Felice Gersh, MD, an OB-GYN and founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, in Irvine, California, and the author of PCOS SOS Fertility Fast Track, explains that “ovulation normally occurs in reproductive-aged women, not taking hormonal contraception, on a monthly basis.” Dr. Gersh continues, “ovulation is essential for successful procreation and is the release of the oocyte (the egg) from the ovary designated to release the egg that month.” We carefully looked at readability options, value, ease of use, and sensitivity when reviewing products. Here are the best ovulation tests to kick start your trying to conceive journey. Reading an ovulation test has never been easier thanks to the product’s simple and easy-to-read results. There are no lines to interpret: a smiley face appears when you’re at your most fertile window (when your luteinizing hormone or LH surges). There are 20 tests included in the kit. To use, urinate on one of them then insert it into the reusable monitor for your results. If you struggle with urinating on the stick, you can opt to urinate in a cup and then insert the tip into the container. Price at time of publication: $33 What sets this kit apart is that you can also download the company’s app and get digital test results right on your phone. It also allows you to track your menstrual cycle and symptoms, so you have the best picture possible of your fertility. Price at time of publication: $20 Price at time of publication: $20 To use, you’ll pee in a cup first thing in the morning like most tests, but instead of getting a positive (you are fertile now) vs negative (you are not fertile now), you will take a picture within the app to help predict and keep track of your cycle. If you want to go one step further in getting a read on your cycle, the Modern Fertility Hormone Test (view at Modern Fertility) is a comprehensive at-home test that will get a read on your hormones. Price at time of publication: $16 To use, you collect some urine and dip one of the strips. After three to five minutes, it will let you know if your LH is surging, meaning your chances of conception are at their highest. When it comes to cost, this product gives you the most bang for your buck. With 50 strips and a bonus of 20 pregnancy test strips, you’ll only be spending about $15 or less. Price at time of publication: $20 It promises to identify three times more fertile days per month for users so that the odds of conceiving a baby are increased. It also stores your cycle information for up to six cycles, so you can compare and look for any patterns or differences. To use, you push a button each month when your period begins, then each day thereafter the monitor will tell you what to do—like use a test stick (sold separately). After five minutes, you’ll get a reading letting you know how fertile you are. Price at time of publication: $119 When it comes to sensitivity, these ovulation and pregnancy test strips fit the bill. For the tests, they measure at a 25 mIU/ml, which is in the perfect range for detecting the hormone that tells you when you’re at your peak of being most fertile. The kit also promises a 99% accuracy rate so you won’t have to second guess the results. The easy-to-use test features a line result, with a single line representing a negative result and a double line representing a positive result. Price at time of publication: $17 This wearable device works by collecting your important data and vitals while you sleep and when synced with the app, it is able to deliver an accurate fertility window. Price at time of publication: from $280 The usual range for LH levels is 1.9-13.6 IU/L, but when a woman is fertile, that number can reach as high as 118 IU/L. The sensitivity level should be written on the test or in the description of the product online. While many women want to drink a lot of water before testing, this is actually a big no-no. “Drinking lots of water prior to testing can also dilute LH in the urine and make it harder to pick up a positive surge,” Dr. Thornton explains. “It is best to avoid large water intake prior to testing to avoid false-negative results.”
Cost
When shopping for ovulation tests, it’s important to consider the price of the tests and how many you’ll receive in a pack. If you’re looking for something on the lower end of the price range, ovulation test strips are typically around $15 to $25. “The cheapest form are simply strips of paper typically with 2 lines, a control line and a test line,” says Dr. Thornton. “They require you to determine if the test line is darker than the control line. This can be difficult for some women to interpret especially if you don’t get a strong LH surge.” Digital tests will cost you more and are usually between $30 to $60. You can also look at the price per test in a pack to help you make your decision. “There are many different OPK (ovulation predictor kits) kits available with a wide range in how difficult or easy they are to interpret,” mentions Dr. Thornton. “The most expensive variety of predictor kits are digital where the test strips are interpreted for you.”
Readability
From digital to strips to apps, ovulation tests come with many different result images, but some of them can be hard to read. Digital tests may have a smiley face while strips will show you lines. More modern and tech-forward options allow you to scan your results through an app for ultra-clear results. Depending on your comfort level, you’ll want to choose a test you feel confident reading. You can also monitor your cervical mucus and basal body temperature chart, Dr. Thornton recommends. “Your body’s basal temperature increases minimally when you’re ovulating and can help confirm that ovulation has occurred,” she says. “To track this, a woman must check their temperature each morning at the same time before getting out of bed and plot it on a chart. When you ovulate, the hormone progesterone causes your temperature to rise approximately 0.5 °F.”
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Deanna McCormack is a copywriter and freelance writer who covers beauty, fitness and parenting for a number of outlets. She’s a mom to an infant and 2-year and well-versed in all things related to motherhood and pregnancy. “The ‘fertile window’ for conception is defined as the five days leading up to the day of ovulation and is the time frame when the viability of both eggs and sperm should be maximal,” says Dr. Thornton. “It is estimated that the fertilizable life of the human egg lasts up to 24 [hours] post ovulation and that sperm can survive up to five days in the reproductive tract. The majority of sperm is believed to survive 48-72 hours, which is why intercourse is most likely to result in pregnancy when it occurs within the three-day interval ending on the day of ovulation.” Knowing how long sperm is believed to survive will help you understand when it’s best to try to conceive. “This is also why a couple does not necessarily have to have intercourse on the actual day of ovulation to be able to conceive, but it needs to occur at some point in the fertile window,” Dr. Thornton explains. You may even be able to tell when your ovulation is happening by changes to your body. “Some can tell ovulation is occurring by the change of their cervical mucous and an increased sex drive,” Dr. Gersh explains. “For example, most [menstruating people] with 28 (day) cycles will ovulate somewhere around the 14th day of their cycle or approximately two (weeks) into their cycle. This can vary from cycle to cycle,” Dr. Thornton says. “Those with shorter menstrual cycles typically ovulate sooner in their cycle and women with longer cycles often ovulate later. If a [person] does not have regular menstrual cycles this can sometimes be a sign that they are not ovulating and always warrants an evaluation with a gynecologist or fertility specialist.” To put it simply, ovulation tests are meant to tell you when you’re ovulating; they’re not designed to tell you when you’re pregnant. “OPKs test your urine for a surge of a hormone called luteinizing hormone (LH), which normally occurs 24-36 (hours) prior to ovulation,” Dr. Thornton describes. “Some kits also measure a hormone called estrogen, which increases as an egg is growing and can help predict ‘high fertility’ days prior to the ‘peak’ or ‘surge.’” Additional reporting by Ashley Ziegler
