Ovulation Test Buyer's Guide

How do I know which ovulation predictor test is right for me?

Accurately predicting the day that you ovulate is a vital piece of the trying to conceive puzzle. Once ovulation occurs, the egg must be fertilized within 24 hours for conception to occur. Your ability to time intercourse with your partner so that sperm are present in the Fallopian tubes when the egg is released from the ovary depends on accurately predicting your fertile window.

One method for pinpointing your fertile window is to use an ovulation test that detects your "LH Surge", the sudden, brief increase in luteinizing hormone (LH) that is present in your urine just before you ovulate. Luteinizing hormone is responsible for causing the follicle that holds the egg to rupture, which allows the egg to be released from the ovary into the adjacent Fallopian tube. For the best chance of conception, sperm must be waiting in the Fallopian tubes for the egg to be released from the ovary. Levels of LH increase approximately 24-36 hours before ovulation, so when you receive a positive result on an LH test, you know that you are in your most fertile phase of your menstrual cycle.

So, how do you know which ovulation test is right for you? When selecting an ovulation test it is important to consider the cost, the format, and the width of the test strip.

Affordability: To detect your LH surge, it may be necessary to test on six to ten days (and, in some cases more than 10 days or multiple times per day) of each cycle, which means that you will need to purchase approximately 10 ovulation tests each cycle. Some women elect to test twice per day, effectively doubling the number of tests needed for a single cycle. Depending on which type of test you choose to purchase and where you choose to purchase the tests, this can present a significant expense. You can find both the test strip and midstream format ovulation tests on the shelves of your local drugstore. If you purchase the test strip format tests there, you will likely spend ­­around $2.00 per test, while the midstream format tests will likely cost between $2.50 and $5.00 per test. By comparison, Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com sells the test strip format tests for $0.90 each (for a purchase of 20 tests) and the midstream format tests for $1.95. In addition, some commercially available brands don't come individually packaged, but are, instead, packaged in units of 20 tests with 30 day expiration date once opened, which means that you might not able to use any remaining tests during your next cycle. On the other hand, all of our tests come individually wrapped with expiration dates of approximately 2 years from your purchase date.

Test format: LH ovulation tests come in two formats: test strip and midstream. So, which format to choose? First, let's review the similarities: both formats are equally sensitive to LH as they are both calibrated to detect LH at 25mIU/ml, and both tests are equally accurate at 99.9%. The difference between the tests lies in how the tests are used. With the test strip format, you dip the test in a collected sample of urine; with a midstream test, the test stick is held directly in the urine stream. In choosing between the formats, it really comes down to personal preference. Some women find it inconvenient to collect a urine sample for dipping the test strip into, while some women prefer not to spend the extra money on the midstream format tests. When purchasing either test format from Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com, you can be sure you are getting the most accurate and affordable ovulation tests available.

Width of Test Strip: If you decide to purchase the test strip format, it is important to note the width of the test strip. Thin test strips make interpretation of the test results difficult, as you must compare the intensity of the control line to the test line. Most Internet vendors of ovulation tests sell ovulation tests that are 2.5 mm wide or even narrower, making the interpretation process challenging, if not impossible. At Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com, all of our ovulation test strips are 5 mm wide (the maximum width available), which makes interpretation easier.

User feedback: An excellent means of assessing the quality of a test is to survey actual user feedback. Early-Pregnancy-Tests.com has been selling ovulation tests online since 2001, and in that time, we've received thousands of comments from our customers regarding our products. We invite you to review our customer feedback on our ovulation test strips and midstream tests by clicking the "reviews" tab on the individual product pages.