They seem to, according to reproductive specialists.
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There are about a half-dozen fertility monitors on the market, costing $20 to $200. These urine tests measure levels of LH, or luteinizing hormone. That’s the hormone that is made by the pituitary gland and released in a “surge” roughly 24 hours before ovulation, or the release of an egg from the ovary.
By detecting this surge, the test allows a couple to time intercourse to the most fertile window of a woman’s cycle.
In the February issue of Fertility and Sterility, researchers who were funded by Unipath Ltd, makers of the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor, found that the monitor, when used for two menstrual cycles, increased the likelihood of getting pregnant, especially in women who had been trying to conceive for six months or less.
While not endorsing any particular monitor, Dr. Mark. D. Hornstein , director of the center for reproductive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that fertility monitors are “highly reliable” and can be useful for women who are trying to get pregnant, including women trying insemination with donor sperm.
With intra-uterine insemination, said Hornstein, “the supply of sperm might be limited, so getting the timing right becomes very important.”
“The kits are a big improvement over the old method of having a woman take her temperature to detect ovulation,” said Dr. John Petrozza , chief of the division of reproductive medicine and in vitro fertilization at Massachusetts General Hospital. For many couples, the kits represent “a great tool. There is no downside except the price.”