Self-prediction of ovulation using a urinary luteinizing hormone test

Abstract

An accurate home test for prediction of ovulation can be useful in the treatment of infertility. An enzyme immunoassay for luteinizing hormone determination was compared with other ovulation-monitoring methods. The accuracy and convenience of this method suggest that such a test merits consideration for many infertility applications.

PIP: The accuracy of self-prediction of ovulation through use of an enzyme immunoassay for luteinizing hormone (LH) determination was compared to that of other ovulation-monitoring methods in 45 women who contributed 78 cycles of study. Subjects were instructed to begin testing twice daily for 3-4 days before the expected day of ovulation and to continue until a surge was detected. They were further asked to keep a basal body temperature (BBT) chart and to provide a serum sample within 18 hours of the urinary surge. The urinary test kit gave consumer-identified LH surges in 94% of cycles; results were correct, as confirmed by BBT, in 99% of cycles. The correlation between urinary and serum LH was good. The mean luteal phase duration following the urinary LH surge was 15 days. Concomitant use of clomiphene citrate in 6 subjects did not invalidate urinary LH testing as long as the testing began after drug administration had been completed. The detection of the surge of LH occurred in the early evening in 45 cycles and in the morning in 28 cycles. Urine collected in the mid-day period was positive in 94% of preovulatory specimens. Overall, these findings indicate that enzyme immunoassay of urinary LH is a valid predictor of ovulation as compared with radioimmunoassay of serum LH and urinary LH, BBT, and ultrasound. The convenience and accuracy of urinary enzyme immunoassay testing are important benefits in ovulation prediction in the treatment of infertility.