A few months ago I was sent an OvaCue Fertility Monitor and vaginal sensor to review. We had talked about trying for a baby this spring or summer but several things have come up recently and we’ve decided to wait for a bit. So, we are not actively TTC but I still need to track my ovulation in order to prevent a pregnancy (for now). With the OvaCue, you can do just that! It is so easy to use, too!
The OvaCue predicts ovulation using the patented Electrolyte Method™ – a technique that has been demonstrated to be 98.3% accurate in predicting ovulation in clinical studies overseen by the National Institute of Health.
How it works: Throughout your monthly cycle, your body retains or discards varying amounts of minerals, such as sodium and potassium (electrolytes). The OvaCue tracks the changes in these electrolyte levels in your saliva over a period of time and processes this information to define your peak fertility. Around a week before ovulation, a high point in the salivary readings of electrolytes is reached, corresponding with the release of the dominant follicle (ovum). The measurement of this phenomenon is what allows the OvaCue to provide an accurate prediction of ovulation several days in advance.
You start on day 2 of your cycle by placing the sensor (which is about the size of a spoon) on your tongue and hold it there for 3 seconds. This should be done first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything and before brushing your teeth so that the results are most accurate. It then takes your electrolyte reading and computes your current cycle day, your fertility level for the day, your peak fertile days for the cycle, the day you actually ovulated, and the start/end of your fertile window.
Oral sensor
On the monitor, different colors will appear on the calendar for you fertility levels, as shown below:
Days of lowest fertility
Days of increasing fertility
Days of highest fertility – have intercourse every day.
Ovulation confirmed (requires vaginal sensor; marks end of fertile period)
A prediction of future fertility
The closer you get to ovulation, your body begins to produce estrogen, causing a definite change in the electrolytes in the reproductive tract. Estrogen secretion increases and the electrolyte content of the vaginal mucus changes, causing the OvaCue readings to drop. About 12-24 hours before ovulation your body switches to progesterone dominance, causing a sharp increase in vaginal readings, which confirms ovulation and marks the closing of your fertile window.
The pink color will only appear if you have used your vaginal sensor to test for ovulation. Since the vaginal sensor is bought separately from the monitor, many people may choose not to buy it. Personally, I would go ahead and spend the money on it, especially if we were having difficulties TTC, because it is the only way to know 100% for sure while using this monitor that you are ovulating. You could probably assume that on a dark blue day you’re ovulating but, once again, you don’t know for sure.
With the monitor also comes an option for free online charting when you use the OvaGraph. Yes, the monitor saves everything for you, but with the graph you can see a good visual of your monthly cycle. A charted cycle might look similar to this:
As you can see the chart separates the oral readings from the vaginal readings. You can also chart things like your basal body temperature, cervical mucus, days that you and your partner have intercourse, any fertility medications you might be taking, and more.
My thoughts? Well I love that I no longer have to take birth control pills. It got to the point where they were making me gain weight and just feel totally crappy overall. By using the OvaCue each day, I feel just as confident about not getting pregnant right now as I would if I were still taking the pills. Maybe even more confident, in fact. For those who are TTC, though, this could really be a great aid and I am looking forward to using it for that purpose! I have two friends who both got pregnant the first month of using the OvaCue after trying for several months to get pregnant before using it! What a testimony to this wonderful product! Of course, a pregnancy cannot be guaranteed, and especially not in a certain time frame, but I truly believe in this product.
As an added plus it also comes with a cute carrying case to hold the monitor and oral sensor, though you’ll need to find a safe (and sterile!) place to store your vaginal sensor.
What’s not to love about this product? It is simply amazing! You can buy the OvaCue Fertility Monitor for $249 and the vaginal sensor for $100. If bought together, in the OvaCue Bundle (pictured below), it’ll cost you $329 – a savings of twenty bucks! With an accuracy rating of 98.3%, I’d say it’s worth every penny – whether you’re actively trying to conceive or if you’re going the natural family planning route!
Thanks for the great info, I like the idea of natural family planning no birth control
This is such an amazing product and has helped so many people conceive. I am definitely purchasing one the next time we are TTC. Thanks for the great review!
I LOVE my OvaCue and think it’s amazing! I would recommend this monitor to all – weather trying to conceive or trying to prevent
It really can’t get any easier than this, right?
This product looks awesome, I am trying to get my TTC friend to buy one, I’m sure it would help her!
Thanks for the great info! You explained it so simply! I love the thought of natural methods for conceiving
Just wanted to say that I also have the OvaCue Fertility Monitor and I absolutely love it! You described it perfectly and in my opinion it is better than birth control pills for those that want to use it for natural family planning. For me I wanted to use it to get pregnant and it worked the first month! YAY!
I’m not TTC right now but I’d love to have one of these when we are. It always takes us forever to conceive
Great review!
This looks like a fabulous product! I think that it would make TTC a lot easier. Thanks for sharing!
I SO need one of these! I definitely need one to help us conceive our 2nd baby, and then I’ll still need it to help us *not* have a third!
Thanks for a great review…looks easy to use!
That’s really cool! I’m passing this link on to my SIL who is going to start TTC next month!
I am not TTC yet, but i do love the idea of being able to track my cycle like that – especially to help prevent pregnancy naturally… I will definatly have to check this out when im ready to start TTC
We have always had such a hard time TTC- will deff be getting this next baby planning time.
OMG did I just admit there would be another baby?!
Great review! I will pass this along to friends of mine!
I’m not currently TTC, but I know someone who is. I’ll be sure to share.
I’ve been wanting to try one of these! This would be great for me!
I love that this can be used to pinpoint your fertile days!
I would love to win this monitor, we have been trying to get pregnant for over a year.
Never thought of using it to help avoid pregnancy, now I want one!
Wow! This looks so helpful! I love that it can help you know when you are fertile! I would love to win this, since hubby and I have been trying to conceive!
Thank you for explaining this so well. I love that this product would be great for not only people TTC but also people wanting to use it as natural birth control. I would love to try it and hopefully it could help us get pregnant
I love the fact that it’s simple to use, my friend who would make an amazing mother would love this her and her husband have been trying to have a child for the longest time.
i learned that it gives you 7 days advanced notice of ovulation