A fertility monitor (also called ovulation monitor, ovulation microscope, fertility microscope, saliva monitor, saliva microscope) is a device that alerts to impending or actual ovulation - The monitor requires samples of saliva, urine or cervical fluid to run the test. There are many different brands and types of fertility monitors with a cost ranging from around $20 to $400.
| • Trying to become pregnant | • To determine whether you're ovulating |
| • Trying to avoid pregnancy | • To enhance awareness of your menstrual cycles |
The fertility monitor should be used around the days of the menstrual cycle when a woman can conceive:
Thus, there are about 6 days per month that a woman can conceive (3 days prior to fertility, and 3 days of fertility).
The Fertile-Focus®- hand-held mini-magnification lens
OvaCue - high-tech, higher priced, electrolyte fertility monitor
The Fertile-Focus®is about the size and shape of a lipstick holder and sells for about $28 ( 9/2018) on amazon.com
The Fertile-Focus® (by Fairhaven) is a simple tool to make it easy to examine saliva to check for crystalline patterns indicating hormonal changes -
| Pattern in Saliva just Prior to and During Fertile Days |
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It is scientifically well established that hormones filter into saliva - and that: - Just Prior to and During fertility - a fern pattern can be seen in saliva under a high powered magnification lens. - During non-fertile days -only random and shapeless dots will be visible. |
If you want to check whether you may be fertile, you simply:
1. Make sure you haven't smoked, taken medication or had anything to eat or drink for 2 hours - It is best to use it at the same time every day;
2. Using fingertip put a small amount of saliva on the slide - and allow it to dry ( 5-7 minutes);
3. Insert the slide into the magnification lens and push a little button - to illuminate the sample.
If you are just about to become fertile or if you are fertile, you will easily see a beautiful crystalline fern pattern under the magnification lens (see below "Analysis of Saliva - Detection of Fertility") - This is an easy and convenient way for you to monitor your hormonal changes and enhance your awareness of your menstrual cycle. If you track your cycles and fertility on a calendar, soon you will have a keen awareness of where you are in your monthly cycle, and what is happening hormonally in your body.
Identifies Cycles When there has been no Ovulation. Cycle awareness can be especially helpful for women who tend to have anovulatory cycles (no ovulation occurs and thus there is infertility, and no Progesterone is produced). If you know that you haven't ovulated in any given cycle, and thus your ovary won't be producing Progesterone, you can then supplement with Progesterone that month and avoid estrogen dominance symptoms such as PM
| Analysis of Saliva - Detection of Fertility | ||||||
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"Fern" structures start 3-4 days before ovulation and end 2-3 days after ovulation occurs - The fertile period lasts less than one week. In addition to clearly "dotted" or "fern" patterns, the saliva sample may appear to be a combination of the two images. This is called a "transition" pattern. During this period, it may be possible that the woman is fertile. If you do not become pregnant during the indicated periods and wish to become pregnant, it is recommended that you consult a physician. Refer to the following for interpretation of saliva specimens:
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WARNING The quality of saliva specimen may be affected by smoking, alcohol consumption, medications, or food consumption - Wait until 2 hours after smoking, eating, drinking or taking medications. |
The Fair Haven Health OvaCue™ fertility monitor (by Zetec) uses a patented method to measure the electrolytes in both the saliva and cervical fluid (if you have purchased the cervical accessory) to determine what point the fertility cycle is in.
| Note on Vaginal Reading (VR in graph) |
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A few days after the Cue Peak, the luteinizing hormone (LH) in the blood increases and decreases very sharply over a period of 24 hours (the LH surge). As LH reaches its peak in the blood, there is a definite change in the reproductive tract which can be measured by the Cue vaginal sensor. Mucus secretion increases, and the electrolyte content of the mucus changes. This change causes a sharp, clear drop and increase in these readings. It is this lowest level reading and subsequent rise that the Cue uses to confirm ovulation." The vaginal sensor alerts to ovulation a day or two before (with the "VR Low") and again on the day of ovulation (with the "VR Rise"). You will not see the vaginal sensor alert unless you are definitely ovulating. The ability to predict ovulation up to a week in advance and then definitely confirm ovulation as it happens makes this monitor superior to all the other brands. It gives a long enough advance warning about ovulation, and then actually confirms ovulation right before and during. |
