09 Sep Easy way to track your cycle
We’ve all been there–lost track of which week we’re on in our cycle because we forgot to write in our calendar when we got our period, indicating the start of Week 1. Luckily, there are a few easy mood and body clues that can reveal the week you’re currently on, which I show you in the easy-to-follow “road map to your hormones”.
But, one of my favorite ways to keep track is a handy little device called an “ovulation microscope”, which is a reusable lipstick-sized mini-microscope that shows you when you’re approaching ovulation based on fern-like or crystal-shaped patterns that appear in your saliva as a result of surging estrogen triggering a higher salt content in your spit.
It’s super-easy to use: You simply put a little saliva on the microscope lens first thing in the morning prior to eating and brushing your teeth. Once it’s thoroughly dry, you peek through the microscope to see it magnified. If you see lots of ferns or crystal formations, you’re about to ovulate or are currently ovulating, which signals that you’re at the end of Week 2. If you see just a few ferns, you’re in the first half of your Week 2. And if you see only dots and no ferning pattern, you’re past ovulation and have entered Week 3.
So, how effective could this little device be considering it’s just a teeny pocket-sized microscope you can buy for less than the price of a hardcover book? A new study in the journal Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation shows that when used correctly, its accuracy is close to that of high-powered ovulation microscopes doctors use!
You can find ovulation microscopes at drugstores and online, for instance at Amazon.com.
GIVEAWAY: Now that you know how handy ovulation microscopes are, you might want one of your own. So, I’m giving away FIVE ovulation microscopes in a random drawing. To enter to be one of the five winners, simply send an email with the words “ovulation microscope” in the email’s subject line or in the body. I’ll be picking the five winners on Thursday, September 12 at noon EST. Winners will be notified via email soon after.
[Note: An ovulation microscope is best used for detecting where you are in your cycle and for help conceiving. I do not recommend it as a sole method for preventing pregnancy. Please use it only in conjunction with a reliable method of family planning.]
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