Deciding to start a family is one of life’s momentous moments and is both exciting and terrifying. Hopefully, the joyful news will arrive after a few months of happily ‘trying’ and all will be well. 

Frustratingly, it’s not that simple or easy for many couples and a little outside help is needed in the form of ovulation tracking, monitoring and testing. 

What is ovulation? 

Ovulation is when one of your eggs is released from an ovary and travels through your fallopian tubes to your womb. 

An egg only survives for 24 hours so for you to get pregnant it needs to be fertilised within that time. Sperm can live inside you for around a week so conception can occur on just a few days a month. This is your ‘fertility window’. 

What are the signs of ovulation? 

The signs of ovulation are usually clear if a woman is looking out for them. Many hopeful couples wonder ‘Can ovulation tests be wrong?’ and use these indicators as another way to know when the best time to test for ovulation is. 

A positive OPK test and a few of these indicators below are perfect signs that you and your partner should increase your ‘efforts’.

• Temperature changes
• Hormonal changes 
• Breast pain or soreness 
• Changes in vaginal mucus/discharge 
• Light spotting
• Pain in one side of the pelvis
• Heightened sex drive

The best ovulation tests

An ovulation detector will work by tracking either your temperature, luteinising hormone levels and/or oestrogen levels. 

Getting pregnant can be unbelievably complicated and confusing. Here’s a quick guide to each method along with our recommendations for products which do consistently well in fertility monitor reviews. 

Ovulation calculator apps 

An ovulation test kit can be an expensive purchase and a menstrual cycle app used in tandem with ovulation test strips is a good alternative. 

An accurate ovulation calendar developed over a few months is a powerful tool in your quest to get pregnant. 

Tracking ovulation for an increased chance of pregnancy 

You can increase your chances of conception by tracking when you’re ovulating with a fertility kit. This monitoring of either temperature or hormone changes will give you a good idea of when to take an ovulation test. 

Are ovulation tests accurate? The best ovulation kit options usually have over 90% accuracy in tests so a false positive ovulation test is rare. 

Ovulation strips have always been a good, cheap option for women who are keen to get pregnant. How do ovulation strips work? A positive ovulation strip will show you whether you are ovulating after testing your urine. 

Without fertility tracking, you could go through dozens of strips a month with little chance for planning. Thankfully, there are now, with the help of technology, much more accurate methods of working out when you are ovulating. 

A digital fertility monitor or ovulation kit with tell you when to do an ovulation test and that positive ovulation test result means it’s time to get busy!

The best ovulation kit will also give you the information to plan for the next month. The more sex you have in your fertility window the more chance you have of making a baby.