Saliva ovulation predictor?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-16-2003
Saliva ovulation predictor?
8
Thu, 09-11-2003 - 4:50pm
Has anyone here tried the reusable ovulation kit where you test your saliva? Your saliva takes on a crystal-like pattern when you are ovulating, versus the regular spot and dot pattern. It's a little contraption that looks like a tube of lipstick, but it's s tiny microscope with a light under it. You're supposed to put a drop of saliva on the slide and if you are ovulating, your saliva will look like it's crystalized.....

Is this a gimmick? It's a very pocket-book friendly contraption (about $30), but I don't know if I should buy the hype. Has anyone had success with this method? Thanks a bunch!!

Angie

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-14-2003
Thu, 09-11-2003 - 5:02pm
I have never heard of it. But if its 30 bucks and you keep it forever, then in the long run it will be cheaper then buying opk month after month

Katie


Married to highschool sweetheart since 8-12-02


iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2003
Thu, 09-11-2003 - 8:24pm
Angie,

I actually bought the saliva tracker recently. I received it when I was 9 days into my cycle, so I don't know officially, but $30 really isn't that much. I think mine is called fertility tracker, and it's a small microscope with a light under it. It came with 6 slides and a pretty thorough handbook to help you understand your results. From my use so far, I saw "ferns" on CD11, 31 and 32. Ferns are supposed to represent a rise in estrogen. According to what I've read, your estrogen increases when you are fertile. The booklet also said that you may see ferns later in your cycle, it can represent that you are PG or that AF is about to come. I BD'd on CD 10 and CD 11. Right now, AF is 3-4 days late. I took an HPT on 9/9, but it was a BFN, but I'm taking another tomorrow.

BTW, I'm still learning how to use this thing. I think I may haved used too much saliva around my O time which could have prevented me from seeing ferns on more days. I found to get the best results from using my finger to dab some saliva from under my tongue onto the slide vs. actually licking the slide.

All I know is that it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the clear blue fertility monitor. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck :)


Lisa in TX

CD32 TTC#1

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-16-2003
Fri, 09-12-2003 - 10:09am
Lisa,

Than you for the helpful info! Do you find the slides easy to read? I think I'm gonna go ahead and buy one. Oh, and you said you are late this month.....GOOD LUCK AND BABY DUST~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~!!!

Angie

CD4 ttc#1

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-30-2003
Fri, 09-12-2003 - 10:15am
Greetings!

I used the microscope one that came with six slides. I got so frustrated with it I threw it in the trash!!! LOL! I had full to partial ferning almost all the time...it didn't change at all when I was Oing. I was temping and using OPKs so I know when I O'd, and I also realized that I could very much feel when I O'd (I didn't know this before because I was on BCP). Anywho...it was sort of a fun experiment at first, but it ended up not helping me at all!!! For me the most useful thing really was temping and OPKs...both are just as easy, if not easier, than the saliva method. This is just my humble opinion :)

Good luck!

Lori & Lil One

EDD 4/16/04

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-23-2003
Fri, 09-12-2003 - 10:28am
Whatever you do, DON'T buy the Donna saliva ovulation predictor. That thing is a piece of garbage, which is where I ended up throwing it. The pattern never changed, and the slide was nearly impossible to read.

I don't know about the other brands, but I feel it's my duty to get the word out about how terrible the Donna is. It was more than $30 too -- more like $50, I think. If I can keep other women from using it, I'll feel better about the money I threw down the drain.

Good luck to you! Hope you get that BFP soon.

Leslie

edd 04/04/04

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-12-2003
Fri, 09-12-2003 - 10:49am
Hi everybody!

I tried to use the saliva ovulation predictor, because I wanted to know for sure when I ovulate so I can avoid pregnancy. It was easy and fun to use, but not very useful. I had a fern pattern pretty much most of the time(except when I menstruated), so it wasn't very helpful. I think BBT chart is much better. I did get pregnant last month(at age 43!)probably on day 8 or 9 of my cycle, and now when I look at my BBT it makes a lot of sense. My temp dropped on day 7, and then dramaticaly went up on day 8.I was just ignoring those signs, becayse my normal cycle is 28 days, and day 7 and 8 seemed too early in the cycle.Also last month I started to take Vitex-Chastetree Berry to regulate my hormones. Good luck to all of you!

Meryl 43

Don 50

Robert 16

Bridget EDD 5/2004

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2003
Fri, 09-12-2003 - 7:52pm
Angie,

Thanks for the baby dust :) I found the slides easy to read. It sounds like some others had some pretty weird results. I definitely didn't have ferns all month. After the ferns, I had "chards of glass" and then dots. Again, I didn't use it the entire month, but it seems to at least help tell when I O'd. The instructions recommend charting as well. Other than that, I'm still late...AF hasn't showed up, but I also got another BFN on my HPT today. I still have hope.

Good luck,

Lisa

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2003
Sun, 09-14-2003 - 4:07pm
Can anyone tell me what the magnification is on these contraptions?

Thanks!

CSM