Ovulation Tests: how to find out whether you are ovulating

Before even knowing what ovulation tests are, one must have the basic knowledge of what ovulation is about. It is a process that takes place in a woman's menstrual cycle by virtue of which a mature ovarian follicle bursts open and expels an ovum or egg.

Ovulation tests are ideal for women who are trying to fall pregnant. Ovulation tests provide women with the information needed to help her time when is the best opportunity to conceive.

A woman's monthly cycle is divided into four phases of which ovulation is the shortest yet the most important especially for those who are willing to have a baby and those who are not. Ovulation occurs on the 14th day of a 28-day menstrual cycle and lasts for a maximum of 72 hours. There are a number of ways to discover when you are ovulating. As your reproduction organs approach the ovulating process, the blood supply to the ovaries takes a rapid toll and the ligaments contract. The fallopian tube in the process is pulled and the egg is given space to release so that it finds its way to the tube. Just before the ovulation period starts, a woman's cervix or the neckline that opens to the uterus, secrets fertile mucous that can easily be subjected to stretching.

A woman can use two of her fingers to take a sample from the vagina and examine the mucous by trying to break it apart by spreading. If the mucous is thick and creamy in color and easily breaks apart by the process of stretching, then the woman is not ovulating. If the mucous is egg white in color and is very thin thereby allowing you to break it apart easily, indicates that you are about to ovulate. Another way is by maintaining an ovulation cycle to keep a record of the first day you ovulated. Even when you might have different dates for periods the day of ovulation remains the same every month. Another method is by checking one body temperature. This method can be employed only by those women who have a regular thirty day menstrual cycle. It involves the use of a thermometer for checking the temperature. Alternatively women can purchase ovulation tests.

On the first day of your menstrual cycle, take your body temperature and record the time in the calendar. Do the same every morning before getting up from the bed. The body temperature rises with the advent of ovulation. The next two days should indicate an even higher body temperature. By the time the temperature drops, it will be time for the cycle to start again. To make things easy for testing the time of ovulation, various ovulation kits are available in the market at affordable prices.

An ovulation tests kit gives you a better understanding of the monthly cycles. It reacts only to the Luteinizing hormone that the body releases at the time of or before ovulation. The level of the LH hormone is high just before the ovulation starts and keeps fluctuating. Sometimes the ovulation gets delayed as a result of various complications like stress, heavy physical activity, illness and medication. When the menstrual cycle starts late, it is actually the ovulation that is delayed and not the menstrual cycle. Ovulation tests are a handy tool for women who are trying to fall preganat.