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How The OV-Watch® Works to Help Get You Pregnant
It is a common misconception for couples trying to conceive that they should only have intercourse when the female is ovulating. It is TRUE that the time of ovulation is when the sperm fertilizes the egg for conception; however, the day of ovulation is not the only day that is considered "fertile". According to many health experts, a woman's cervical mucus is at its most fertile stage four days before ovulation (1). And since sperm is reported to live for up to seven days in the genital tract (2), having intercourse on those four days BEFORE ovulation may be a woman's highest probability of conception for that month. Experts agree that having sperm waiting for the egg is better than the egg waiting for the sperm since the unfertilized egg only lives for about 12 hours. Many factors like age and stress for women and their spouses can contribute to a couple's inability to conceive, however an important factor is inappropriate timing of intercourse.
Dr. Arthur Haney, M.D., Chairman of the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Chicago states, "Couples trying to conceive using the OV-Watch® will be able to predict their ovulation date four days in advance for the first time. This allows couples to reduce the stress involved, and with intercourse on multiple days, increases their cumulative likelihood of pregnancy."
The graph below depicts what a woman's probability of conception is on the days before, during, and after ovulation. As you can see, the day of ovulation only holds a 15% chance, but the four days before hold a cumulative 72% chance of conception. These four days before ovulation and the time during ovulation when women are considered most fertile, has been called the "fertile window" by Alan Wilcox, MD. It is defined as the days where a woman's probability for conception is highest for the month. We have always known about the importance of these days for conception, but there has never been anything like this device to detect it. You will hear us reference the "fertile window" when talking about the advantage that OV-Watch® can bring to a couple trying to conceive. Based on your individual conditions, OV-Watch® predicts the beginning of your 6- day fertility window at the right time for each cycle, like nothing else can.
OV-Watch® is a clinically proven fertility predictor that is cleared by the FDA. It tracks a woman's individual cycle to increase her chances of conception. By detecting changes in a woman's normal body chemistry on the surface of the skin, OV-Watch® INFORMS women of a wider window of fertility unlike anything else. It provides all 6 days of fertility- the four most crucial fertile days of a woman's cycle before ovulation and the time during ovulation. It differs from the LH urine stick tests, in that it detects 4-6 days of fertility as opposed to the LH test sticks that simply detect the LH surge that is associated with ovulation. If women use a LH urine kit that only detects the date of ovulation, they may miss their most fertile time since by the time ovulation occurs, the egg, which only has a life span of approximately 12-17 hours, is already beginning to die.(3) Sandra Ann Carson, President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine states, "Although LH peaks accurately detect ovulat ion, they do not identify the pre-ovulatory fertile period. Up to two thirds of pregnancies are conceived at or prior to ovulation."(4)
OV-Watch® is a wrist computer that looks like a watch. It's worn only while sleeping, making it an easy to use and non-invasive means of obtaining advanced notice of an individual fertility window. OV-Watch® is not a calendar. It is a biological chloride ion-sensing medical device. It is able to predict your six most fertile days.
This is how OV-Watch® works:
During a woman's cycle, there is a surge of chloride ion levels that is expected about 6 days BEFORE ovulation. This surge comes about four days before the estrogen surge and approximately five days before the LH surge, making it an earlier predictor of ovulation than any other chemical surge during the month. See graph below to notice where the chloride surge comes in relation to where the LH surge comes in a cycle.
When on the wrist, OV-Watch® measures the users changes in their sodium chloride ion levels that are secreted in their perspiration every 30 minutes and records up to 12 readings per period. This is the reason why OV-Watch® should be worn a total of six hours while sleeping. OV-Watch® can be worn more than six hours, however, a maximum of 12 readings will be taken in any day so that one day is not weighted more than another day. OV-Watch® is guided by a sophisticated software program that, based on individual conditions, predicts the beginning of a 6- day fertility window at the right time each cycle. Once the chloride surge has ended, OV-Watch® will guide you through your "fertile window" - the four most fertile days prior to ovulation (Fertile Day 1 through 4) and the time during ovulation (Ovulation Day 1 and 2). See graph above for full detail. After the Ovulation period, OV-Watch® will report two additional "Less Fertile days" after which OV-Watch® will report "N ot Fertile". Once "Not-Fertile" is reported it is not necessary for you to wear OV-Watch® for the remainder of this current cycle. However, at the beginning of the next cycle, if you do not get pregnant and start your period, you will need to begin wearing OV-Watch® on the first, second or third day of that period and continue to wear it a total of six hours per day again until you complete your entire fertile period and until "Not Fertile" is reported. Please see User Guide for complete instructions on "how to start your next cycle".
Because OV-Watch® helps women take advantage of their full 6 DAYS when they are most fertile, by optimizing those days, they can increase their chances of conception. By knowing more fertile days, women are also able to plan without the rush to have intercourse. This makes trying to get pregnant more natural and spontaneous.
Sources:
| (1) |
Cervical mucus is most fertile 4 days prior to ovulation: Taking charge of Your Fertility |
| (2) |
Up to 7 day sperm life and average life of ovum is 17 hours: The Journal of Family and Reproductive Health Care 2001:27(2):103-110 |
| (3) |
Ovum life span of 12 hours if not fertilized is Robert A. Hatcher et al. in "Contraceptive Technology" (1994) |
| (4) |
Guida M et al. Efficacy of methods for determining ovulation in a natural family planning program. Fertil Steril 1999 Nov; 72:900-904. |
OV-Watch® is the only wristwatch-like device that
uses advanced technology to identify a woman’s entire 6 day fertility window, the 4 days before ovulation,
the day of ovulation, and the day after ovulation. Experts agree that the 4 full days before ovulation
hold the highest probability of conception, in part due to the 5-day lifespan of sperm in the female
genital tract.
OV-Watch® has been found to provide the user with notice up to four days before ovulation during which
the user may have the greatest chance of becoming pregnant and provides more notice for maximizing a
couple’s chance of conceiving.
There are no devices available that can guarantee success in achieving pregnancy. OV-Watch® has been
designed to assist in family planning (conception). Women with regular monthly cycles lasting between
24 and 35 days are suitable candidates to use the OV-Watch® fertility predictor. Women whose menstrual
cycles are anovulatory might get misleading results from this device. OV-Watch® can be programmed for
use by women with a cycle from 20 days to 39 days in length. Incorrect setup or incorrect wearing of the
device, or missing days of wear, may lead to erroneous or inconclusive results.
OV-Watch® is not intended for contraception and should not be used by women who are monitoring their cycles
for the purpose of avoiding pregnancy.
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