As of 10/08 digital pH testers are more accuarte.. please read this:

http://www.in-gender.com/cs/forums/t/57805.aspx

My review of pH strips.

Well in my pH strip craziness I finally have come up with a review.  I test 4 pH strips.  Here are the results:

Hydrion papers pH strips

http://www.microessentiallab.com/paper/lith.html

Walgreen’s pH strips

- drove to Walgreens lol

Universal / full range pH strips (not the name of the strips, but what they are)

http://m.amazon.com/tag/ph%20test%20paper/products

http://www.baar.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=275&Category_Code=

Hydrion papers are not sensitive enough for cm.  I could get no reading with cm.  However they do give a reading for salvia, urine, and semen.  I would not recommend them.

Walgreen’s pH strips are convenient because I didn’t have to order them online.  They are accurate but they only go in the even numbers. 2, 4, 6, 8.  So I would not recommend them.

Universal pH strips work every time.  They can read the driest cm but the less water in the cm the longer you need to wait for the results.  These read from 4-14 but no numbers in between.  I buy all my strips from ebay.

Alkalive pH strips also work every time.  I had a hard time reading them because I couldn’t’ get the boxes to match the chart at the same time.  After contacting the company I got an explanation as to how to read them:  Top box is 5 and up and bottom box is 5 under.  However I could never get a reading any higher than 6.75 but the color was lighter than 6.75.  So I used the universal pH strips and they say I was at a strong 7.  So if the top box is lighter than 6.75 then that means you are some where in the 7’s.

Over all I would recommend-using Alkalive strips in combinations with universal pH strips.  That way you can be confidant of you pH.  Oh and don’t buy a soil pH meter.  It does give a pH reading but isn’t very accurate at all.

Reddcin,

Thank you so much for all your helpful information.  It really helps us out here trying for Blue...  I have Alkalive strips and also had trouble understanding how to read it...

Just wanted to wish you good luck and I hope that your baby boy comes to you very soon!

Thanks so much for the awesome review!! The ones I have don't have a brand on them but they are yellow (quite a dark yellow) and are strips of paper about 1cm wide and 5cm long ... do they look like any of the ones you have tried?  Also they come with a little slip of paper with 1 - 14 on them and different coloured box for each number that you match up to the ph paper to read the level.  I don't find them very sensitive for CM but they change color very quickly for semen, urine & salivia so maybe these are the ones you said aren't sensitive enough?

Also what is the ideal PH for DH if trying for a girl - sorry I know this info is somewhere else but I can't find it!? 

kiwigirl:

Thanks so much for the awesome review!! The ones I have don't have a brand on them but they are yellow (quite a dark yellow) and are strips of paper about 1cm wide and 5cm long ... do they look like any of the ones you have tried?  Also they come with a little slip of paper with 1 - 14 on them and different coloured box for each number that you match up to the ph paper to read the level.  I don't find them very sensitive for CM but they change color very quickly for semen, urine & salivia so maybe these are the ones you said aren't sensitive enough?

Also what is the ideal PH for DH if trying for a girl - sorry I know this info is somewhere else but I can't find it!? 

DH pH before adding lime should not be below 7.  Once you add lime (if you are doing tbm) then it should be between 4.5-5.5

As for the pH strip question they are in another part of the house right now, so I'll have to look later

I just got my alkalive PH strips in the mail today, and tested my CM.  It was 6.  I'm trying for a girl, I'm afraid this is in boy range??  I tried yesterday on cd11 but didn't have the strips yet, but DH has been "doing the deed" every day to lower sperm count, and yesterday we did "jump & dump" or whatever it's called.  He took a HOT shower before going the 2nd time in a cup, then I used a baby medicine dropper to only insert 1inch (I don't know how people can only have sex at the entrance, that seems impossible).  The semen was very watery which concerned me, I've never seen semen be so watery before...??  I also did a vinegar douche bought at the store.  I felt kind of a burning sensation down there which made me think things were more acidic, after I put in "the stuff." 

I also realized my ovulation strips are a few months past expiration which doesn't help much, but they still seem to work somewhat.  I'm considering doing 1 more attempt tomorrow in case ovulation is later, I've read of women bd'ing straight through O, of course that can increase boy chances but it seems everyone universally agrees environment is way more important.  If that's the case though, I better go down some cranberry tablets!!

The things people can say on this board, lol.  So does anyone have any comments on this??

momof2boys:

Ok I just tested the PH of the vinegar douche I bought at the store, Summer's Eve.  The top color was more like a 6.0, but the bottom color was VERY bright yellow like a 4.5 or lower.  What the heck??  How are you suppose to read these things when they're 2 different colors?  How long should you wait to read them.  Since Alkalive says it's for saliva & urine, it says 15 seconds.  So I assume the same amount of time for CM?

Reddcin:

kiwigirl:

Thanks so much for the awesome review!! The ones I have don't have a brand on them but they are yellow (quite a dark yellow) and are strips of paper about 1cm wide and 5cm long ... do they look like any of the ones you have tried?  Also they come with a little slip of paper with 1 - 14 on them and different coloured box for each number that you match up to the ph paper to read the level.  I don't find them very sensitive for CM but they change color very quickly for semen, urine & salivia so maybe these are the ones you said aren't sensitive enough?

Also what is the ideal PH for DH if trying for a girl - sorry I know this info is somewhere else but I can't find it!? 

DH pH before adding lime should not be below 7.  Once you add lime (if you are doing tbm) then it should be between 4.5-5.5

As for the pH strip question they are in another part of the house right now, so I'll have to look later

OK I got the pH strips.  The Walgreen's pH strips are a dark orange, the universal pH strips are a lite orange and the ones that don't work well are a light green/yellow.

I looked up PH in old posts and only found someone saying PH 7.5+ is ideal for boy but I know 7+ is good for boy, but where's the "cut-off" for girl PH or boy PH?  I know 4.5 is ideal for girl and 7+ for boy, 6 is pretty mid-range but a little closer to 7  : /  I guess I'll have to make my own douche next time to make it more acidic.

momof2boys:

I looked up PH in old posts and only found someone saying PH 7.5+ is ideal for boy but I know 7+ is good for boy, but where's the "cut-off" for girl PH or boy PH?  I know 4.5 is ideal for girl and 7+ for boy, 6 is pretty mid-range but a little closer to 7  : /  I guess I'll have to make my own douche next time to make it more acidic.

well I think that from 6-7 is in the middle ground.. kind of neutral but very slightly leaning toward girl

I just checked DH's PH, 8.5~  yikes!!  No wonder we have boys!!  Of course the woman's PH is probably more important, but still.  And he's been taking cranberry & all the supps and trying to adhere to the diet.  He also eats a lot of grapefruit.  I may want to add some lemon/lime to that before I give that another try!!  I think we should NOT try again this cycle though as his PH is too high.  We'll have to rely on Shettles to help w/that girl IF we conceive this month, and he'll have to take more cranberry or something...

How important do people think DH PH is??

Gotta love these new test strips, lol!

So I just got my first 7.0 on the strips - I have always been 6.75, and my IUI is scheduled for tomorrow morning, so I'm psyched! Anyway, I got the 7.0 by testing my urine. Is that how you all are getting your readings? Or should I be using saliva or CM?

TIA,
Jill

Thanks Redicin, the ones that I've got are more of a dark yellow leaning towards orangey color (actually kindof similar to the color of the little "tip" arrow box on this page and the strip above compose so i'm glad they don't seem to be the yellow/greeny ones that don't seem to work.

I'd guess DH's is fairly important but I think if its too low it can harm the sperm and mean they don't develop enough or something like that, and I guess if our PH is lower then that'll take care of them as well?  I'm defn not an expert!  Your DH sounds fantastic with all his cooperation! 

mermad:

So I just got my first 7.0 on the strips - I have always been 6.75, and my IUI is scheduled for tomorrow morning, so I'm psyched! Anyway, I got the 7.0 by testing my urine. Is that how you all are getting your readings? Or should I be using saliva or CM?

TIA,
Jill

CM is what matters.  However if you are going into a IUI it won't matter much because they bipass the cm.  But what is your cm pH anyway?