Ovulation predictors have been out on the market for several years now. Most of the time, ovulation predictor kits (also known as OPKs) consist of urine-based test strips that check for a surge in Luteinizing Hormone (also known as LH) that generally occurs just prior to ovulation. In recent years, there have been some other sorts of ovulation predictors that have become available. One of the most intriguing types of these ovulation predictors are saliva-based ovulation predictors.

Saliva-based ovulation predictors, unlike urine-based ovulation predictors, check for the levels of estrogen that are present in a woman’s body by allowing her to examine her saliva. Saliva-based ovulation predictors are, in essence, small portable microscopes. A woman who wants to predict whether she is about to ovulate simply places some saliva on a test slide and then lets it dry. When there are high levels of estrogen in a woman’s saliva, the saliva will go through a process known as saliva ferning. When this occurs, patterns or “ferns” will form in the dried saliva. These patterns resemble frost on a window pane. The woman simply looks through the microscope at the slide in order to look for these ferns. If there are ferns present, she is about to ovulate within the next two days or so. If there are not ferns, she is not about to ovulate.

Saliva-based ovulation predictors work about 98% of the time, according to manufacturers. Having said that, it is imperative that the saliva-based ovulation predictors are used exactly as the instructions indicate. Not following the instructions correctly can cause you to get an incorrect result. There are also some other things, such as pregnancy, menopause, recently discontinued birth control medications, or estrogen supplements that can interfere with the results of a saliva-based ovulation predictors.

There are some variations of saliva-based ovulation predictors. Some use stronger microscopes, for example. Some come with a number of test slides, so that you can compare your results from one day to the next day.

This entry was posted in Getting Pregnant.