When you are trying to conceive, the most important question is whether or not you are ovulating. Without ovulation, there can be no conception. Detecting ovulation can be difficult, but there are a lot of tools to help you determine if and when you are ovulating.

Fertility Signs

The cheapest method is to track your own fertility signs. In fact, learning to recognize your fertility signs is important even if you also use other methods. The best way to learn to track your ovulation signs is with a book such as Taking Charge of Your Fertility.

Tracking your fertility can include charting your basal body temperature. For this you will need a sensitive thermometer and a charting method. Simply take your temperature every morning before you move or do anything else. Over the course of a month your temperature chart will indicate whether or not you ovulated. This is far from fool-proof, but it does give a good indication of ovulation. The only catch is that it shows you after you ovulate rather than before.

Another method is to check for fertile cervical mucus. The cervix produces mucus throughout the cycle, but around the time of ovulation the mucus changes to a stringy, clear and often in copious amounts.

Finally, learning to track the position and texture of your cervix. A high, soft cervix indicates fertility around the time of ovulation. A low, hard cervix indicates that you are not currently fertile. Taking Charge of Your Fertility has extensive information about tracking all of these signs.

Ovulation Tests Strips or Ovulation Monitor

Just before a woman ovulates there is a surge in luteinizing hormone (LH). This LH surge begins approximately 48 hours before ovulation and peaks just before ovulation. Knowing you are about to ovualte maximizes your chance of conception since you can plan intercourse accordingly.

Ovulation monitors are pricy but can be easy to use. Ovulation test strips are a much more cost-effective way to test your LH levels. I found that some over the counter brands (the cheapest ones) did not work at all for me and gave me false negative tests. I used ovulation test strips from an online store and found them to be very effective.

Women with PCOS sometimes have elevated LH levels even when they are not ovulating. You'll know if this is the case if you have repeated positive tests for more than 48-72 hours.

Saliva Test

The quality of your saliva also changes around the time of ovulation. A saliva scope can help you to see the microscopic ferning that is characteristic of saliva at ovulation.

Using these methods an help you track ovulation. However, none of them prove ovuation. Only a blood test can do that. Your best bet is to use one or more of these methods to track ovulation over several months. Continue trying to conceive when you think you might be about to ovulate or have just ovulated. If after 6-12 months you have not conceived, it is time to take your results to your doctor. Showing your ovulation records to your doctor can save you time and money if fertility treatments become necessary.