The discovery that estrogen is secreted in saliva when ovulating was made by scientists in the 1950s. It was also discovered that as saliva dried, the estrogen and salt would form pattern that looks like frost on a window pane which is visible under high magnification of microscopes. This pattern is called ‘ferning’, which indicates that ovulation is likely to occur in the next 24 to 72 hours.

However, this method wasn’t available in the past due to high costs of microscopes, worth thousands of dollars, but now it is, modified for home use, made in a form of various inexpensive ovulation predicting kits. These home kits use as same pattern as expensive microscopes. Saliva is being tested for levels of estrogen, giving the information about whether or not is woman close to ovulation.

These home ovulation predictors and detectors also create a highly-magnified image of your dried saliva that can show the tiny crystals due to high levels of salt and estrogen present around ovulation. The level of estrogen that exists naturally in your saliva increases dramatically 2-3 days prior to ovulating, and reaches its peak during ovulation, so this is why saliva ovulation testers may be very reliable in ovulation prediction.

During the testing your saliva, you may see different patterns depending on which phase of your cycle you are in.
First you should let your saliva dries for 5 minutes. You’ll be able to see following patterns like on these three images.

If you see a pattern of pebbles or dots like on first image, it indicates a low estrogen phase when you are not ovulating. Your chances of conceiving during this time are low.

A pattern of pebbles and small ferns (second image) indicates the transitional phase when estrogen levels are rising, usually in the 2 to 3 days before ovulation. Your chances of getting pregnant are increased if you have intercourse during this transitional phase.

Fern or crystal pattern will be seen when estrogen levels are high, which means that you are in your optimum fertile period – ovulation. This is the best time to become pregnant, so if you are trying to conceive, time your intercourse when you see the full fern patterns like on third image.

A pattern of pebbles and ferns that shows the transitional phase (image 2) will usually appear again in 2-3 days after ovulation. But, you are very unlikely to get pregnant if you have intercourse more than 24 hours after ovulation.
Also, fern pattern can occur around the menstrual cycle, but it does not relate to ovulation. You will know it anyway, due to menstrual bleeding and other factors that indicate beginning of your menstrual cycle.

There are many benefits of saliva ovulation testers. They’re 98% accurate when used properly. They’re also inexpensive, convenient, re-usable and easy to use anytime and anywhere. Testing with saliva ovulation testers takes about five to ten minutes and you get your results almost instantly.

Ovulation predictor kits allow a woman to predict with a small margin of error, the most fertile time of the month.  The best ovulation kits are designed to take the guess work out of trying to determine when peak fertility days are occurring each month, which will dramatically increase the chances of conception.  Ovulation kits come with a list of complete instructions which should be followed closely to ensure proper use and decrease the chances of error occurring.

Ovulation is medically defined as the separation of a mature egg from the ovary after a follicle has formed.  For most females, ovulation occurs within 14-days of the last menstrual cycle, but for women with abnormal periods, the days in between can vary.  If ovulation occurs at an earlier or later point in time than a woman estimates, conception will not occur.

An ovulation prediction kit takes the pressure off of a woman trying to determine her fertile days.  For some women, there are questions about how to properly use an ovulation prediction kit and what to do to make sure the equipment is being used correctly, but it is not difficult.  At the start of a menstrual cycle, the female body makes follicle stimulating hormone which makes a follicle develop on an ovary.  The follicle contains the egg and once mature, a surge of luteinizing hormone propels the follicle to burst into the fallopian tube; this is the moment ovulation takes place.

Since the window for fertilization is small each month, the best ovulation kits can help a woman trying to conceive.  Ovulation tests come in two types, strips and midstream tests.  With a strip test, a container of urine is used and the strip is placed in the liquid for a matter of seconds.  Using a midstream test involves holding the strip in a stream of urine to measure the amount of hormones in the body.  It is very important to read instructions carefully and always follow things carefully; any error could result in a false reading and delay conception until the next cycle occurs.