Trying to conceive: should you use ovulation tests, or not?

Ovulation tests are handy little things that react to the hormone released by the female body during ovulation. Ovulation tests turn getting pregnant into a scientific affair. All you have to do is have intercourse when the little smiley face comes up. It's wonderful... or is it? There are certainly cons, as well as pros, to using ovulation tests. Let's take a look at both.

Reasons to use ovulation tests

Ovulation tests offer, without a doubt, a faster way to conception. There are plenty of other methods that accomplish the same thing finding out when you are fertile but none are both as reliable and easy to use as ovulation tests. Ovulation tests make the process of trying for a baby more effective, so that more couples can get pregnant soon after they decide to go for it.

Ovulation tests are especially wonderful for couples who have been trying to conceive for quite a while, without success. These tests, which react to luteneizing hormone, may alarm a woman that she is not ovulating, or ovulating at a point in her cycle that would make pregnancy impossible. Did you know that ovulation very late in the cycle means there is not enough time for a fertilized egg to implant successfully? In other words, ovulation tests may let people with fertility problems know about it, so they can seek help.

Why wouldn't you use ovulation tests?

Some couples find that they become a slave to the ovulation tests, and that sexual intercourse becomes a chore. You, too, might prefer the excitement of just letting nature do its thing, and the knowledge that no high-tech tools were used in the conception of your baby. If you think that ovulation tests take the romance out, don't use them. Normally, just being intimate when you both feel like it will get you pregnant. The fertile window is a little longer than many realize; sperm can survive for up to five days within the uterus and fallopian tubes.

For those who do want to know when they ovulate, but who don't want to use ovulation tests for whatever reason (including that they are not exactly cheap), there are other options. An ovulation calendar, like the one on our site, doesn't require you to spend money or much time. And it's generally quite accurate. Those who want reliable results through a natural routine might like monitoring cervical mucus or watching out for ovulation pain and tender breasts in the middle of the month.