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{In no situation do we ever recommend that fertility diagnosis or treatment be undertaken without the oversight of a qualified medical practitioner. Please use the enclosed information as quick reference and for discussion aids with your practitioner.}

Let's continue our overview of ovulation prediction methods:

OPK's, Microscopes, & Other Devices

Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPK):

The most commonly used device for predicting ovulation, OPK's are usually recommended by fertility specialists (who often also suggest their preferred brandnames), particularly during treatment cycles (term referring to any cycle in which conception is attempted using fertility drugs or procedures). As most fertility patients can attest, there are pros and cons to using OPK's, including cost due to the disposable nature of the kits.

OPK's work by detecting levels of luteinizing hormones (LH) in your urine. Once LH is detected, it is assumed that ovulation will occur soon, so conception efforts should then commence.

Ferning Microscopes:

Not as widely known, ferning scopes have been in use for many years by a smaller population of folks. "Ferning" refers to a microscopic pattern which emerges in both saliva and cervical mucus during specific times of the ovulation cycle. In order to view this pattern, one must slip a small sample of either fluid onto a special microscope. Since the scopes are infinitely re-usable, this can be a more cost-effective means of observing fertility patterns.

For more details, see:

Am I Ovulating?: OPK's

Am I Ovulating?: Other Devices

Fertility Monitors:

Unipath introduced the first round-the-cycle fertility monitor (ClearPlan) a few years ago, and there is some debate on its benefits. Unipath claims that its major benefit is ClearPlan's ability to indicate fertility earlier in the cycle, theoretically allowing the woman knowledge of more days in which she is fertile.

The primary differences between the monitor and OPK's (some of which are also made by Unipath) are the monitor's cost (around US$200), and that you use it more often in a cycle, rather than only during the few days when one is expecting ovulation.

ClearPlan's monitor appears to be most beneficial to people of at least average fertility (only women with natural monthly cycles between 21 and 42 days can use it), and there are certain conditions which make use of the monitor ineffective, specifically:

• menopausal symptoms
• breast feeding
• impaired liver or kidney function
• polycystic ovarian syndrome
• antibiotics containing tetracyclines (but not oxytetracycline or doxycycline)
• treatments that affect a woman's cycle (for example: hormonal contraception, certain fertility treatments and hormone replacement therapy)

For a lighter-side look at fertility monitors, see:

Fertility to the Highest Bidder?

More On Ovulation Prediction >

• Calendar Method & Basal Body Temp (BBT) 1
• More Sympto-Thermal Methods 2
• Ovulation Tracking Software & Calculators 4