For most women being able to get pregnant is taken for granted and it happens naturally without too much intervention. But for other women, it can be an extremely stressful, upsetting, and worrying time.
It can take a week, a month, a year, or even longer. It is extremely difficult and almost impossible to predict this timeline.
But there are many tests available that can provide you with an accurate picture of your monthly cycle – helping to predict when you are at your most fertile.
Ovulation tests are a popular, easy-to-use test that is used at home and they can help show you went the best time is to have sex in order to conceive.
We have taken a look at some of the best ovulation tests available on the market from high-tech to plain and simple. We have also taken a closed look at the ins and outs of ovulation.
In this article
- Short On Time? Here Are Our Top 3 Choices
- What Is Ovulation?
- Ovulation and Conception
- What Is An Ovulation Test?
- When Should You Start Using Ovulation Tests?
- Ovulation Test Results
- Best Ovulation Tests Of 2024 Reviewed
- 1. Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Test Kit
- 2. Clearblue Digital Ovulation Predictor Kit
- 3. Easy@Home 50 Ovulation Test Strips
- 4. PREGMATE 20 Ovulation Test Strips Predictor Kit
- 5. Modern Fertility Ovulation Kit
- 6. Wondfo 50 Ovulation Test Strips
- 7. Accu-Clear Ovulation Test Strips Predictor Kit
- 8. Clearblue Fertility Monitor, Touch Screen
- The Final Thought
Short On Time? Here Are Our Top 3 Choices
| Title | Price | Prime | Buy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Top | Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Test | PrimeEligible | Buy Now | |
 | Clearblue Digital Ovulation Predictor Kit | PrimeEligible | Buy Now | |
 | Easy@Home 50 Ovulation Test Strips and 20 Pregnancy Test Strips Combo Kit | PrimeEligible | Buy Now |
What Is Ovulation?
Ovulation happens when an egg is released from the ovaries. After ovulation, the egg then travels down the fallopian tubes to the uterus. If your egg meets up with sperm in time then this is when conception can take place.
If you are trying to get pregnant then it may be useful to learn about how ovulation works and what part it plays in conception.
Why is ovulation important?
Every month most women have a menstrual cycle, during this time the hormones estrogen and progesterone work together to encourage your ovaries to release an egg.
Your body may produce more than one egg at each cycle but only one mature egg is usually released. If two eggs are released then there is the chance that you could potentially conceive non-identical twins.
Ovulation and Conception
While your ovaries are preparing for the release of an egg, the lining of your uterus begins to thicken in preparation for receiving a fertilized egg.
Did you know that most of the eggs in a woman’s ovaries never mature to ovulation. At the beginning of a woman’s fertility journey, her ovaries will hold approximately 300,000 eggs.
Yet a woman will only ovulate around 300 over her lifetime. This is due to the fact that many of those eggs will have chromosomal issues, structural defects, or other issues preventing them from ever being viable eggs.
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When will I ovulate?
It varies from woman to woman but ovulation usually occurs between day 11 and day 21 of their cycle.
When you hear women say that they are ovulating, what they are actually referring to is the two to three days where they are especially fertile and these days come just before ovulation.
But as there is such a large window of ovulation anything from day 9 to day 22, it is understandable why many women who want to conceive turn to tracking their ovulation and fertile days.
What to look for?
Most women experience the same symptoms each month around the time that they are ovulating. These symptoms can include increased sex drive, an increase in cervical mucus, or ovulation pain that can feel a little bit like cramps.
One way to detect when you are ovulating is to take your basal body temperature, which is your temperature when at complete rest.
By taking your temperature every morning, just before you get out of bed and recording the results, you will be able to see the rise in your temperature that signals ovulation is imminent.
Another great option is to use an ovulation test kit. These tests work a bit like a pregnancy test, in that they look for a certain hormone in your urine.
Most ovulation tests can predict two days in your cycle when you stand the highest probability of becoming pregnant.
What Is An Ovulation Test?
An ovulation test or ovulation predictor kit (OPK), is an at-home test that can help you to determine those few days in your cycle when you are most likely to conceive.
There is a vast range of different types of ovulation tests available from the very basic ones where you have to collect a urine sample and dip a stick to high tech ones that monitor your cycle and advise you when to take a stick test to confirm that you are at your most fertile.
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How Do Ovulation Tests Work?
Ovulation tests work by tracking the production of luteinizing hormone or LH in your body. This hormone is responsible for stimulating your ovaries.
LH is present in your urine all the time but around 24-48 hours before you ovulate, the amount of LH in your urine increases.
This is what is referred to as an LH surge and it is during this time of one to two days before ovulation that you are at your most fertile.
Ovulation tests detect the amount of LH in your urine. While OPKs make it easy for you to pinpoint those fertile days in your cycle.
When Should You Start Using Ovulation Tests?
Timing is everything when it comes to fertility and getting pregnant. It is really important that you understand when in your cycle to use an ovulation test in order to increase your chances of conceiving.
In order to know when to take a test, you will need to figure a few things out first.
Length of your cycle
Most women’s menstrual cycle can last anywhere between 21 and 35 days long. You will need to figure out your cycle length before you begin testing.
If you have an irregular cycle of more than a few days, you can take an average for the last three months and go by that number.
When you ovulate
Next, you need to figure out when in your cycle you should be ovulating. If you are unsure you can use an ovulation calculator to help you out.
Or you could work it out using some basic maths, for most people it is usually in the middle of their cycle. But of course, this varies from person to person.
Begin testing around 3-4 days before ovulation
You should start using your ovulation kit three to four days before you think you should be ovulating. This means that if you have a 28-day cycle then you should start testing at around day 10.
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Ovulation Test Results
By now you have peed on a stick or dipped your test strip in urine and are ready to read the results. So what are you looking for in your results and what do you need to do next.
Every ovulation test is slightly different so be sure to read the included instructions carefully.
If you are using a simple test strip, they usually have two lines – a control line and a testing line. The control line is there to show you that you have carried out the test correctly, while the second line is your test line.
For most tests, when the test line is darker in color than the control line, this means that your LH is surging and the test is positive.
If you are using a digital test then you will need to check the digital display window for your result. Most digital tests use a smiley face to indicate that your test is positive.
A positive test, now what?
If your test is positive then that means it is time to grab your partner and get down to business! According to the AAP, three days after a positive ovulation test is the best time to have sex.
A negative test, now what?
If you get a negative test, then keep testing. It is most likely that your LH surge has just not happened yet.
However, if you are still receiving a negative test result for a few weeks there are a few different reasons that could be responsible for this.
You simply missed your window
It is possible that you just started testing too early or too late. You could also be having a cycle where an egg is not released, this is called an anovulatory cycle. Just try again on your next cycle.
The test malfunctioned or human error
Double-check that your test kit is not expired or compromised in some other way. Then double-check that you are carrying out the test and reading the results correctly.
Medication interference or pregnancy
Some medications can interfere with ovulation test kits, so if you are on any medication it may be worth checking with your doctor. If you are already pregnant or have recently been pregnant then this will also interfere with the test results.
Other underlying health conditions
Some conditions can prevent you from ovulating or make it difficult for the ovulation test to detect your LH surge. If you do continue to have negative test results it would be worth making an appointment with your doctor.
Best Ovulation Tests Of 2024 Reviewed
1. Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Test Kit
Clearblue advanced test identifies 4 or more fertile days. This is at least 2 more than most other brands. It uses an easy-to-read smiley face in order to make reading these tests extremely easy.
This kit comes with 20 test strips. They promise 99% accuracy and it takes just 3 minutes for results to appear.
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2. Clearblue Digital Ovulation Predictor Kit
Clearblue identifies your 2 best days to try for a baby. Digital tests such as this help by taking the guesswork out of reading a colored line by giving you a clear smiley face in the result window.
The kit comes with 20 test strips. They promise 99% accuracy and it takes just 3 minutes for results to appear.
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3. Easy@Home 50 Ovulation Test Strips
This kit comes with 50 ovulation test strips as well as 20 pregnancy test strips. This is a great and affordable way to purchase a kit.
It also has access to an app where you can upload all your results and it will enable you to see how your ovulation cycle and pattern are progressing.
You simply dip the test strip in urine and wait to see if your LH level is surging, this means that your chances of getting pregnant are greatly increased.
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4. PREGMATE 20 Ovulation Test Strips Predictor Kit
This is a great affordable kit that comes with 50 individually packaged test strips. It is over 99% accurate in detecting the LH surge and will normally show you the 2 best days to try for a baby.
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5. Modern Fertility Ovulation Kit
If you are looking for a super modern solution to fertility then you need to look no further as Modern Fertility has you covered. This test allows you to predict the two days in the month that you will be at your most fertile.
Although you will need a urine sample you will not get a simple positive or negative. But instead, you will take a picture in their app and this will be used to help predict your cycle. Their test is 99% accurate at detecting LH.
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6. Wondfo 50 Ovulation Test Strips
Unlike some of the other tests that we have reviewed the Wondfo tests have no bells and whistles. They are a simple and straightforward test that will help you to determine your most fertile days.
The kit includes 50 strips and all you need to do is to collect a urine sample, dip in one of the test strips and read the test in 3-5 minutes. The pack also comes with a bonus in that it contains 20 pregnancy test strips as well.
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7. Accu-Clear Ovulation Test Strips Predictor Kit
This is another plain and simple test that does the job. The kit comes with 50 test strips and is 99% accurate at detecting the LH surge. You collect a urine sample and dip a test strip, your result can be read 10-20 minutes after taking a sample.
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8. Clearblue Fertility Monitor, Touch Screen
If you are a fan of the latest technology then this may be the right test for you. The test not only detects your LH levels but also your estrogen levels.
It goes further again by giving you a daily rating that evaluates your fertility. It promises to identify three times more fertile days per month and thereby increasing your chances of getting pregnant.
It can also store your cycle information for up to six cycles so you look for any patterns. To use, you just push a button when your period begins, then each day after the monitor will tell you what your need to do.
Some days it will ask you to use a test stick and then after 5 minutes, you will get a reading telling you how fertile you are. This monitor is quite expensive considering that the test strips are also sold separately.
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The Final Thought
There are some amazing ovulation kits available. Some are super simple while others have clearly embraced the leaps that have been made in technology.
Whichever kit you decide to use endure that you have clearly understood how to carry out the test and how to read the results. Human error plays a huge role in the accuracy of these tests and how effective they can be in helping you to conceive.
