The Use of Ovulation Kits

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Barbara Nesbitt: "Hi, I'm Barbara Nesbitt and I'm here in Toronto, Canada, at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Jane Fredrick from Laguna Hills, California. Good morning."

Dr. Frederick: "Hi Barbara, how are you?"

Barbara Nesbitt: "Fine, thank you, and you are going to tell us about ovulation testing?"

Dr. Frederick: "Yes, ovulation kits are something that I've been using for the last ten years in my practice. I've found them very helpful in terms of trying to predict when a patient is ovulating. As you know, it's very important to have the timing of the cycle down so that the patient can get pregnant easier. One way to do that is to utilize an ovulation kit, and basically, the patient will be followed by a physician - usually a reproductive endocrinologist. It's very important to know if there's a follicle on the ovary that's forming, and then I would instruct the patient to go home and start an ovulation kit at the right time of her cycle. Now, this is something that she would do at home, and in the evenings, preferably. They send the ovulation kit, and you'll know when the patient's going to ovulate."

Barbara Nesbitt: "But when you said at the right time of the cycle, tell me... how do you find out or figure out when the right time of that cycle is?"

Dr. Frederick: "If the patient has a normal 28-day cycle, most patients will ovulate around mid-cycle, or day 14. But usually the ovulation kit is a tool, and it's used in conjunction with the physician who's monitoring the patient and doing ultrasounds on the ovary to find out when the follicle is ready. So you combine that tool with the ultrasound to help the patient know when she's ovulating."

Barbara Nesbitt: "Say I'm the patient and you have suggested that I use this procedure to help me to have a child. Do I need a prescription to buy this, or how do I get it? How do I use it? Is it a one-time deal, or what is it?"

Dr. Frederick: "The ovulation kit is actually available over the counter or through prescription from the physician that's ordering it. It's a very easy tool. We can train the patients in the office on how to use it. It's a type of kit where you measure urine."

Barbara Nesbitt: "OK, so it's urine."

Dr. Frederick: "It's a urine test."

Barbara Nesbitt: "Not mucus or something?"

Dr. Frederick: "No, we actually do have them test the urine, and the urine will tell when the patient is having an ovulation."

Barbara Nesbitt: "That's wonderful. So then what's their next step? Have sexual intercourse during a series of days, or what?"

Dr. Frederick: "At that time the patient will call the office, and she'll know when the ovulation kit is positive. It's the correct time to have intercourse, or come back in for inseminations. Usually the doctor will advise which treatment is appropriate."

Barbara Nesbitt: "So the intercourse would be for the first stages, but when that hasn't worked, then you're into actually doing inseminations?"

Dr. Frederick: "Yes, inseminations would be a more aggressive step in terms of trying to help that patient get pregnant."

Barbara Nesbitt: "Approximately how many months would one use this?"

Dr. Frederick: "The ovulation kit comes in six- or nine-day kits, and usually patients will use it for one to two months."

Barbara Nesbitt: "Thank you very much, Dr. Fredrick."

Dr. Frederick: "Thank you, Barbara."