Fertility Monitors

According to the February issue of Fertility and Sterility from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, using an ovulation monitor to achieve pregnancy will dramatically increase a woman's chance of having a baby, if used for two cycles.

A woman usually only has a few days per month when it is possible for her to get pregnant and that is during ovulation - when the ovaries release an egg into the womb. The rest of the month there is only about a 5% chance of attaining a pregnancy.

The study only tested the Clearblue(R) fertility monitor and a group of women who did not use a monitor, and did not investigate other types of monitors or ovulation tests, so it may have produced a bias, but it is still an encouraging survey.

23% of women in the study got pregnant after the first two months of trying, compared to only 14% of women who didn't use the monitor, which means that more than a third more women got pregnant using the monitor.

The test works by detecting the hormones estrogen (E3G) and luteinizing hormone (LH) to identify when the woman is most fertile. Other ovulation monitors usually detect two days in which a woman is highly fertile, where she should have intercourse to attain the greatest chance of conception. However, the new Clearblue (R) monitor can detect six days where she is more fertile, giving her more of an opportunity to get pregnant.

Dr. Jayne Ellis said,

'This study offers conclusive scientific evidence that The Clearblue(R) Easy Fertility Monitor aids in the conception process by helping women accurately determine their fertile days.'

One of the major negative points of this study is that it appears to have been conducted by Inverness Medical Innovations Inc - the manufacturer of Clearblue pregnancy products. The study therefore cannot be taken as independent since they are making money from the product. It may be an attempt at advertising the product, however, it may be worth trying if you are in the first year of trying to start a family, or if your infertility is unexplained.

Other means of monitoring fertile days including taking your temperature daily, taking notice of your vaginal discharge (during ovulation there will be more discharge than the rest of the month) and listening to your body. If you are in the mood for romance, chances are, you're ovulating. A woman's sex drive greatly increases around the time of ovulation.

For most healthy couples, it can take several months of unprotected sex to get pregnant, but 85% of couples will have conceived within the first 6 months of trying. If it's been a year or more and you still aren't pregnant, your doctor can do some blood tests to check if you're ovulating.

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds