First Response introduces at-home ovulation test

PRINCETON, N.J. — Church & Dwight on Tuesday announced the launch of its First Response digital ovulation test, a new at-home ovulation test that can detect a woman's personal luteinizing hormone, or LH, surge — the hormonal indication of ovulation — based on her own individual hormone levels.

Tracking a woman's personal LH levels can better detect the optimal time to conceive, the company stated. Unlike other at-home ovulation tests available on the market, which determine ovulation based on a preset test average, this new test from First Response considers every woman's body to be unique by determining LH surges from personal baseline levels.

"Knowing when to try to conceive can be a guessing game for women, especially for those with irregular periods," stated Mary Jane Minkin, an obstetrician/gynecologist in private practice in New Haven, Conn., and a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine. "This new at-home test indicates a woman's most fertile days based on her unique hormone levels, allowing a couple to be certain when the best time is to try."

The First Response digital ovulation test provides 20 test sticks to detect the two most fertile days during a woman's cycle. Daily testing starts on the fifth day of a woman's period to begin determination of her personal baseline and ultimately allow detection of her LH surge. The LH surge is present 24 hours to 36 hours before ovulation, and indicates the optimal time to try to conceive.