If a woman dreams of having a baby, then she probably knows what ovulation is and how to determine the moment of its onset. What is it weak ovulation ? Below - more about this.

Weak ovulation: can this happen?

So, first, let's figure out what ovulation is in general. After the end of menstruation, follicles begin to mature in the ovaries. These are vesicles within which the egg matures. IN certain moment the follicle ruptures and a mature egg emerges and moves into the uterine cavity. If a sperm enters the uterus, fertilization will occur and begin to develop new life, and after 9 months the baby will be born.

Could it be weak ovulation? In fact, this is impossible. There is either ovulation or there is not. For example, if the egg is not mature, then it is clear that it will not be ready for fertilization. In addition, the follicle probably has not matured and burst. There can be many reasons for such phenomena: stress, illness of the woman, disorders hormonal levels, change in body weight, climate change, poor nutrition, strong physical activity. So in order for a woman to eat right, take care of her health, lead healthy image life, do not be nervous and regularly see a gynecologist. A weak ovulation impossible.

So what do most women mean? What does " weak ovulation"? Most likely, this implies not so much the inferiority and insufficiency of this phenomenon (this cannot be, as was already written above), but rather faint line on ovulation test. And this is quite possible.

Weak line on an ovulation test: what is the reason?

So, a woman who wants to know when she might conceive probably does ovulation tests regularly. What is this test based on? The fact is that during the period of maturation, the egg begins to be released in the woman’s body. large number luteinizing hormone ( L.H. ). And this same emission is detected by the test through urine or saliva analysis thanks to a special sensitive reagent that gives a signal that the amount LH increased.

So for what reasons can the second stripe be weak?

1. The test was done incorrectly. So, you need to start doing it about 17 days before the expected date of your period, every day at the same time, preferably from 10 am to 8 pm. In addition, 2-3 hours before the procedure, you should try not to drink and also refrain from urinating. But it is best not to use early morning urine. So if the rules are not followed, then the strip may be weak, and such a result cannot be considered reliable. For example, even if a woman drinks a large amount of liquid, the concentration of the hormone in the urine will decrease and the strip will become dim.

2. If a woman takes any hormonal drugs, then this will also certainly affect the accuracy of the result.

3. If the test was stored incorrectly or the packaging was opened, the results will not be reliable.

4. If the second line is weak, this may indicate that ovulation will occur soon or has already passed.

5. Some women have a hormone in their bodies L.H. is always contained in either increased or decreased quantities. In this case, there is no point in doing an ovulation test.

6. For any hormonal disorders, the test results may be unreliable.

7. Poor quality test (for example, with a small amount of reagent).

All that remains is to wish all women waiting for ovulation and dreaming of getting pregnant a bright and clear test strip and a speedy pregnancy!

Each cycle in a woman’s ovaries, as a result of hormonal processes, one follicle matures. Very rarely - two or more.

Detailed information about the menstrual cycle can be found in our article “Favorable days for conception”.

As the follicle matures, its cells produce female hormones– estrogens. And what large sizes reaches the follicle, the more its cells produce estrogen. When the level of estrogen reaches a level sufficient for ovulation, a sharp release of luteinizing hormone (LH) occurs, after which, within about 24-48 hours, the follicle ruptures (ovulation) and the egg, ready for fertilization, rushes into the fallopian tube - to meet with male sperm. The period of follicle development may differ not only in different women, but even for one - in different cycles.

It is on determining the moment sharp increase the level of LH in urine and the effect of modern home ovulation test strips is based on.

On what day should testing begin?

The day you start testing should be determined depending on the length of your cycle. The first day of your cycle is the day your period begins. Cycle length - the number of days that have passed from the first day last menstrual period until the first day of the next one.

If you have regular cycle(always the same duration), then you need to start doing tests approximately 17 days before the start of the next menstruation, since the phase corpus luteum(after ovulation) lasts 12-16 days (on average, usually 14). For example, if the usual length of your cycle is 28 days, then testing should begin on the 11th day, and if 35, then on the 18th.

If the cycle duration is not constant, choose the most short cycle for the last 6 months and use its duration to calculate the day to start testing.

In the absence of regularity and presence long delays– the use of tests without additional monitoring of ovulation and follicles is not reasonable. As for the reason of them high cost(when using tests every few days, ovulation can be missed, and using these tests every day is not justified), and with low reliability (see below - “Erroneous results”).

For convenience, you can use our planning calendar, which will help you calculate approximate dates ovulation and testing schedule for both regular and floating cycles.

With daily use (or even 2 times a day - morning and evening), home tests give good results, especially in conjunction with ultrasound. When using ultrasonic testing, you can avoid wasting tests and wait until the follicle reaches approximately 18-20 mm, when it is able to ovulate. Then you can start doing tests every day.

Using the test

Tests can be taken at any time of the day, but if possible you should stick to the same test time. At the same time, in order for the concentration of the hormone in the urine to be as high as possible, it is advisable to refrain from urinating for at least 4 hours and avoid excess fluid intake before testing, because this may lead to a decrease in the concentration of LH in the urine and reduce the reliability of the result.

The most best time for testing - morning.

Evaluation of results

Evaluate the test results and compare the result line with the control line. The control line is used for comparison with the result line. The control line always appears in the window if the test was carried out correctly.

If the result line is significantly paler than the control line, then the LH surge has not yet occurred and testing should be continued. If the result line is the same or darker than the control line, then the hormone release has already occurred and you will ovulate within 24-36 hours.

The most suitable 2 days for conception begin from the moment you determine that the LH surge has already occurred. If sexual intercourse occurs within the next 48 hours, your chance of getting pregnant will be maximized. Once you have determined that a release has occurred, there is no need to continue testing.

Planning the gender of the child

It is impossible to plan in advance the birth of a child of a certain gender, but there is a theory according to which the probability of conceiving a boy increases on the days closest to ovulation, and on the days most distant - girls. Thus, to increase the likelihood of having a boy, you need to abstain from sex while the ovulation test shows negative result. To increase the likelihood of having a girl, on the contrary, it is necessary to stop sexual contacts as soon as the test shows positive result. However, this method cannot provide 100% reliability.

Erroneous results

Unfortunately, ovulation tests do not show ovulation itself, but a change in the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) over time.

A significant rise in LH is very characteristic of the ovulation phase, however, the rise in LH itself does not provide a 100% guarantee that the rise in the hormone is associated specifically with ovulation and ovulation has taken place. An increase in LH levels can also occur in other situations - with hormonal dysfunction, ovarian wasting syndrome, postmenopause, renal failure, etc. Thus, for any temporary or permanent dysfunction, tests may give false positive results if the hormone level is elevated.

In addition, false-positive results are possible under the influence of other hormones, which are not at all associated with changes in LH levels. For example, in the presence of the pregnancy hormone - hCG - tests will give false positive due to the similarity with LH in molecular structure(the structure of LH is similar to other glycoprotein hormones - FSH, TSH, hCG), as some pregnant women have already seen for themselves. After hCG injections when ovulation is stimulated, tests also give a positive result, which is not associated with an increase in LH levels.

After hCG injections, ovulation tests are not informative.

It is possible that the results of these tests can be influenced by fluctuations in other hormones (FSH, TSH) and even nutrition (phytohormones in plants). Therefore, in the absence of menstruation or any suspicion of hormonal disorders Test results should not be relied upon. It is necessary to determine the presence and timing of ovulation using more reliable diagnostic methods. For example, using

The period of ovulation is the most optimal time for conception. And if you have information about exactly when it occurs, you can increase the likelihood of pregnancy by an order of magnitude. Nowadays, in almost every pharmacy you can freely purchase ovulation tests, which react to the amount of certain hormones in the blood, the level of which increases immediately before the release of a mature egg from the ovary. When the test shows a couple of obvious lines, it is the right time to conceive. But sometimes women face such a problem when the second line on the ovulation test is weak, let’s clarify what this phenomenon means.

In order to understand what the appearance of an unexpressed second line indicates when performing an ovulation test, you must first understand the very principle of operation of such a test.

So, ovulation can be described as the release of an egg. It matures and develops inside a fluid vesicle located inside the ovary. After the cell grows to the required volume (fully mature), it naturally breaks through the vesicle, after which it moves inside the genital tract. It is here that the egg can meet with the sperm, which, under favorable circumstances, can result in conception.

At the moment the vesicle ruptures, a significant amount of luteinizing hormone is actively produced. Therefore, the release of the egg is determined by the jump in this indicator. And the test showing ovulation is coated with a special substance that reacts to the presence of luteinizing hormone in female urine. Upon contact with such a hormone, the substance changes color and a second stripe appears. The more hormone in the urine, the brighter its color.

Thus, a simple test strip allows you to timely determine the moment of follicle rupture. And the couple has the opportunity to ensure the supply of sperm to the mature egg.

At the same time, there simply cannot be such a thing as “weak ovulation.” The cell either ruptures the follicle and exits, or it does not.

The test may show a faint line if performed at the wrong time

A woman's urine always contains a small amount of luteinizing hormone, even outside the ovulation period. And the test reacts to it by the appearance of a faint strip. Therefore, it is important to know when it should be carried out. So, most often ovulation occurs approximately in the middle of the menstrual cycle (the gap in days between the first days of menstruation). Usually its duration is twenty-five to twenty-nine days, although deviations in different directions may occur.

Ovulation occurs on the verge of two different periods. In the first, the cell matures, while the second takes place in the formation of the corpus luteum in the part of the ovary that was damaged by rupture. It will be responsible for the production of the hormone necessary for the growth and development of the embryo. Doctors claim that the duration of the second period of the cycle is always eleven to fourteen days, and the duration of the first can vary.

Thus, in order to catch ovulation, doctors usually advise subtracting the number seventeen from the duration of the cycle, and from that day start conducting tests every day. In some cases, it may take five days for a bright line to be detected.

The test may show a faint line if performed incorrectly

In order to receive reliable result, necessary:

Collect some urine in a sterile container;
- dip the test into this liquid to a certain mark and wait a couple of seconds;
- remove the test and wait five minutes;
- evaluate the result obtained.

If you do the test once a day, do it at the same time. When there is a chance of missing a moment, you can take two measurements per day (around ten in the morning and eight in the evening).

It is important:

Do not use the first portion of urine for analysis after an overnight rest;
- do not adhere to a particularly intensive drinking regimen;
- do not go to the toilet for at least three hours before collecting urine.

Other reasons for the appearance of a faint stripe

An insufficiently bright stripe can be observed:

When undergoing hormonal therapy;
- in the presence of hormonal disorders;
- if the test strip is stored incorrectly or is of poor quality.

It is important to note that sometimes a slight streak can be observed even when the egg is released early (just a day after ovulation occurs, the level of luteinizing hormone stabilizes). Similar situation possible:

With constant stress;
- with changes in climate and time zones;
- various diseases.

Sometimes ovulation in the body does not occur at all, in which case the strip will not look bright, even if tests are carried out daily.

The ovulation strip test is the simplest and most exact way find out exactly those days when the probability of conceiving a child is maximum. Therefore, women who cannot get pregnant enough for a long time, or are carefully planning the birth of a baby, it is recommended to carry out special tests that make it possible to determine ovulation almost certainly. How to do such studies, how to choose the right time for testing, how to interpret the results, read below.

When the chance of pregnancy is high

Around the middle of the menstrual cycle, the body begins to actively synthesize a special hormone, LH (luteinizing hormone), which “triggers ovulation,” that is, leads to the rupture of the follicle with the egg. And if the egg meets the sperm within the next 1-2 days, fertilization will occur and pregnancy will occur. But since after leaving the ovary the cell lives only (approximately) a day, it is very important to determine the time of ovulation so that conception occurs for sure. This can be helped by special tests that are freely sold in pharmacies. Typically the package contains 5 ovulation test strips, 2 pregnancy test strips, and urine collection containers.

When to do an ovulation test

The basis of such a study is to check the content of the LH hormone in the body. The tests are simple: just collect a portion of urine, but not in the morning (as for a pregnancy test), but in the middle of the day or in the evening. Then you should immerse the test in it and wait for the result to appear: the likelihood of conception is greatest if you see two bright stripes of the ovulation test. If only one, continue research for a few more days. To accurately calculate the time for such studies, you need to subtract 17 from the number of days of the cycle. For example, if your menstrual cycle is 29 days, then testing should begin on the 12th (29-17=12). If your periods come irregularly, then it is recommended to take the minimum duration of your cycle as the number of days.

How to read results

So, having timed the research, you need to correctly interpret (read) its results. For example, if an ovulation test showed two stripes, when conception is possible - with sexual intercourse within 48 hours after receiving this result. In this case, the probability of pregnancy is very high. Modern tests very sensitive, their reliability is up to 99%. Therefore, one strip of the test shows that the egg has not yet left the ovaries, that is, the LH hormone accompanying the process is absent in the urine. Pale stripe an ovulation test indicates that a sufficient LH surge has not yet occurred; in this case, you need to continue testing until the second strip becomes as bright as the first control strip. Typically, the maximum concentration of the hormone in the urine is detected within 48 hours (it is during this time that the egg moves along fallopian tube and is ready to meet the sperm), that is, the question of how many days the ovulation test shows 2 stripes can be answered - approximately 2 days. It is during these two days that the probability of conception is maximum.

Please note that the test does not always give the correct result. It may be affected by certain hormonal medications taken, the presence of a number of diseases associated with ovarian dysfunction, as well as renal failure etc. Nutrition plays a significant role in this issue, for example, if your food is rich in phytoestrogens, or there has been a sharp transition to vegetarian diet or raw food diet, test results may be false positive. Take these factors into account when conducting research and, if necessary, consult with a gynecologist who may prescribe an ultrasound (folliculometry) for the most precise definition ovulation.