Should you use first morning urine for ovulation test

Q: When should I test my urine for ovulation test?

To get the most accurate reading, youll want to: Use an ovulation test strip between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Most women have a surge in LH in the morning, and those levels can be picked up in your urine about four hours later.

Q: What should you not do before an ovulation test?

Its better to do the tests twice a day. Dont take the test during your first pee of the morning. Before taking a test, dont drink a lot of water (this can dilute the test). Make sure not to urinate for about four hours before taking the test.

Table of Contents Show

Why do I need ovulation tests in the first place?
What is the best time of day to take an ovulation test?
Chances of getting pregnant each day
What else can affect ovulation test results?
Is morning pee okay for LH test?
When should I test my urine for ovulation test?
What should you not do before an ovulation test?
What time of day does LH peak in urine?

July 6, 2021

Disclaimer: Not all ovulation tests are the same. This article highlights the most common mistakes specifically for Ovry Ovulation Tests.

Mistake #1: Using the first urine of the day. Unlike pregnancy tests, Ovry Ovulation Tests should not be used with your first morning pee. For the best results, test between 10am-8pm. For the most consistent and accurate comparisons from day to day, try testing at the same time every day.

Mistake #2: Testing too late in your cycle and missing your LH surge. For the best results with Ovry Ovulation Tests, we recommend using our Ovulation Calculator. In just a couple clicks, the calculator will tell you the best day to start tracking. If you’re still not having luck, we recommend testing twice a day, at 10am and 6pm. Some people have very short LH surges which can be missed if testing only once a day.

Mistake #3: Interpreting the results too early or too late. The best time to read Ovry Ovulation Test results is 10-20 minutes after the test has been performed. Reading the results earlier than 10 minutes may not give the test enough time to fully react. Waiting longer than 30 minutes can make the results more difficult to interpret because the urine might backflow into the test area and the lines often get fainter as the test dries out.

Mistake #4: Drinking lots of liquid before taking a test. If there is too much liquid in your system when you perform an ovulation test, the concentration of luteinizing hormone in your urine can be too diluted, which may lead to a negative test result during ovulation. For the best results, we recommend limiting liquid intake for 2 hours before taking an Ovry Ovulation Test.

Mistake #5: For those trying to conceive, one big mistake can be waiting to get the darkest possible test line even after receiving a positive test result. Ovry Ovulation Tests return a positive result when the test line is the same colour or darker than the control line. Some people try to wait for the darkest possible test line to appear before getting busy, but doing so might actually be decreasing your chances of getting pregnant since the egg is only available for conception for up to 24 hours.

OBGYN and fertility expert Dr. Gleaton breaks down how the time of day might affect the accuracy of your ovulation test.

By Dr. Kenosha Gleaton

If you’re trying to get pregnant, you’re likely going to start using ovulation tests. Fortunately, these jargon-free instructions make them easy to use, taking out the guesswork and increasing your chances of conceiving.

Why do I need ovulation tests in the first place?

Ovulation tests are extremely helpful when you’re trying to get pregnant, as they can predict when you (you guessed it) are ovulating. Your eggs only live up to a day after they’re released, leaving a rather short period of time for the magic to happen and for fertilization to occur. If you use ovulation tests correctly, they’re 99% effective in detecting the proper hormone surges and helping you find the ideal time to try to conceive.

What is the best time of day to take an ovulation test?

Many women exclusively test for ovulation and pregnancy in the morning, however it’s not the time of day that’s important, but how diluted your urine is. This is also why it’s important you avoid grabbing that water bottle before taking an ovulation test. The more concentrated your urine is, the higher the chances are of accurately detecting luteinizing hormone, AKA the ovulation hormone. The best thing you can do is to test at the same time each day until the test line is almost as dark as the control line. At that point, try testing twice a day just to make sure you don’t miss your surge.

Chances of getting pregnant each day

Using ovulation tests should be helpful, not stressful. It doesn’t need to be an exact science where you’re forced to perform as soon as you get a positive test. As you can see from the chart below, the average woman still has a 30% chance of conceiving even two days before ovulation. Because sperm can live inside a woman’s body for up to five days, having sex leading up to your day of ovulation can still lead to pregnancy.

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What else can affect ovulation test results?

Certain medical conditions: hormonal medical conditions may affect the test’s ability to predict ovulation. These can include pregnancy (including a chemical pregnancy), post-partum, menopause, breastfeeding, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Women with medically diagnosed fertility problems should ask their physicians if this product is suitable for them.
Medications: specifically, hormonal medications such as birth control pills or fertility drugs. Ask your doctor for more information about your situation. If you’re taking medication like clomiphene citrate (e.g. Clomid) or letrozole, ask your doctor about how and when to use these tests.
Following instructions incorrectly: this can include waiting too long to read the results, not fully saturating the testing strip, etc.

Takeaways

Ovulation tests are extremely helpful when trying to conceive.
To get the most accurate results, it’s important to follow instructions perfectly and to test when your urine isn’t too diluted.
Certain medications and hormonal conditions could affect ovulation test results, so be sure to talk with your doctor about your plans to use ovulation tests.

Featured Image by Javier Gonzalez

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Is morning pee okay for LH test?

First morning urine is not recommended since LH surge may happen later that morning. When you test twice a day you have higher chances not to miss your LH surge. Liquid intake should be reduced approximately 2 hours prior to testing (no more than 8 oz during these 2 hours).

When should I test my urine for ovulation test?

To get the most accurate reading, you'll want to: Use an ovulation test strip between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Most women have a surge in LH in the morning, and those levels can be picked up in your urine about four hours later.

What should you not do before an ovulation test?

It's better to do the tests twice a day. Don't take the test during your first pee of the morning. Before taking a test, don't drink a lot of water (this can dilute the test). Make sure not to urinate for about four hours before taking the test.

What time of day does LH peak in urine?

Studies show LH levels peak in blood around midnight and 8 am for most people and, once it peaks, LH needs a few hours to appear in urine. Because of this, you can test LH in second morning urine, after a 2-3 hour hold, so you don't miss that early morning surge.