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How to do fertility testing at home?
(May 10, 2010)
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There are two meanings for the word fertility when it comes to human beings. Fertility may describe the functioning of the reproductive system, judging it to be normal or abnormal. A person with a normally functioning reproductive system is likely to be described as fertile. Fertility is also used to describe the period of a woman’s menstrual cycle where she is most likely to become pregnant due to sexual intercourse. This is the period that occurs somewhere near the middle of the menstrual cycle and is characterized by the release of a mature egg into the fallopian tubes. It is here where the egg is fertilized by the male sperm that is deposited in the female’s reproductive tract after sexual intercourse. For males, fertility is described as a condition where a sample of the semen ejaculated during sexual activity contains the right proportion of sperm in it. These sperm must also be motile, that is, likely to make the journey through a woman’s reproductive system so that they can reach the egg to fertilize it.
Fertility testing at home is usually restricted to two things. One is the status of the woman’s menstrual cycle and the other is the quantity of sperm in a male semen sample based on the density of the sample. Fertility testing at home is usually restricted to the female who wishes to know when she is likely to ovulate. This can be a guide to the couple to increase their frequency of sexual intercourse if they wish to have a baby. Conversely it can also be used as a guide to abstain from sexual activity during the period of peak fertility if they are not planning to have a child at that time.
Females may test their saliva using a saliva testing kit. This type of kit comes with a microscope which can be used to view a sample of saliva that has been placed on a slide. This sample will contain a fern like design when a woman’s estrogen level is elevated. In a woman with a normal menstrual process, the level of estrogen rises about 4 days prior to ovulation and falls about 2 days after ovulation. This refers to a period of heightened fertility which is used by couples to schedule their sexual activity. Urine test kits can measure the level of the Luteinizing Hormone which is elevated about 36 hours prior to ovulation and for a day or two after. This is done using a test strip dipped into a urine sample.
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Submitted by M T on May 10, 2010 at 04:25
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