Saliva Ovulation Kits

Jolie, BSN · Aug 26, 2004

I am not familiar with this kind of test kit, only the urine ovulation kits which detect the LH surge that precedes ovulation. If I remember my reproductive endocrinology correctly, the predominant hormone in the second half of the cycle is progesterone, not estrogen, so I'm not sure what your kit is really detecting. What do you mean by crystalization? Is that the appearance of the test that indicates ovulation? If so, why would you continue to test for it once it has been detected in your cycle?

If your period is overdue, then why not take a home pregnancy test? If it is negative, I would recommend contacting your OB or midwife for information and advice. Are you using this kit on the recommendation of your healthcare provider? If so, then he/she needs to explain it better to you. If you are trying to increase your odds of conceiving on your own, then you need to find a kit that is easy to understand and use.

Either way, good luck to you!

limondji · Aug 26, 2004

Thanks for the response. This is a different kind of ovulation predictor test. I was under the impression it was estrogen and progesterone whenever you are going to ovulate. Anyway, click on the link to see what kit I'm taking about. www.ovatel.com.

limondji

mitchsmom · Aug 30, 2004

I can't really answer your question... but I have tried out the ferning thing just to see how it worked. Isn't it fascinating? The chrystals you see are actually the chrystalization of salts that are increased when estrogens are increased in your body. Jolie, since ferning of your saliva or cervical fluid under a microscope indicates the ovulatory phase, one would continue monitor it until the ferning disappears. Then you'd know you are safe for pregnancy free sex, or conversely, that you are done with your fertile phase if you are *trying* to acheive pregnancy. Or maybe this poster continued testing because the first time she showed ferning for less than the expected number of days.

Here is another page with one of these products, that gives a fair amount of details about the method:

http://www.craigmedical.com/ovulation_saliva.htm

limondji, you said you think you ovulated 4 days after your cycle? Just curious how long your period is? As you probably know, 14 days after the first day of your period is the average day for ovulation (of course it varies from person to person). There are just a lot of variable to consider. Are you coming back to fertility after having a baby or breastfeeding? Many times we have several "false starts" during that time when our bodies work themselves back into fertility.

Personally, I'd look around and still try to find someone familiar with this method to answer your questions. Have you tried the ovusoft forums?

http://www.ovusoft.com/forum/Default.asp?cookieCheck=346735716

That's the website for the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Look up the reviews on Amazon. I was going to recommend reading that book if you haven't already.. it will teach you other signals that your body gives through your cycle, and it will probably help you unravel what's going on. Your body gives several other signs of ovulation besides the ferning, so you could use those signs as a back up until you have the routine of the ferning microscope more down pat. Anyhow, the author, Toni Weschler, shows a picture of the ferning in the book, maybe she is on those forums or maybe someone else is that could help you. She is also the "fertility expert" at parentsplace.com, where there is a lot of information:

http://www.parentsplace.com/expert/fertility

You could also try to email or call the manufacturer of the tester at Ovatel.

My anatomy book shows estrogen at 4 weeks pregnancy (when you would normally start your period) as slightly higher than during ovulation (2 weeks into your cycle). The chart isn't super detailed, but that's what it looks like. Do the instructions with your tester say anything about ferning during pregnancy (like whether you could also use it as a pregnancy test?).

I guess by now you have probably gotten your period or gotten a positive pregnancy test. I hope things are working out for you! Let us know what's going on/ if you figured it out... I'd be curious to hear. Best wishes!

limondji · Sep 1, 2004

Thank you so much for all the link information.

My period is very irregular and never starts at the same time each month. They are however, equally long at about 6-7 days. The day after my period ends, I start to see some ferning which means I could ovulate within 3-4 days. This puts my ovulation date on the 10th or 11th day. My last period was on 8/5/04 so I havn't missed my period yet, but like I said, I don't really know when to expect it! The month before I had my period on 6/26/04. So I am really confused about the way my body works. I had a baby about 4 1/2 yrs ago so it hasn't been recent. I am trying this "ferning method" for a few months to see if that will help since my period is so irregular but if it doesn't work, I will go see a fertility specialist. Not many people know about the Saliva Kits so it was really great to talk to someone who is familar with it.

Thanks again for all of your info and I will keep you posted to whether I am pregnant or not.

PS. On the FAQ for this product, it does state that if you see ferning all the time you could either be producing high amounts of estrogen each month due to a lack of progesteron or you are pregnant! I'm just trying to figure out which one I may be!

Thanks again!

limondji:p

I can't really answer your question... but I have tried out the ferning thing just to see how it worked. Isn't it fascinating? The chrystals you see are actually the chrystalization of salts that are increased when estrogens are increased in your body. Jolie, since ferning of your saliva or cervical fluid under a microscope indicates the ovulatory phase, one would continue monitor it until the ferning disappears. Then you'd know you are safe for pregnancy free sex, or conversely, that you are done with your fertile phase if you are *trying* to acheive pregnancy. Or maybe this poster continued testing because the first time she showed ferning for less than the expected number of days.
Here is another page with one of these products, that gives a fair amount of details about the method:
http://www.craigmedical.com/ovulation_saliva.htm
limondji, you said you think you ovulated 4 days after your cycle? Just curious how long your period is? As you probably know, 14 days after the first day of your period is the average day for ovulation (of course it varies from person to person). There are just a lot of variable to consider. Are you coming back to fertility after having a baby or breastfeeding? Many times we have several "false starts" during that time when our bodies work themselves back into fertility.
Personally, I'd look around and still try to find someone familiar with this method to answer your questions. Have you tried the ovusoft forums?
http://www.ovusoft.com/forum/Default.asp?cookieCheck=346735716
That's the website for the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Look up the reviews on Amazon. I was going to recommend reading that book if you haven't already.. it will teach you other signals that your body gives through your cycle, and it will probably help you unravel what's going on. Your body gives several other signs of ovulation besides the ferning, so you could use those signs as a back up until you have the routine of the ferning microscope more down pat. Anyhow, the author, Toni Weschler, shows a picture of the ferning in the book, maybe she is on those forums or maybe someone else is that could help you. She is also the "fertility expert" at parentsplace.com, where there is a lot of information:
http://www.parentsplace.com/expert/fertility
You could also try to email or call the manufacturer of the tester at Ovatel.
My anatomy book shows estrogen at 4 weeks pregnancy (when you would normally start your period) as slightly higher than during ovulation (2 weeks into your cycle). The chart isn't super detailed, but that's what it looks like. Do the instructions with your tester say anything about ferning during pregnancy (like whether you could also use it as a pregnancy test?).
I guess by now you have probably gotten your period or gotten a positive pregnancy test. I hope things are working out for you! Let us know what's going on/ if you figured it out... I'd be curious to hear. Best wishes!

mitchsmom · Sep 2, 2004

You're welcome and good luck!

Again, I would strongly recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility, especially if your cycle is irregular. You'll understand your body and your cycles a LOT more and you'll have additional signs to go by until you are more comfortable.

Best wishes, I hope things go your way :)

Here's the Amazon link for that book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060937645/qid=1094128087/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-7998930-7748761?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

kar212 · Sep 6, 2004

Hello there! I was just going to recommend "Taking Charge of Your Fertility", but I see that others have beat me to it. It's excellent!

I also use www.fertilityfriend.com . You can do all your charting on this site. It's very informative. I'm charting my cycles, and I was relieved to learn that I AM ovulating.

Good luck! :rolleyes: