Customer Reviews

Fertile Focus Ovulation Microscope

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I read reviews on this product and was curious whether it would work for me. It does. I have found that the more saliva I use, the easier it is to read the results. One just has to remember that the slide must be completely dry in order to work. Work with the sight adjustment until you see something. The non-fertile time looks like a messy bunch of dots, however you will definitely know when you see the ferning pattern. I have cleaned the slide by water and gently dabbing (not rubbing) a softer towel over the lens, no scratching.

I am a microbiologist, so I love anything remotely related to science and microscopes. This device is worth the money.

I think those who have trouble seeing this aren't using it properly. Be sure you remove the entire lense (the WHOLE black piece) without unscrewing it. Just pull it straight out. When it is removed properly, you will be able to see the empty container and the little green light inside. The saliva goes on the flat, uncupped, interior end closest to the light. To clean, just run the lense piece under warm water and let air dry until next use. You can check for lint or water residue by holding it up to a regular light.

This this is really cool. I have been watching for a week with it and have not had a result yet but I'll have on in a few days. Fertile Focus is easy to use. Readings show up clear. This is going to sound icky, but I also was able to put a sample on it after sex, and was able to see my husbands sperm cells! I just got it in my head to try it and it worked. They were whippin' around like crazy. The thing is if you try it ladies, you have to look carefully to see them, even move to lense a little but they'll be there. Please don't judge, hes (my husband) been questioning his fertility for some reason even though we just started trying.
Well, it works. What more can I say.

The product is a very simple microscope. And it works as intended, except I wish the manufacturer would be a little clear on the instructions on how to use it. The box came with just one tiny sheet of basic instructions. At first didn't even know where to put the saliva, on the outside or inside. I guess it makes perfect sense after I figured it out but I think clearer instructions would have been helpful.

Otherwise, product is pretty easy to use:
1. the scope resembles a lipstick case. once you pull the top off, gently pull the lens (black rim) off and turn it upside down so the inner lens is facing up.
2. put the saliva on, i use my fingers to avoid actual contact with the lens and also avoid putting too much on.
3. wait for it to dry, ~ 5-10 min
4. put the lens back into the tube
5. push the light on the bottom of the tube and look into the lens
6. adjust the rotation of the lens to focus
7. it should be fairly obvious to spot the fern pattern.
8. once done, take the lens out of the tube again
9. rinse the saliva side, let dry and put back into tube. it's ready to go again the next day.

The second or third day I did this, I was able to see partial fern pattern, the next day it was bigger, and the next day, it was back to a little bit and days after that there was no fern crystals at all. So I know those were the best days to conceive. No pregnancy so far because I don't want to get pregnant yet but I do want to track my ovulation patterns and this did the job.

I bought this microscope a year ago to begin tracking my cycles. I wanted something that would be more environmentally friendly than OPK (urine testers), which are thrown away each month. I had also used a basal thermometer, which I hated.

Pros:
-easy to use, just pull out the lens, lick or spit on it, let it dry, slide it in and press the light to see. You don't have to focus it each time as long as you don't turn the screw between the lens and the magnifier, which will change the focus.
-ferning pattern is obvious and distinctive. I'm not sure what those people are doing who can't get it to work-- it's not that hard.
-no waste

Cons:
-battery and bulb are not replaceable. If either one dies, you're buying a new microscope.
-my case cracked after a few months of use. (It's still usable.)
-PLEASE NOTE, a positive test does NOT necessarily mean that you are ovulating that day or even the next day. You can get a positive ferning test as far as 5 days before ovulation. That's not very accurate. So, please, don't rely on this thing exclusively to track the timing of your ovulation.

After a year I am still using this microscope, but more as a back up. For really tracking my cycles accurately and knowing definitively when I ovulate I rely on disposable OPK sticks that you dip into a cup of urine. (Yes, in spite of the waste they generate.)

I ordered the Fertile Focus Ovulation Microscope on Oct. 19, 2010. I received the microscope a week later and started using it ASAP. I thought I had already ovulated for the month but I wanted to experiment with it so I could get use to how it works. Well, here I am, almost 2 months later and 5 weeks pregnant! This little microscope made my dream a reality. I've been trying to conceive for 2 years and at age 30 I was afraid it may never happen. I plan on giving the microscope to my sister whose also been trying to conceive for 2 years as well. The one thing I would suggest is to use the microscope in the AM and PM. The instructions say to use it in the AM but since a woman's eggs live anywhere from 12-24 hours you may miss ovulation. I believe the day I conceived was the day I used the microscope both in the AM and PM. I had NO ferning in the AM but on a hunch I checked again that night and sure enough, total ferning! I had sex that night and now there's a baby on board! I would recommend this product to anyone and everyone!

This works very well for me. It is also very sturdy! My two year old threw it on the ground when he found it, and it held together - not even a scratch! But a word of caution, I suggest using it only once per day, at the same time each day. (First thing in the morning before you eat, drink, brush teeth, etc.) Last cycle, I was using it multiple times each day and would get pebbles in the morning but ferns in the afternoon. (I received it towards the end of last month) This cycle I'm using it only once each morning and it is working very well. I've had "pebbles" all month until this morning, day 14, and I can see the "transitional ferns". For me, eating or drinking anything makes it fern, even if I wait a few hours to test. One more thing, the company who sold it has never responded to an email question I sent them after I received it, but they did ship fast when I originally ordered it.
Good Luck!

I have learned how to change the batteries in it! After removing it from the outter case and removing the scope lens, Take a pair of tweezers or a toothpick (being careful not to hit the bulb) and push down. And the battery compartment slides right out :)

I was amazed to be able to see the ferning pattern when I was ovulating. It's very different from the other days of the month, and you can actually visualize it a few days before and after. It's easy to use it and pretty accurate if you use as directed (before drinking or eating) otherwise it doesn't work. I bought with some doubts, but it wasn't too expensive, so I gave it a try. And I'm completely satisfied to have a microscope I can carry in my purse and that looks just like a lipstick. Nobody can tell the difference. And since I'm too curious and loved microbiology class, I take a sample of a milion things to examine, including my husband sperm to see if they have good motility. I'm sorry if that sounds gross, but this things don't bother me 'cause I'm a nurse. And besides, I'd be paying for very expensive tests just to find out they are great swimmers and this is so much cheaper. For now I'm using it as a complementary birth control method (besides mucus, calendar, and urine tests), but next year I'm using all this information in order to get pregnant. But be aware these natural birth control methods have low reliability, only use them if you are willing to welcome a baby a little before planned. Good luck with this product!

First of all this product works and does exactly what it says it will do for me. It's reusable and inexpensive..... However .. After doing some research I've figured out some stuff. So, if you have TOO much estrogen it will always show as ovulating. If you have TOO little estrogen it will never show when you ovulate. ALSO it is possible to have more than one surge of estrogen during a cycle, which is what causes the ferning pattern. Of course only one of those estrogen surges is ovulation. For me that's a small inconvenience because I have irregular cycles. But it is totally worth it. With this I at least have some time frames to work with and I can reuse it indefinitely so it is much more practical than peeing on a stick. I imagine fertile focus would work well for someone with regular cycles, because you would already have a good idea of when to expect ovulation.