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Ovulation Testing

Ovulation Testing

If you don’t ovulate at all or if you are ovulating infrequently, pregnancy rates can be drastically reduced. Almost all women who have regular menstrual periods every 26-35 days are ovulating. If you are not having regular, monthly periods, then you are very unlikely to be ovulating or are ovulating at unpredictable times.

Regular menstrual cycles = normal ovulation (usually)

Knowing when ovulation occurs is important so you can time intercourse appropriately. Ovulation should occur approximately 14 days before your period starts. This means that if your menstrual cycle comes every 28 days, then you typically ovulate around cycle day 14. This is the average menstrual cycle length, but only about 25% of women actually have a 28 day cycle. If you have a 30 day cycle, then you typically ovulate around cycle day 16. If you have a 32 day cycle, then you ovulate around cycle day 18, etc.

You ovulate the day after your ovulation prediction test turns positive.

The ovulation predictor test should show a peak level around 24 hours before ovulation. This means that if you have a 28 day menstrual cycle, then your peak test will likely occur on cycle day 13. If your cycle is 30 days, then you will typically peak on day 15. If you are using ovulation testing to time intercourse, we recommend intercourse on the day of a positive ovulation test (or peak) as well as the following two days. This way you will be having intercourse the day before ovulation, the day of ovulation, and the day following ovulation.

Bleeding less than 13 days after your positive ovulation test may indicate a progesterone deficiency.

The other thing you can pay attention to when doing ovulation prediction testing is the length of your luteal phase. Your luteal phase should be 12-14 days long. You have a positive ovulation test the day before ovulation. Therefore, your period should not start until at least 13 days after a positive ovulation test. Women with less than 12 days between ovulation and menses have short luteal phases which may indicate lower than normal progesterone production from the ovary.