Continuous Dark Lines on OPK's - advice please!

[liz_milne]

Hi girls, as some (and maybe most of you) will know, I am in my first month using OPKs. This has now raised more issues than answer them and I'm now starting to get a bit worried about it, thinking I might have a hormone imbalance or something!

I have a regular 26 day cycle (apart from a blip in January which was a 36 day, one off and never happened before). I always have a 3 day period (Light-heavy-light standard period!). I always have the couple of hours ov pain to indicate ov but wanted to do opks just to get dates right in my head! Also this month I'm trying C+ for the first time.

We have been NTNP for 5 and a half years nearly and nothing. Not a jot!

So my worry is, I've been getting quite dark opks for most of my cycle and was quite chuffed that I was getting decent lines but now they are quite dark and not getting any lighter! I'm now on what i believe to be CD13 and have been getting decent lines since early CD10, although my lines have been very visible since CD2 (see photo). I have also had EWCM in abundance for a few days too. I don't chart temps as I'd be too forgetful.

My big worry is that I might have something wrong with me and I might constantly be having annovulatory cycles (spelling?). Has anyone had constant dark opks and gone on to find out they have something wrong? Or am I worrying over nothing and this is normal?

Is my body maybe trying to release an egg, but just can't for some reason? And the surge is there all the time because it's trying so hard to get the egg going?

(p.s. i have also backed all this up with an IC HPT which was clearly negative so no worries there!)

**EDITED TO SAY - I have relooked at my opks on the photograph and they do actually look darker -the one from midnight last night and the one at 2pm today - so maybe I'm ov later than anticipated? This then leads me onto the worry of having a very short LP lol!!!!!!! ARGHHHHHH

NEXT MONTH - DIGI OPKS! DEFINITELY!

 

[Dawnt87]

Hi liz, can't help unfortunately but will be interested to see what the girls reply to you as I an now on my 13th day of highs on my cbfm! I'm also worried the same as you that there's something wrong with me!!

 

[Kezzipea]

Hey hun!

Lux to me like cd13 is ur positive from all those results. Or very very close to + if not exactly today.
See wat nxt one is like.

All the rest look normal TBH hun. Its only a +OPK if the result line is the same/darker than the test line.
All throughout our cycles we do produce LH hormone anyway so tht wat the feint/feinter lines r.
Its only wen we have the LH surge (darker lines) that indicates us OV in next 24/48 hrs.

So im no pro but id say its either cd13 or very soon! So get BDing!! AND GUD LUCK.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And yes it is possible to have a couple of days of DARK lines. Lux all normal hun so dont worry
If u do feel somet is wrong see ur doc shug for piece of mind but id say u are OK.
xx

 

[ScotchEgg]

I tend to have a 3-5 day surge. My hormones are fine.

Do your opks have the sensitivity on them? They do different sensitivities as different purple have different levels of hormones in the first place

If you've bergen trying that long have you been to the gp yet?

 

[liz_milne]

kez - wish i could bd hun, but oh been working away this week, we only managed to BD on Sunday night/monday morning using the C+ too, but looking at the opks now, think this might have been way to early and he is not back til tomorrow night so hope we can hit the nail on the head so to speak!

scotch - I've never really thought about any problems before as I say we were NTNP so didn't pay much attention. It could well be the fact that I've never really noticed CM until now (well Jan cycle to be precise) and for that reason am now using the Conceive plus which will maybe help a bit? but also put it down to OH being that much older than me and it might be an age issue (also possibly an age issue with myself as I am now 31, 32 this year and probably classed as a geriatric mum the way some doctors go on!).

I think i will try what I can myself for as long as i can then maybe think about doctors. OH has 3 children from his previous and I have a DD who is 8 and a half, so know that we both could at one point!

 

[Kezzipea]

Lol wen i was preg wen i was 25 i was classed as a geriatric mum!!!!
I was MORTIFIED!! Lol.

xxxx

 

[liz_milne]

I tend to have a 3-5 day surge. My hormones are fine.

Do your opks have the sensitivity on them? They do different sensitivities as different purple have different levels of hormones in the first place

If you've bergen trying that long have you been to the gp yet?

It doesn't say what sensitivity, I bought them together with IC HPTs which are 10miu, but it doesn't say what the opks are?

 

[liz_milne]

Could it also be the fact that I don't let the urine cool to room temperature (WTF?) like it says on the packets? Should I maybe do that from now on?

Also, now that CD13 looks pretty dark, maybe if I do another one about 11pm tonight? i will hold urine for as long as I can and then let it cool down? This might give a more accurate reading and if I get a negative, then hopefully that should indicate that ov will happen or is happening soon and that if i BD tomorrow night I might still be in the game!

I'm mixed feelings between confused, hopeful and excited! It's very tiring on the emotions!

 

[fairycake]

Don't worry about the constant lines, a lot of women have them, I do some cycles! it can even vary from batch to batch of opk's... total pain!
I would say either cd13 your ov'ing, or about to ov. Whenever my lines start to darken considerably I start testing 3/4 times a day... because I have previously missed my darkest lines by only testing am and pm.
it does suck that our bodies like to be a challenge. Fx that this is your cycle x

 

[ceebee]

Your final line is looking good hon You may ov tomorrow so if you bd tomorrow night you might catch that egg! Good luck xxx

 

[liz_milne]

Have checked the manufacturer of my opks and apparently they are highly sensitive ones at 15-20miu, the normal ones to get are 30miu and you even get 40miu! So if no joy this month I will definitely change brand to a 30miu and back it all up with digis. i think these may be a bit too sensitive for me?

 

[liz_milne]

Your final line is looking good hon You may ov tomorrow so if you bd tomorrow night you might catch that egg! Good luck xxx

Whether I ov tomorrow or not i will definitely be cos he been away since early Tuesday morning! oh I do miss him when he's away!

Bless him, he sent a text message earlier which reads........

"Good afternoon darling...just a wee text to say i am missing you loads and love you loads and only one more sleep til i get home" followed by a ;o). Bless!

 

[jodie34]

Hi liz , mine never got as dark as the control line , but it was darker then it stared to get a lot lighter until no line was visible at , well until yesterday , my lines I'm gettin look like you cd 10 so goodness knows wots goin on with me lol , if this is your surge then hubby will be back in time and hopefully you will catch your egg , lots of luck your way hun xx

 

[liz_milne]

ooh went and bought some asda ones at 35miu (couldn't afford the digis they were £19 a pack!!!!! wth!!), check this baby out! it looks kinda dark to me so hoping it's a positive! Gonna test again with an asda one at 2pm tomorrow so hopefully the line will be fainter. its not darker, but is it as dark as?

 

[liz_milne]

Hi liz , mine never got as dark as the control line , but it was darker then it stared to get a lot lighter until no line was visible at , well until yesterday , my lines I'm gettin look like you cd 10 so goodness knows wots goin on with me lol , if this is your surge then hubby will be back in time and hopefully you will catch your egg , lots of luck your way hun xx

jodie, sometimes opks can detect the hcg hormone too? have you tested yet or going to test? (i lose track of all posts so i might have asked you that before?)

 

[ceebee]

ooh - that looks good Liz fx for tomorrow xxx

 

[liz_milne]

ooh - that looks good Liz fx for tomorrow xxx

Thanks!! Can't believe how excited I am to be using different opks lol. Kinda got fed up looking at the ic's lol.

Just a wee question now though, should I now set my ovulation day as tomorrow to play safe? lol

 

[Lynds77]

Liz dont panic! if you are only CD13 now, add on a 2 week luteal phase = 27 days so you are just about right for ovulating today.