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What is saliva fertility test?
(May 10, 2010)
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Fertility is described as a person’s ability to perform their normal reproductive functions with the result being a fertilized egg that begins to grow as a fetus within the woman’s body. Fertility is the subject of many problems for couples who are planning to have children. In women, fertility is a phase that a woman passes through during every menstrual cycle. Every normal menstrual cycle is characterized by the release of a mature egg into the fallopian tubes where it needs the sperm from a male’s semen to be fertilized. This period of egg release is the period of fertility in a woman. Sexual intercourse slightly before, during and immediately after the release of the egg is likely to result in a successful pregnancy. Fertility testing can thus be used as a guide to couples who wish to know when sexual activity should be increased so that a successful pregnancy is achieved.
The entire menstrual cycle in a woman is controlled by various different hormones. The hormone estrogen is a hormone that becomes elevated during the period just prior to the release of a woman’s egg from her ovaries. Saliva fertility testing is the process where a woman’s saliva sample is tested under a microscope for the presence of fern leaf shaped crystals which are a sign of an increased amount of estrogen in her body. This fern pattern begins to be visible about 4 days before the ovulation is due to take place. The level of estrogen falls after the ovulation has taken place which makes it a fairly accurate and reliable method to judge the ovulation time and, therefore, the fertile window. It is important to note here that a woman who has a variable menstrual cycle that changes in duration may not find this type of testing to be very useful as the hormone levels may be different than what they should be.
The method of this test is described here. A saliva sample is placed on a slide and allowed to dry. It is then viewed through a microscope to detect the pattern within the saliva droplet. Special microscopes are available for home use by couples who wish to use the saliva ovulation test method. It may be necessary to view samples over the entire period of a woman’s menstrual cycle for first time users to understand the exact patterns that exist and to monitor their changes.
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Submitted by M T on May 10, 2010 at 04:22
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