Why a Cycle Tracker is Useful in Tracking LH Progression

Whether you’re trying to get pregnant, or are just trying to better understand your body, a Cycle Tracker could be a great tool for you.  

By women’s health expert Vernita Brown, MPA

Every body is different, especially when it comes to menstrual cycles. If you’re trying to conceive, or just trying to get body literate, tracking your LH surge can be really useful. Using a Cycle Tracker helps increase your chances of getting pregnant, monitors your LH progression over time, and can help predict your future cycles and fertile windows. 

Why tracking LH is important 

Ovulation (your fertile window) is induced by a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH), a hormone produced in the brain. This LH surge, which occurs approximately 24-48 hours before ovulation, can be detected using ovulation test strips and tracked using our patent-pending Cycle Tracker. During your LH surge, an abundance of LH is excreted in urine, which the ovulation test kit will detect and display as a positive ovulation test result. Catching this window and knowing when to have intercourse can increase your chances of getting pregnant. 

Not only can cycle lengths vary, but when and if you ovulate during each cycle can vary from month to month. Some women ovulate like clockwork, but if your cycle length is irregular or varying, it can feel as if your fertile window is a moving target. 

How do you track LH?

The Ovulation Test Kit can be especially helpful for tracking LH. Our jargon-free instructions take the guesswork out of LH testing. Just identify the two lines on your test— the control line and the test line— to determine your results. If the test line is as dark or darker than the control line, then you’re either experiencing or close to experiencing an LH surge. 

What is the Cycle Tracker?

Natalist’s Cycle Tracker helps keep your test results organized so you can easily identify when you experience your LH surge. After you’ve used an ovulation test strip, simply place the strip in the tracker, document the date and time, and you’re done! 

Some women like to track cycle day (CD) while others prefer to simply write the date. Do whatever works best for you!

How the Cycle Tracker helps monitor LH progression over time

It is helpful (and highly recommended) to keep and reference your test strips in sequential order using the Cycle Tracker. This will help you track when you typically experience your LH surge each cycle and help predict future cycles and fertile windows. You can determine when you experience this surge by paying close attention to the test line. Is it darker or as dark at the control line? If so, you’re experiencing an LH surge. The lighter the test line is, the lower your LH levels are. 

How the Cycle Tracker can help you predict future cycles and fertile windows

If you use the tracker long enough to determine a pattern, you should be able to estimate when you’ll experience your next period or fertile window. Some women have a 28 day cycle, some have a 35 day cycle, and some fall in between. Using the Cycle Tracker can help you identify exactly when you’re experiencing an LH surge and approximately how long your cycle will last. Then, you can use this information to predict future cycles!

Why we love a paper tracker 

Digital apps can be great, but we like having the option to save the physical strips. The paper tracker is ideal because it allows you to customize what information you’re hoping to get from tracking your cycle. You can write down what times you tested, what day of your cycle you tested, the date, etc. to get a better idea of what your results mean. 

Understanding your body

Everyone's cycles vary. Whether you have a 28 day cycle, 34 day cycle, or irregular menstrual cycle, the Cycle Tracker can be a helpful tool to identify when you’re most likely to ovulate, and what to expect for future cycles. All you need to do is take the ovulation tests, place the strips in the Cycle Tracker, and write down the information you’re trying to track (the date, time, etc). You’ll have a better understanding of your cycle in no time.