Getting pregnant faster: how confirming ovulation can help

Getting pregnant faster: how confirming ovulation can help

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About Proov

Proov is all about empowering women with knowledge regarding their unique reproductive health, and how to have more control over their reproductive lives. Proov is the first and only FDA-cleared test that measures PdG over multiple days to confirm successful ovulation.

About Proov

Proov is all about empowering women with knowledge regarding their unique reproductive health, and how to have more control over their reproductive lives. Proov is the first and only FDA-cleared test that measures PdG over multiple days to confirm successful ovulation.

What is healthy ovulation?

Healthy ovulation includes two parts: the release of an egg and sufficient hormone levels post-ovulation. After ovulation occurs, the empty follicle which housed the egg — also known as the corpus luteum — produces progesterone. Progesterone is the hormone responsible for stabilizing the uterine lining and preparing it for implantation of an embryo, should conception occur. Without enough progesterone, an embryo does not have as good of a chance at survival.

Ovulation is healthy when progesterone rises and remains elevated for a certain amount of time. Elevated progesterone levels days 7-10 after suspected ovulation give an embryo the best chance at implantation and survival. That’s why confirming healthy ovulation is critical to TTC!

On average, it takes up to 6 months to conceive. However, for many, it is more complicated.

Changes in hormones can also lead to cyclical changes in the vaginal microbiome.

How can I confirm healthy ovulation?

Ovulation confirmation methods include basal body temperature (BBT) tracking and blood progesterone testing. While BBT can be helpful at providing a sign that ovulation has happened by tracking the slight temperature increase that occurs when progesterone is present after ovulation, this method is tracking a secondary symptom and can be impacted by sickness, alcohol consumption, or a toasty toddler sharing a bed. Plus, the temperature change will indicate that progesterone is present, but falls short of showing if adequate levels are present.

Progesterone blood tests — available both at the doctor and through mail-in kits — provide a precise progesterone level. This can be helpful in determining if ovulation has occurred, but it is only a one-point-in-time measurement and because progesterone is released in waves throughout the day, it can fall short of showing the full ovulation picture.  

PdG, on the other hand, is the urine metabolite of progesterone. Published studies have shown that tracking PdG over multiple days — seven to ten days after suspected ovulation — can confirm successful ovulation, meaning that ovulation was healthy and provided the best chance at possible conception that cycle.

20% of infertility is caused by known ovulatory dysfunction. 27% is "unexplained" much of which can be solved with a better diagnostic to diagnose ovulatory dysfunction.

Changes in hormones can also lead to cyclical changes in the vaginal microbiome.

Sounds great! How do I test for PdG?

Enter Proov!

Proov is the first and only FDA-cleared test that measures PdG over multiple days to confirm successful ovulation. If healthy ovulation has occurred, PdG levels rise in the second half of the cycle, or luteal phase, after suspected ovulation. Proov works by measuring PdG, the urine metabolite of progesterone, on days seven, eight, nine, and ten after suspected ovulation. If a woman gets positives during this window, then great — she can feel confident that she successfully ovulated that cycle! And if tests never go positive or don’t stay positive throughout the window? That could indicate lack of ovulation or “weak” ovulation, both of which can often be fixed through simple medications or supplements rather than more invasive treatments like IVF. In some cases, natural solutions can do the trick as well.

Regardless of results, Proov provides powerful information that can help couples move forward by either ruling out or detecting ovulatory problems that might make it more difficult to conceive.  

Instead of trying things that may or may not get you closer to your goal, confirming healthy ovulation is a science-based, actionable step you can take on your TTC journey. With Proov, you can see the full fertile cycle and be empowered with more valuable information sooner.