of products that help track fertility as well as items that can help enhance it as well.
According to ConceiveEasy, there are some kits that not only include ovulation strips and a fertility calendar but also have vitamins and supplements that are supposed to get a woman in tip-top condition for when her window of conception is open.
Other kits still will include a thermometer to track basal body temperature as well. Instead of purchasing all of the products piecemeal, they come in one convenient package and include instructions as to what to use at each stage of the cycle to get the most accurate results about when it is time to conceive.
Source: Menstrual Cycle Calendar, healthline, ConceiveEasy, Natural Cycles, miracare.com