Test sensitivity
Basically for the majority of women (around 90%) we recommend and supply, as standard, 20mIU High sensitivity ovulation tests and 10mIU High sensitivity pregnancy tests. This is what we will send you if you do not specify anything different.
How do I know what is best for me and what does this mIU stuff all mean anyway?
In its simplest terms the numbers (e.g. 25mIU) are just a standardised measurement system that detects the pregnancy or ovulation
hormones present in your body. The lower the number the higher the sensitivity.
Our Pregnancy Tests (2 sensitivities)
10mIU – High sensitivity
25mIU – Normal sensitivity
Essentially the higher the sensitivity the earlier you will detect your pregnancy. We have given more detailed information about what this all means and why this is important lower down the page.
Our Ovulation Tests (3 sensitivities)
20mIU – High sensitivity
30mIU – Medium Sensitivity
40mIU – Low Sensitivity
As with pregnancy tests the higher the sensitivity the earlier you will detect if you are about to ovulate. If you have regular cycles and no known problems then the High 20mIU sensitivity are the ones you should have and the ones we recommend. We have given more detailed information further down the page about why you may need different sensitivity ovulation tests and how to discover if you do.
Why are you the first and only Company to offer different sensitivities of pregnancy and ovulation tests?
We care about our customers and we “listen” to what they tell us. When it comes to pregnancy you want to know you are pregnant as soon as possible so we supply, as standard, the highest sensitivity tests available at 10mIU but still offer the ‘normal’ 25mIU tests if you want these ones instead. Most doctors still use the less sensitive 25mIU tests but many hospitals now use our Ultra Early 10mIU tests as it is vital that before giving any emergency treatment it is known whether the woman is pregnant.
When it comes to ovulation tests we discovered that a standard test simply wasn’t right for a significant number of women and following a number of trials with many of you who were having problems we now offer 3 different sensitivities for our ovulation tests – our special thanks to Claire, Emma, Lisa, Sarah and Donna (you know who you are) for being our guinea pigs, so to speak, and help us get it right for you and many other women like you 🙂
How good are these tests?
We now sell literally millions of these tests in the UK and throughout the world – they are made specifically for us and comply with CE (European Community) and FDA (United States) rules and regulations and every pack has the approval details printed on them. These tests are sold to some of the largest organizations such as the UK National Health Service (NHS). The tests supplied to the NHS are identical to the ones sold to you and every batch is checked religiously for quality and accuracy – they are more than 99% accurate. As for the expiry dates, they will always be at least 15 months away and more often nearly 2 years (which is the legal maximum).
How exactly do you measure a menstrual cycle?
Very simply a menstrual cycle is defined as starting on the day of first bleed to the start of your next bleed. So Cycle Day 12 (CD12) would be 12 days after you first started your
period.
What other bodily changes should I look for to know when I am about to ovulate?
The consistency of cervical
mucus changes throughout the menstrual cycle. Usually after you finish your bleed you will have 3/4 days when you have dry days. The wetness then increases daily usually lasting about 9 days at which point the
mucus will become plentiful, slippery, clear and stretchy. The best comparison is that it is like egg whites and at this point it is a good sign that ovulation will occur in the next couple of days. After ovulation occurs the
mucus will again become more sticky less stretchy and then dryer again.
Pregnancy Tests
Whether you are trying to get pregnant or trying to keep from getting pregnant, you want to know immediately if you are pregnant or not. The pregnancy tests that we offer are fast, accurate, reliable and an easy alternative when you require immediate and discreet results in the privacy of your own home.
How does a pregnancy test work?
A pregnancy test measures the presence of the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) in your urine. HCG is produced in the
placenta shortly after the
embryo attaches to the uterine lining. This hormone then builds up rapidly in your body in the days following successful
conception.
When should I do the test?
The test can be taken at any time of the day. However, we do recommend that you test first thing in the morning when your urine is most concentrated. Do not drink large amounts of fluid in an attempt to increase the volume of urine as this may dilute the urine making HCG more difficult to detect.
What does the test result look like?
How long will it take before I can read the result?
You can read the results in under 5 minutes and a positive result can often be seen in under 30 seconds. However, the full reaction time of 10 minutes is required to confirm a negative result.
What is the difference between home tests and those done by a doctor?
Many doctors and clinics use our pregnancy tests anyway, in which case they are exactly the same. Occasionally, some women may be given a blood test, but they are not very different from our pregnancy tests either as both types look for the presence of HCG in your body.
What should I do with my results?
If your pregnancy test results are positive, you should consult your doctor to discuss your pregnancy and what steps and precautions should be taken next. In addition, if your test is negative and you still suspect you may be pregnant, you may want to confirm your test results with another pregnancy test a few days later.
If I see 2 lines but one is fainter than the other is this a positive result?
Yes, if 2 lines appear you are pregnant no matter how faint the lines appear. Our 10mIU tests have been designed to identify very early when you are pregnant and the test line will be fainter than the control line until you have been pregnant for about 4 weeks by which time the test line will be as dark or darker than the control line. This ensures our tests do not give false positives which is very important when you want to know if you are pregnant or not.
Can anything affect the results of these tests?
Drinking alcohol, painkillers, oral contraceptives,
antibiotics and other common drugs will not affect the result of these tests. Only medicines that contain HCG can produce a false positive result. If you are unsure about your result or your
period has still not arrived you should see your doctor for advice.
What are 10 mIU Ultra Early pregnancy tests and what does it all mean?
It is unfortunate that some eBay sellers claim their tests are ultra early and 10mIU when they are not. Basically if the outer foil doesn’t indicate 10mIU then they are NOT the Ultra Early highest sensitivity pregnancy tests. We send out the Ultra Early 10mIU tests as a standard. The number given after the Lot number (-10 or -25) indicates the sensitivity of our tests. Some women on hormone treatments containing HCG may require tests with the lower 25mIU sensitivity and for those women we will happily send you 25mIU sensitivity tests – just let us know in the “add message” box at checkout.
A 10mIU pregnancy test will show a faint line at a level of 10mIU of HCG (the hormone that is produced in large amounts when you are pregnant). A normal non-pregnant woman is at a level of 5mIU or less and from the first day of becoming pregnant the level of HCG doubles every other day for the first 3 months until the level is at several hundred thousand. The average woman could, therefore, show a faint line only 2 days after
conception but if the level started at 1mIU then it would be several days after
conception that the line would show. Accordingly it can vary from person to person and the actual day of
conception in the cycle can vary slightly depending on the day the egg was released from the ovary, the day it was fertilized and the day the egg implanted. Normally we would say that these tests would be certain to show a positive result 6 days after
conception. On the 7th day the line would be much darker and so on. Having said that we have had women say they showed positive after only 2 days!! The risk of testing too early being that the test could be a ‘chemical pregnancy’ as the fertilized egg may fail and turn out to be just a heavier
period than normal. Experts estimate that up to 50% of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage and many of these manifest themselves as slightly later or heavier
periods.
Ovulation Tests
A pregnancy begins with
conception. A child is conceived when the male
sperm successfully fertilises the female egg. Successful fertilisation is most likely during a 24-hour
period following the LH surge. Since this window is usually only open once a month and for a short
period of time, being able to predict the LH surge is very helpful when trying to become pregnant. We have selected these ovulation tests for their price, accuracy and reliability. These tests look for the presence of LH in urine.
How does a home ovulation test work and what is the LH surge?
When a woman is about to ovulate, her body releases a large amount of a hormone called LH (Luteinising Hormone). LH is always present in your urine but the levels increase (surge) in the middle of your cycle, causing you to release an egg from the ovary. This process is called ovulation. If the LH surge is present, ovulation is likely to occur in the next 12 to 36 hours. Our ovulation tests detect the LH surge by measuring the level of LH in urine.
Once ovulation has taken place the level of
Progesterone increases and this causes the basal body temperature to rise.
When should I do the test?
To determine when to begin testing, you need to work out the length of your menstrual cycle. The length of your cycle is from the first day of your
period to the last day before your next
period starts (count the first day of bleeding as day 1). Calculate what the usual length of your menstrual cycle has been the last few months. Once you have worked out the average length of your cycle you can refer to the chart that is included with our tests which clearly shows on which day of your menstrual cycle you should begin testing.
Why should I avoid testing first thing in the morning?
You should avoid testing your urine first thing in the morning as LH is synthesized in your body early in the morning. It will not show up in your urine until later in the day.
What does the test result look like
When the LH surge is present the “Test” line (lower of the two lines in the white area) will be almost as dark or darker than the “Control” line (upper line in the white area).
Once I receive a positive result, when is the best time to have intercourse?
Ovulation usually follows the start of the LH surge within 24-36 hours. This is the time when you are at your most fertile, therefore you should have intercourse during this time.
How long will it take before I can read the result?
A positive result can often be read in under 40 seconds but to confirm a negative result (no test line or the test line is much fainter than the control line) you should wait the full 10 minutes.
What happens if after using the tests provided I have still not detected my LH surge?
Most women with regular cycles will detect their LH Surge in 5 days or under. However, if you have irregular cycles you may need to test for longer and may require additional ovulation tests to detect your LH Surge. Also see the section below regarding different sensitivities of our ovulation tests.
I have recently come off the contraceptive pill. Will this affect my result?
As the pill disrupts your natural hormone balance it may take a few months for your
periods to return to normal. You may want to wait until you have had 2 normal
periods before starting to use ovulation tests. Please be aware that pregnancy and breastfeeding can affect the results of any ovulation test.
Will alcohol or other common medications affect the results of this test?
No, but you should consult your doctor if you are taking any hormonal treatments.
No, the test is not designed to prevent
conception. As
sperm can survive for 72 hours you might still become pregnant if you had intercourse before you detected your LH Surge and also because some woman can and do ovulate more than once in the same cycle.
What about the sensitivity of ovulation tests and why might I need a different sensitivity?
Ok, we are going to dispel a few old wives’ tales here and give you some facts:-
Firstly, virtually every woman in the world will ovulate almost exactly 14 days BEFORE she starts her
period – not the other way round!! That’s fine for women with regular cycles of 26-30 days between each
period but the trouble is a lot of women have irregular
periods or other conditions such as PCOS, a lazy ovary, previous miscarriages,
endometriosis, currently breast feeding etc.
So what exactly happens is this:-
In any one cycle and on average, 80% of women will ovulate normally but around 11% of women will not ovulate at all and another 9% will ovulate twice or more. The latter explains a lot of those unwanted pregnancies by Roman Catholics trusting to the “rhythm method” to prevent
conception!!
Now the “average” woman will have an LH (the hormone that triggers ovulation) level of between 5-20mIU in her system. When the surge occurs the basal level rises to approximately 50-200mIU and at this level ovulation occurs and the egg is released from the ovary. This means that for most women the 20mIU High ovulation sensitivity tests that we sell are perfect.
But how will you know if they are not right for you? I hate to say this but it is trial and error. Firstly, if there is a problem and you don’t seem to be ovulating normally – DON’T WORRY – it is not unusual. The reason is usually simple and is down to the fact that each woman is individual and can have different results from ovulation tests – here is just 1 example.
We have a lady who is suffering from PCOS and this can sometimes (NOT always) cause the LH level to be consistently at a higher level than “normal”. This woman will appear to get a positive result with our 20mIU tests over several days and she is therefore not certain when she is ovulating. In this case we would recommend she purchase the lower sensitivity (30 or even 40mIU) ovulation tests which will better pinpoint the LH surge.
So what do you recommend for a newcomer to all this?
Try the 20mIU High sensitivity ovulation tests and if you find any problems in pinpointing when you are ovulating then try one of the lower sensitivity tests and that should solve the problem 🙂
How dark does the test line need to be to show I am ovulating normally and what if I get no lines in the test window?
Essentially if you get no lines at all in the test window then you either haven’t ovulated yet or even this test is not sensitive enough to pick up the LH surge. At this Ultra Early sensitivity level if you get no test lines followed by faint lines for a couple of days which then fade back to no lines then that is the perfect indication that you have ovulated normally during those days, especially if 14-16 days after the faint lines you started your
period. If, however, you get no lines at all in the test window with this highest sensitivity 20mIU test for 2 months then you should contact us for advice as we may be able to help. The email address is shown below.
I had a positive result for the LH surge and had sexual intercourse during this period so why have I not become pregnant?
There are many factors that can affect your
fertility. It can take many healthy couples months to achieve pregnancy. You may need to use these tests for a few months before pregnancy occurs. If after 6 months of trying you have still not become pregnant, you should visit your doctor for advice.
What is the “fertility pill” and how does it affect ovulation tests?
Clomid/Serophene are brand names for a drug known as Clomiphene citrate – commonly referred to as the “
fertility pill”. Letrozole is a very similar drug and works in exactly the same way. They are the most popular and most prescribed drugs for women who are not ovulating at all, have PCOS or suffer from irregular
periods. They have proved very successful with 60-80% of women ovulating normally when taking the drugs and with 50% of those on these drugs going on to get pregnant. They have few side effects and these are generally minor – your doctor can tell you more.
All these drugs are taken for 5 days (days 3-7 or 5-9 of your cycle) and are essentially a boost to your
fertility hormones including LH. For this reason, if you are on any of these drugs, you should start to use these highest sensitivity (20mIU) ovulation tests 3 days after finishing the drugs i.e. on day 10 or day 12 onwards as before this you could get a false result.
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