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The most commonly used device for predicting ovulation, OPK's are usually recommended by fertility specialists (who often also suggest their preferred brandnames), particularly during treatment cycles (term referring to any cycle in which conception is attempted using fertility drugs or procedures). As most fertility patients can attest, there are pros and cons to using OPK's, including cost due to the disposable nature of the kits.
OPK's work by detecting levels of luteinizing hormones (LH) in your urine. Once LH is detected, it is assumed that ovulation will occur soon, so conception efforts should then commence.
Not as widely known, ferning scopes have been in use for many years by a smaller population of folks. "Ferning" refers to a microscopic pattern which emerges in both saliva and cervical mucus during specific times of the ovulation cycle. In order to view this pattern, one must slip a small sample of either fluid onto a special microscope. Since the scopes are infinitely re-usable, this can be a more cost-effective means of observing fertility patterns.
Unipath introduced the first round-the-cycle fertility monitor (ClearPlan) just recently, and there has been some debate on its benefits. Unipath claims that its major benefit is ClearPlan's ability to indicate fertility earlier in the cycle, theoretically allowing the woman knowledge of more days in which she is fertile.
The primary differences between the monitor and OPK's (which are also made by Unipath) are its cost (around US$200), and that one uses it more often in a cycle, rather than only during the few days when one is expecting ovulation.
ClearPlan's monitor appears to be most beneficial to people of at least average fertility (only women with natural monthly cycles between 21 and 42 days can use it), and there are certain conditions which make use of the monitor ineffective, specifically:
There are a growing number of computer software programs which may be purchased online or off, all of which are efficient ways of tracking your ovulation cycle. They each work by collecting information (input by you) about your cycle, and then analyze the data to signal you when your fertile time has arrived.
The most important factor to be aware of is that one must be knowledgeable on the sympto-thermal methods (discussed above) in order to have data to input into these programs. It also helps to be somewhat proficient in using software programs in general, although some are much more user-friendly than others.
A recent addition to the software programs which are purchased and installed on a user's hard-drive are those which are entirely online. Several websites now offer such services, in which a consumer enters their cycle information using online forms, and the data is analyzed and translated in a usable manner back to the consumer. Some of these websites also offer chart analysis by counselors.
A primary benefit of software programs is the increased organization of your charting efforts and reduction of paper clutter.
Many Web sites, especially pregnancy-oriented ones, offer online ovulation calculators. These are primarily based on the Calendar method (discussed above), and therefore, are not viewed as extremely reliable, particularly for anyone who has had difficulty achieving conception.
© Tracy Morris
