Written by: Dr. Amy Beckley, PhD, Founder and Inventor of the Proov test — the first and only FDA-cleared test to confirm successful ovulation at home.
Interested in fertility testing, but not sure how to choose between all the options? We’re here to help!
Specifically, if you’re trying to choose between our two female fertility test kits, Proov Complete and Proov Predict & Confirm, this article is for you! Read on to learn what each kit is, why they’re important, and how you might choose between them.
What is Proov’s Complete Testing System?
First up is Proov Complete, our most comprehensive female fertility test kit and the only kit on the market that can test ovarian reserve, find the entire fertile window, predict, AND confirm ovulation!
To pull all that off, Proov Complete uses two kinds of test strips: FSH tests for ovarian reserve (like those in Proov Reserve) as well as the clinically validated Multihormone Tests that test levels of three hormones & hormone markers: E1G (estrogen marker), luteinizing hormone (LH), and PdG (progesterone marker).
To use Proov Complete, you’ll follow the directions provided by the Proov Insight App. In the beginning of your cycle (days 5, 7, and 9) you’ll test for ovarian reserve, to help understand an estimate of about how many eggs you have left. On cycle day 5, you’ll also take a Multihormone Baseline test.
After that, the app will direct you to use the Multihormone tests to find your full fertile window (detected when your E1G begins to rise), detect peak fertility (when LH surges), and confirm ovulation (as PdG rises after ovulation). You’ll also test for successful ovulation based on PdG levels during the implantation window.
All this information will then be summarized for you in a personalized Proov Insight Report, that will help you understand what your hormone levels and Ovulation Score mean, and what the next steps might be for your fertility journey.
What is The Predict & Confirm Ovulation Kit?
Another popular hormone test kit is Predict & Confirm! This kit is just a (convenient) bundle of two important tests, Predict LH tests and Confirm PdG tests. This will help you find your two most fertile days as well as confirm successful ovulation during the implantation window.
When you select Predict & Confirm in the Proov Insight app, it will direct you to take a PdG baseline test early in your cycle, and then begin testing for the LH surge (also called peak fertility) with Predict. The LH surge is what triggers ovulation, and indicates that ovulation will be in the next 12-36 hours.
When you get a positive LH test, it indicates your two days of peak fertility, when your chances of conceiving are highest. This will help you understand when it’s most important to “try”!
Even if you’ve detected ovulation with Predict LH tests, it’s still important to confirm that you’ve ovulated successfully. Successful ovulation means that your progesterone levels are high enough to maintain your uterine lining (help it stay “sticky”) so that a new embryo can implant successfully.
This is where Proov Confirm PdG tests come in! After detecting an LH surge, the Insight App will direct you 7-10 days later to test with Proov Confirm. PdG is a marker of progesterone that approximates your average progesterone levels of the day before, and testing PdG during the implantation window can confirm successful ovulation or identify potential ovulatory disorders.
Since ovulatory dysfunction is the leading cause of female infertility, it’s important to focus on confirming successful ovulation to improve your chances of conceiving and decrease the risk of miscarriage.
Why These Tests are Important in the Fertility Journey
There are a few reasons you might choose fertility testing at some point during your journey.
One is if you and your partner have been trying to conceive for several months or even a year with no success (or with recurrent pregnancy loss). After one year of trying, it’s recommended that you have an infertility evaluation, but even after a few months it can be worth testing. For reference, about 75% of couples trying become pregnant after six months.
You may also want to test if you’re on the older side (especially if you’re over 35) or concerned about your future fertility. Maybe you aren’t trying now, but you plan to in the future, and you want to make sure you don’t have to waste time later making sure you’re fertile.
Fertility testing may be useful if you have a history of PCOS, irregular cycles, or if you’re just coming off birth control for the first time in years and aren’t sure if you’re ovulating. Anovulation is more common than is often realized! Ovulatory disorders are a common cause of infertility, and studies have found up to 37% of cycles may be anovulatory.
Confirming successful ovulation is important if you’re trying to get pregnant, because it isn’t just sperm and egg meeting that makes a successful pregnancy happen – implantation has a big role to play also. Incomplete implantation can lead to early miscarriage.
Ultimately, testing is right for you if you want more information about your body and your or your partner’s fertility, and are ready for some guidance on your fertility journey! While there are many different ways to find your most fertile days, fertility tests can provide some extra confidence that you’re actually ovulating, detecting your LH surge, and ultimately timing intercourse correctly.
How to Choose the Best Test for You
So, how do you choose the best test for you? While both Proov Complete and Predict & Confirm give you lots of information about your fertile time, there are some differences that may lead you to choose one or the other.
If you want all the information possible, and want to know your entire fertile window (not just your two most fertile days), Proov Complete may be right for you! If you want info on future fertility, Proov Complete also includes that.
If you already have a handle on your fertile window in general (maybe you use cervical mucus tracking, or other signs of high fertility), but want to verify your two most fertile days and confirm successful ovulation, Predict & Confirm is a good place to start.
In both cases, you’ll get an Ovulation Score and guidance from the Proov Insight App helping you to figure out your next steps after testing!
Don’t forget, it takes two…if you’re curious about sperm quality, check out the Proov + YO Sperm test!
