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According to research, carrying out regular ovulation tests at home can boost your chances of conceiving. And since it’s only a 10 or 20-dollar investment, ordering a pack of these is pretty much a no-brainer for any couple that’s serious about entering parenthood. With that said, there are plenty of brands with the same old promises of high accuracy, uncompromised safety, and reliable results.
With so many different options to choose from, it’s almost impossible to separate high-quality products from marketing gimmicks. Here’s a buying guide listing out everything you need to keep in mind to help you spend your hard-earned cash on the right pack of ovulation test strips. Keep reading!
The first green flag to look for in ovulation test strips is to check whether or not it’s approved by or registered with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). That’s because there’s nothing more frustrating than getting invalid test results. False negatives and false hopes are equally irritating, and only buying FDA-approved tests reduces those risks since the strips will have at least met certain quality standards.
Ovulation test strips from different brands and product lines can differ in sensitivity levels. While they all are designed to detect LH (luteinizing hormones) in your urine sample, some are more effective than others at doing so, even if there’s a very little amount of it. This is determined by their advertised sensitivity levels, which generally range between 10 IU/L to 40 IU/L. The lower that number, the more sensitive (and hence effective) the strip is at detecting LH levels in the sample.
The most commonly seen sensitivity level in the ovulation strip market is 25 IU/L, which is a sweet spot for finding out whether your LH levels are high enough to signify upcoming ovulation days.
Carrying out or reading ovulation and pregnancy tests with nothing but a user manual can get very confusing for an inexperienced couple trying out these tests for the first time. That’s why it’s imperative to shop from a brand that has a well-informed, helpful customer service department to help you out with all the queries and frustrations that you may run into.
Speaking of confusion and frustration — you won’t have to experience those feelings in the first place if you choose products that are easy to use. This means buying test kits that have short, easily comprehensible guides, preferably supplemented with imagery to lay out the steps in the simplest forms. There shouldn’t be any medical jargon in the paperwork as not all customers will understand it.
We recommend scrolling through online reviews to see if real-world customers found the strips easy to use or not.
If you’ve ever tried reading the results of an ovulation test, you’d know that it’s not as simple as it sounds. Strips from different brands can widely vary in the type of images they portray as results. Some rely on one or several color bands in control and/or test zones, while others distinguish negative and positive results with a single or double-line result. Some also get users to compare the darkness of the test line to that of the control line.
While all of these methods are simple enough once you get the hang of them, we’d recommend sticking to the simplest ones. Not only are they more convenient, but also make you feel more confident about having read the results correctly.
Pregmate’s Ovulation Test Strips provide an excellent way of finding out whether or not you’re ovulating. In just three simple steps, you can reach a conclusion that’s over 99% accurate depending on the surge of your LH (Luteinizing Hormone) levels. Just dip one of the strips into a cup of urine for about three to five seconds and lay it down flat. Give it five minutes and the results will be ready for your review.
If the test line is absent or lighter than the control line, it means there’s no detected LH surge. If it is darker than the control line, however, you will probably ovulate within the next 24 to 48 hours. With a high sensitivity level of 25 mIU/ml, the test will most likely be able to detect any noticeable LH surge without fail. This one pack has 50 of these strips, which means you’ll hopefully have conceived by the time it runs out! Due to this pick’s sheer simplicity and overall accuracy, it’s easily our top choice on this list overall!
Since you’re trying to track your ovulation cycle, you’re most probably trying to get pregnant. In that case, you’d eventually need some pregnancy tests as well, right? Well, iProven seems to have thought everything through with this complete kit consisting of 50 ovulation test strips and 20 pregnancy tests. With a total of 70 tests for an affordable price, these iProven Ovulation Test Strips offer the biggest bang for your buck by far — rightfully earning them the runner-up spot on this list.
The ovulation tests are also super easy to read, with a single line representing a negative outcome and a double line indicating an LH surge, which means you’ll probably ovulate soon. Both the ovulation and pregnancy tests are sensitive enough at 25 mIU/ml and can deliver quick results within three to five minutes. There’s also a 100-day stress-free return policy to keep you covered in case you don’t feel fully satisfied, even if it’s a few months down the line!
Aside from ovulation tests, you’ll also need pregnancy tests and a number of urine collection cups during your journey of trying to conceive. For that, MomMed offers this complete at-home kit to sort all your needs out. Depending on the pack size you choose, it consists of 50 or 60 LH test strips to detect and track your ovulation days, 20 home HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) pregnancy tests, as well as 70 or 80 collection cups — one for each of the tests in the package. There’s also a detailed instruction manual to guide you through the step-by-step process of each of the two tests.
Even more, there’s a time tracking chart to make it easier for you to record your menstrual cycle and ovulation days. The tests return results with an impressive accuracy rate of 99% within 10 to 15 minutes. Two visible lines indicate a positive test result and one line indicates a negative, which applies to both the ovulation and pregnancy tests. These strips are also relatively wider than others, which the company claims helps with accuracy.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on knowing the precise details about your menstrual cycle, we get you. In this case, Clinical Guard’s Ovulation Test Strips are perfect for you as they’re the most affordable pack on this list. This pick is good enough for letting you know whether or not there’s an LH surge with a sensitivity level of 25 mIU, which is on par with premium alternatives listed here. Overall, these 40 strips offer a reliable and cost-effective way of checking for an LH spike.
They will either display only one color band in the control zone and none in the test zone, indicating a negative test result. Or, you’ll see distinct color bands pop up in the test and control zones, which means you’re most likely going to ovulate in the next 24 to 36 hours. After a few days of trying to conceive during your ovulation days, you can also conduct a reliable pregnancy test with the 10 HCG strips included in this package!
Last but not least, we have the Wondfo Ovulation Test Strips. These ovulation strips are the ideal fit for customers who already know how these tests are carried out and don’t want any lengthy paperwork to get in their way. They’re one of the quickest in the market when it comes to delivering results, promising over 99% accuracy with results delivered in just three to five minutes. You just need to dip the strip in urine for three seconds and lay it flat, and you’ll either see one or two lines appear in a couple of minutes — the former representing a negative and the latter indicating a positive result. Each ovulation test strip is individually packaged, allowing you to safely carry one or two with you in your purse to be able to track your ovulation on the go.
A: After successful detection of a surge in LH, your ovulation (or fertile period) should begin within the next 24 to 36 hours.
A: Ovulation test strips actively look for the luteinizing hormone which surges right before you enter your fertile period. This hormone is present throughout the menstrual cycle, however, which is why a faint test line suggests that the test detected some LH, but it wasn’t high enough to indicate an upcoming ovulation period.
A: Yes, you can conduct an ovulation test at any time of the day using a strip. But, experts recommend doing so in the morning for more accurate results. You should also try drinking a lot of fluids for at least four hours before the test to get more precise results.
A: A standard ovulation test strip returns two lines in the result after getting dipped in urine throughout most of your cycle, but the test line remains lighter than the control line for the most part. When your body is about to ovulate, however, the test line will become just as dark as (or even darker than) the control line.
A: Not really. Ovulation test strips offer an effective, cheap, and safe way to check and track ovulation periods, providing you with the necessary intel to boost your chances of getting pregnant. Their only downside is that they’re not completely accurate.
The Mighty Moms Reviews Team’s product reviews and in-depth guides are here to help you tackle motherhood and everything that comes along with it. The content is created by The Mighty Moms Reviews Team. Mighty Moms’ editorial staff is not involved. Mighty Moms is reader-supported: When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.