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How Often Should I Take an Ovulation Test Strip?

If you are trying to become pregnant and are going to test for ovulation to help you then you more than likely have a lot of questions. Don’t worry, lots of women have lots of questions about ovulation testing, how to do it, when to do it, and even if they are doing it right. The best thing to do is relax and just follow the directions. The less stressed you are the more likely you will become pregnant. Now, you may be wondering how often to take the ovulation test strip. This really depends on the ovulation test kit you are using, but most of them really are about the same.

First of all, it is very important to know the exact length of your cycle. The length of your menstrual cycle is the number of days from the first day of menstruation to the day before the following menstrual period starts. You may be one of those women whose cycle is exactly 28 days every month. However, it is more than likely that your cycle is either longer or shorter than this and it may be different every single month. So, what can you do? The answer is to know the exact length of your cycle for the past six months. You can take make a educated guess as to when to start testing if you take the average of length and base when to start testing on this average. Some women don’t know this information and don’t want to wait six months to find out and choose to use the default cycle of 28 days for testing. This is ok but it is not as accurate. Also, you should make sure to chart your cycles even if you begin testing without knowing the exact length of your cycles.

If you don’t know the normal length of your cycle then beginning the ovulation test strips on day 10 (counted from when your period starts) and testing twice a day until the surge happens is a wise decision. The surge of hormones may last as few as 10 hours or it may be as long as 30 hours. Testing approximately 10 hours apart is important to make sure you maximize your chances of catching the surge. Keep this in mind and remember that testing twice a day may be the only way to encounter the hormone surge and know when you are about to ovulate.

Many women begin testing for ovulation but test incorrectly and never get a positive result. This could indicate a problem, but more than likely it indicates a problem with how the ovulation tests were carried out. Some basic tips for ovulation testing are:

  • The best times to test are between 11am and 3pm and 5pm and 10pm.
  • Some women have found that their best sample is after 12 noon.
  • Test at the same time each day.
  • Reduce your liquid intake for 2 hours before testing, since drinking excessive amounts of liquids can dilute the LH in your urine yielding a negative result when it should be positive.

You may think this sounds like an awful lot of testing and it might be expensive. However, it improves your chances of finding out when you will most likely ovulate. This in turn improves your chances of becoming pregnant and that is why you are testing for ovulation anyway. Store bought ovulation tests can get rather expensive quickly. Online stores carry ovulation test strips that are much more cost effective.

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  • The information provided here should not be considered medical advice. It is based on the average experience of women trying to conceive and may not be what you may be experiencing. It's not meant to be a replacement for any advice you may receive from your doctor. If you have any concerns about your cycle or our ability to get pregnant, we advise you to contact your doctor.