Sometimes known as ovulation predictor kits, an ovulation kit helps you narrow down what days you ovulate each month. Available from your local pharmacy, grocery stores, and online, they test the levels of the luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine, which greatly increase in the couple of days before you ovulate.

Since you are at your most fertile on the days surrounding ovulation, having an ovulation kit to tell you exactly when those days are is an invaluable tool in your baby-making arsenal. Having intercourse on those particular days gives you the best chance of a successful conception.

Advantages

• You can schedule the best times to have sex with your partner. While that may not sound like the most romantic idea, it is a very real problem for couples working conflicting hours or those who travel away from home a lot.
• Some women relish the chance to understand their cycle more clearly, particularly if they have been trying to get pregnant for a while.

Disadvantages

• Many specialists warn that the stress caused by fixating on your fertility can be counterproductive.
• Using an ovulation kit to determine when to have sex with your partner can take all the fun out of the process, be seen as offensive, and put undue pressure on both parties to perform.

How to Use an Ovulation Kit

Although ovulation kits are all a little different, they have the same goal -- to pinpoint exactly when ovulation occurs. The kits usually come with a stick that you should direct a flow of urine onto, or put into a cup containing fresh urine. After a few minutes, you'll be able to read the results, as per the instructions given in the kit. Some ovulation kits also test your estrogen levels -- the benefit of these tests is that you can determine your SIX most fertile days, instead of just two.

The best idea is to save your sticks for the few days leading up to ovulation, say five days or so before, because that's when your LH levels will be peaking. To get the most accurate readings, take the tests at the same time every day.

How Do I Start?

You will be most successful with these kits if you have already been tracking the length of your cycle for a few months prior, but generally women ovulate about two weeks before their next period begins. Take your first test five days before this date. If you have irregular periods and can't establish ovulation dates, try testing from the tenth day of your period. Based on the results you get the first month of using ovulation kits, you can decide whether to begin next month's tests a little earlier or later.