Pilot Evaluation of a New Urine Progesterone Test to Confirm Ovulation in Women Using a Fertility Monitor

Authors

Thomas Bouchard, University of Calgary
Richard Fehring, Marquette UniversityFollow
Mary Schneider, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

7-2-2019

Publisher

Frontiers Media, S.A.

Source Publication

Frontiers in Public Health

Source ISSN

2296-2565

Abstract

Background

Progesterone rises ~24–36 h after ovulation. Past studies using ultrasound-confirmed ovulation have shown that three consecutive tests with a threshold of 5μg/mL of urine progesterone (pregnanediol-3-glucuronide, PDG), taken after the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, confirmed ovulation with 100% specificity.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to a evaluate a new urine PDG self-test to retrospectively confirm ovulation in women who were monitoring ovulation using a hormonal fertility monitor.

Methods

Thirteen women of reproductive age were recruited to test urine PDG while using their home hormonal fertility monitor. The monitor measured the rise in estrogen (estrone-3-glucuronide, E3G) and LH to estimate the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. The women used an online menstrual cycle charting system to track E3G, LH and PDG levels for four menstrual cycles.

Results

The participants (Mean age 33.6) produced 34 menstrual cycles of data (Mean length 28.4 days), 17 of which used a PDG test with a threshold of 7μg/mL and 17 with a threshold of 5μg/mL. In the cycles that used the 7μg/mL test strips, 59% had a positive confirmation of ovulation, and with the 5μg/mL test strips, 82% of them had a positive confirmation of ovulation.

Conclusion

The 5μg/mL PDG test confirmed ovulation in 82% of cycles and could assist women in the evaluation of the luteal progesterone rise of their menstrual cycle.

Comments

Published version. Frontiers in Public Health, Vol. 2, No. 7 (July 2, 2019). DOI. © 2019 Bouchard, Fehring and Schneider. Used with permission.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Bouchard, Thomas; Fehring, Richard; and Schneider, Mary, "Pilot Evaluation of a New Urine Progesterone Test to Confirm Ovulation in Women Using a Fertility Monitor" (2019). College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications. 702.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/nursing_fac/702