Fertility In the Palm of Your Hand by David Constantine Fertility monitors and ovulation prediction kits help prospective parents beat the birds and the bees print article      send to a friend

Ovulation is the key period for those who wish to conceive.  The best chance to get pregnant occurs from 72 hours before ovulation to 24 hours after.  If fertilization does not occur, the egg will not survive longer than 24 hours, and pregnancy becomes impossible. 

A Palm Pilot for the Uterus

The Clearplan Easy Fertility Monitor is a new palm-sized electronic system that accurately identifies a woman's most fertile days.  The Fertility Monitor displays a woman's personal daily fertility level based on results from urine tests.  The monitor can identify up to six fertile days a month in most women.  On the market since March 1999, makers of the Clearplan monitor claim that it has helped an amazing 90% of its users to become pregnant within three months.  "Basically, a woman turns it on the first day of her menstrual cycle and then all she has to do is turn it on in the morning and wait for any instructions.  Ten mornings a month she will take a urine test and that's how it reads the hormonal changes," says Patricia Nasshorn, President of Unipath Diagnostics Company, the creator of the monitor.  "It is basically a fertility palm pilot. The instructions are clear and it gives you a crystal clear display of the results."

Clearplan Easy Fertility Monitor

"It is basically a fertility palm pilot. The instructions are clear and it gives you a crystal clear display of the results." - Patricia Nasshorn, President, Unipath Diagnostics

To test, the hopeful mom holds a disposable test stick in her urine stream for three seconds.  She then inserts the test stick into the fertility monitor.  The monitor reads the stick and interprets the hormone levels in her urine and the fertility status for that day is displayed. 

The Clearplan Easy Fertility Monitor is available in stores and on the Internet, and does not require a prescription.  The monitor and 20 disposable urine test sticks cost about $200.  Thirty extra test sticks may be had for around $50.   The monitor will last for years.  "It is good for anyone who would like to plan their family.  For example, a woman who is a teacher and wants to have a baby in the summer, or just people who want to time their pregnancies," says Nasshorn.

Fertile Alternatives

A cheaper alternative for prospective parents is an Ovulation Prediction Kit (OPK).  OPKs are available at most drugstores and some grocery stores and they do not require a prescription.  They are usually very easy to use and understand.  Whereas fertility monitors are digital devices, OPKs are simple plastic devices that require a little more effort and are less accurate.  Economically, OPKs may be preferable to fertility monitors for young couples with no history of fertility problems. 

OPKs work by detecting a rise in the LH (Luteinizing Hormone) levels of the female. (A surge of LH causes ovulation.)  Small amounts of LH are always present in the body, but just prior to ovulation there is an increase. This surge can last for up to 3 days. The surge precedes ovulation by about 24 hours and can be detected in the urine 8-12 hours following the increase. The best time to test for the LH spike that precedes ovulation is 2 pm.  You should test at the same time every day for accuracy. 

A Look at Ovulation Prediction Kits

An OPK should be used once a woman is familiar with  the duration of her cycle and has a reasonable idea of when she may ovulate. 

New technologies and innovations of existing fertility aids are becoming increasingly available to the public everyday.  Fertility monitors and other aids are not only making it easier to conceive, but are also taking out a lot of the work (taking temperatures, scribbling notes, marking calendars) out of it.  As a result, making babies is becoming fun again for many couples.