There are many different types of OPKs (ovulation predictor kits) on the market and those who test regularly will have their “favourites”. But which are the best ovulation tests?
Many women spend hours looking on the internet for reviews of ovulation test kits in order to try and find the best ovulation predictor kit for them. It shouldn’t be that hard to find the best ovulation test. More than anything, the secret with ovulation tests is to make sure you know how and when to use them for best results.
Which Are the Best Ovulation Test Kits?
A popular choice with many women are the ovulation test kits offered on zoombaby.co.uk. They are very cheap, and you can purchase them in a bundle with pregnancy tests. Many women prefer these easy to read tests as they are inexpensive enough to allow them to test more than once a day, meaning that they will be unlikely to miss the all important surge in LH, which indicates that they are about to ovulate.
Zoom Baby test strips will need to be dipped in urine, so it’s always a good idea to have some small disposable cups handy.
Size is Important!
One very important thing to look out for when using strip-type tests is the width of the actual tests. Some very cheap tests that can be found on the internet have only been found to be 2.5mm wide. This is very thin and probably not wide enough for proper testing and interpretation of results. Always choose a wide test for optimum readability of results. Zoom Baby tests are never less than 3.5mm wide. This larger width is what you will need to look for.
Digital Ovulation Tests
Many women also like the Clearblue Easy Digital Ovulation Test. This type of ovulation test has a smiley face for positive, and an open circle for negative. Those are obviously the easiest to read, but work out a lot more expensive that the traditional dip type ovulation test kits.
The best advice we can give is go with the one that you feel more comfortable with and which you can afford. Remember, the more expensive tests that are advertised on television are not necessarily any better than some of the cheaper tests you can buy at specialist websites such as zoombaby.co.uk.
Many people prefer the cheaper dip tests as they like to see the lines versus the smiley faces. The appearance of the lines also allows them to more likely predict when the positive will arrive. It’s at this stage that they will start testing twice a day to make sure they catch the right moment.
A couple bits of advice in regards to using Ovulation Predictor Kits:
- never use ovulation tests with first morning urine. You won’t get an accurate result this way. This is because LH (the hormone detected on OPKs) doesn’t surge until later in the day.
- Try not to go for a wee for about 3-4 hours (at least) before using your ovulation tests.
- once the test line starts to appear and becomes more than ‘barely noticeable’, it is always good idea to start testing twice a day. This is because you normally ovulate 12-36 hours after getting a positive result on the ovulation test, so if you are only testing once a day, it may be possible that you’d miss seeing a positive. If you do choose to test twice a day, try to test once in the late morning and once in the late afternoon or evening.
- remember–an OPK is only positive when the test line is darker than the control line
- choose a wider Ovulation Test for easier reading of results
Photo Credit: “ClearBlue Ovulation Test. 9/2014 by Mike” (CC BY 2.0) by JeepersMedia
This post has been updated since its original publication in 2013.
