Clearblue Fertility Test
The Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor is a digital home fertility test. It measures the levels of two hormones - luteinizing hormone (LH) and estrogen - in your body throughout your menstrual cycle.
What's The Difference?
The manufacturers say their product is different to any other home fertility test on the market, because:
1. It identifies not only the peak fertility days of your cycle, which occur after a surge of LH triggers the ovaries into releasing an egg (ovulation), but it also measures rising estrogen levels during the follicular stage prior to ovulation. If a woman has unprotected sex at this stage, as well as on her peak days, her chances of getting pregnant are relatively high. This is because sperm cells can live inside a woman's body for several days. Whereas other fertility tests on the market identify 1 or 2 days on which a woman should have sex, Clearblue detects up to 6 days on which her chances of conception are higher.
2. The Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor does the thinking for you. All you have to do is remember to switch it on every morning and read the information on the screen. The monitor tells you when you need to do a test and it interprets the results for you. Other fertility tests rely more on your memory and on your ability to understand the results yourself.
Using Clearblue
You start using the Clearblue monitor on day 1 of your menstrual cycle. Basically, you just switch it on and press the clearly visible "M" button beside the digital screen. This starts the monitoring process. The device sets a 6-hour window in which you must perform a urine test on the days indicated by the monitor.
Thereafter you switch the monitor on every morning. The screen will tell you whether or not a test is needed on that day. If so, you must perform the test within the 6-hour window indicated by the monitor.
To perform a test, you take a test stick (these come with the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor kit) from its packaging. The stick looks pretty similar to a pregnancy test. Using your first urine of that day (the first urine contains the highest hormone levels) hold the absorbent tip of the stick in the stream for 3 seconds. Alternatively, pee into a sterile cup and dip the tip of the stick in the urine for 15 seconds.
Keep the stick pointed downwards and remove the cap from the handle. Place the cap over the wet tip of the stick and then insert the whole stick into the designated test stick slot on the Clearblue monitoring device. The stick clicks into place. The monitor will take 5 minutes to read the results of the test.
The monitor's screen will then indicate whether your fertility is low, high, or at its peak on that day.
Does It Always Work?
The producers of the Clearblue fertility test say that it's 99% accurate in detecting LH surges. While they promote their product to women with regular and irregular menstrual cycles, they do say that it's MOST suitable for women whose cycles last between 21 and 42 days. They also recommend waiting for 2 natural cycles to pass after a pregnancy before using their product. Certain medications and medical conditions can also interfere with its performance.
Our Advice
Read the manufacturer's instructions carefully before investing in this product. You may benefit from speaking to your doctor about your particular fertility status before using the Clearblue monitor.
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