Choosing the best ovulation test for you

What is the best ovulation test?

The best ovulation test for you will be the one that suits your body. Generally this will mean a choice between two types of ovulation test – a regular ovulation test and an extra-sensitive ovulation test.

Why do you offer regular and extra-sensitive Ovulation Tests?

We now offer two types of test because we realise – quite obviously – that not all women are the same. Some women have a cycle that they can predict will last between 26 and 30 days. With a regular cycle is much easier to predict when ovulation will take place. Some women have much longer cycles or greater fluctuations from month-to-month. As well as this there are lots of other conditions that can affect when ovulation takes place – PCOS, a lazy ovary, miscarriage in the past, endometriosis, breast feeding at the same time.

Here’s some statistics to focus the mind:

In general, it can be said that, in any one cycle, 80% of women will ovulate “normally”. Somewhere between 10% and 12% of women will not ovulate at all and the remaining women may well ovulate twice! The “average” woman will have an LH level in her body of anywhere between 5-20 mIU/ml. (LH is the hormone that sets off ovulation). At the time of the ovulation surge, the basal level rises to approximately 50-200 mIU/ml. At this level the egg is released as ovulation takes place. This means that for the vast majority of women the 30 mIU ovulation tests will be the best ovulation test for them

How will I know which is the best ovulation test to choose? Why might I need a different sensitivity?

Every woman is different and accordingly, each woman can have different results from an ovulation test. Here’s an example: A woman approaching menopause may find that the ‘test’ line on our regular 30 mIU sticks never seems to get as dark as or darker than the ‘control’ line or she doesn’t get a ‘test’ line at all. This means that the increase of LH in her body never reached the level that is considered ‘normal’ when the surge took place. In this scenario, she should try the higher sensitivity tests (20 mIU) as this will pick up the LH surge at much lower levels. This will be the best ovulation test in this case.

Ovulation Test Sensitivity

So what do you recommend to somebody who is new to all of this?

If you are looking for the best ovulation test for you, try the normal 30 mIU sensitivity ovulation tests and if you find any problems in pin-pointing when you are ovulating then try our higher sensitivity tests and that will solve the problem.