Learn the Pros and Cons of Ovulation Prediction Kits

To many women Ovulation Prediction Kits, or OPKs, are one of the best inventions ever made next to the home pregnancy test. These women swear by the effectiveness of OPKs in helping them pinpoint ovulation, which results in an increased pregnancy success rate. Before you decide to spend the money on OPKs, know what the pros and cons of these tests are and decide for yourself if they will really help you and your situation.

One of the biggest pros of OPKs is that they can be easily done in the privacy of your own home. You just go into the bathroom, read and follow the test's directions, and wait for the results of the test. Simple. But this leads us to one of their cons too. Because you don't want to use first morning urine, you won't always be able to test at home, and will have to do the test at work, every day until you get a positive result, at the same time. People where you work may start to ask questions that you don't want to answer.

Another pro of OPKs is that when compared to fertility monitors, they are inexpensive. Most grocery and drug stores as well as major retailers like Wal-Mart and K-Mart will carry a few brands of OPKs for you to choose from. So a monthly investment of between $10 and $30 should be expected. The con of using OPKs when compared to fertility monitors is that most kits only have 5 test strips, and most women will need between 6 and 12 strips for each cycle. The longer your cycles are, the more tests you should expect to use.

The last pro that we will discuss is that OPKs are an easy way to predict ovulation and your most fertile time. Being able to predict ovulation and therefore properly time intercourse to your most fertile window, you increase your chances of getting pregnant quickly. The con to this, and it is a big one ladies, is that while OPKs can tell you that you are getting ready to ovulate, it can't and won't tell you that you actually did ovulate. So all of the testing and preparation and timing won't make a difference at all since you cannot confirm if did or didn't ovulate until the end of the cycle and either get your period or a positive pregnancy test.

If you have regular cycles that are between 24 and 36 days, don't mind spending between $10 and $30 a month on test strips, and either will be able to test at home, or can easily test at work, then OPKs might be just what you need to increase your chances of conceiving quickly. If you have irregular cycles, or really long cycles, are strapped for cash every month, and testing at work is not an option, then OPKs will not work for you, and other methods of ovulation prediction should be looked into.

All information contained in this web site is for informational purposes only.
Do not consider the information herein to be of a diagnostic nature.
Always consult your health care professional if you have any health concerns.