New-Fangled Prediction Methods

You may never have suspected that getting pregnant would prove so difficult. You thought that making the decision to conceive would be the hard part. But as the months dragged on and you got your period once again, you realized that this getting pregnant business was going to be a bit of a challenge.

High Rate

At least you're not alone. Today's couples have a very high rate of infertility. But the picture's not as black as it seems: couples have many hi-tech solutions to aid them in their quest for a baby.

One example of technology overcoming infertility can be found in those state of the art ovulation prediction kits. They're not cheap, but the best of the bunch have a high rating for accuracy and may be just the thing to get you over that baby-making hump.

Ovulation predictor kits (OPK) are useful mid-cycle, when you are liable to ovulate. These kits can assess the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine so you can determine the date of ovulation. The levels of LH spike in the 36 hours prior to ovulation. Once the test displays this hormone spike you can begin having unprotected sex, beginning with the day you see the spike, and then two days later (skipping a day in between). This should ensure that you and your partner are at the peak of your fertility.

Salty Spit

Your saliva also undergoes changes during ovulation. Some women find it helpful to purchase an ovulation microscope which they can use to identify the time they will be most fertile. As a woman nears ovulation, her levels of estrogen rise and this causes the saliva to become salty. If you should take saliva samples and view them under a microscope, you will be able to see the structural changes that come with ovulation. The saliva will begin to form salt crystals.

The best way to use your saliva as an ovulation predictor is to take a sample of saliva on awakening and before you drink, eat, or brush your teeth. This is done by swabbing the tongue. You can then take a look at your sample through the lens of the microscope.

If you want to try this method, you'll need to be vigilant about recording your results each day. The changes will be very gradual, unlike the sudden spike you might see when using LH as a predictor. But if you are faithful about gathering samples, viewing them, and charting your results, you should be able to generate a good working chart over several months' time. This method is most useful for women whose menstrual cycles are irregular. You should be able, at some point, to predict when you will next ovulate with some measure of accuracy.

You can improve the chances that either of these two methods will work by using them at the same time. By drawing on more than one piece of predictive information, you raise the chances of getting an accurate idea of when you will ovulate. That means you're getting ever closer to getting pregnant!