OPK Advice?

[Carly89]

I am posting in here as you mum's and mums to be have obviously been successful! I would like advice on tracking OPK and any tips you may have for me? i am on TTC #4 now, off the pill 10 months, fairly regular periods.

I have ordered One Step Ovulation strips (50 of) with great reviews. I am planning on sticking them side by side, day by day so i am able to see the line develop. Any other advice is appreciated

Thanks in advance

 

[JulyBug]

I used the cheapy ones and they always worked well for me.

I was always told to use them in the afternoon so always did a test at 1pm each day when I got home from work and also it's only a positive if the line is as dark as or darker then the test line.

You get tired of doing them very quickly! I stopped using them eventually and just DTD as much as possible!

It took me 6months to conceive with no health problems or anything.

Good luck xx

 

[Rose83]

Try to do it between 12-2pm that's about the time you are supposed to get an accurate reading for the day. Don't use FMU. There isn't a lot more really to say other than the fact that for me I always get three days of positives - 1 day where the line is the same as the control and then two days where it is super dark. I've never had a 'is this positive' query because it was always totally obvious x

 

[Carly89]

I'll aim for lunch time at work then. How come they say not FMU? Strange that they tell you that for pregnancy but not LH x

 

[TORino]

My experience of them is to use them even later in the afternoon. Say 4pm. There was a few days when I did one at 2pm and one at 4pm and it was much darker at 4pm. You run the risk of not catching the surge otherwise. I would recommends testing earlier than you expect as well - I ovulated much earlier than I thought!

Good luck

 

[M1chelle]

I only ever got a positive on OPKs a couple of months and I was TTC for a year. I did what you did, composing the sticks to the previous days and months. The month I conceived I got a dark OPK but not a full on positive so don't dismiss just because it's not darker than the control line. You can have surges that pass very quickly so you can miss the positive in the window between one test and the next.

 

[Carly89]

Ive had a really strange experience this month with AF. I had some cramping from Sunday to Wednesday, spotting started 2 days before AF was due, then I expelled some abnormally large clots Wednesday in the bath. Ive since had a bit of spotting and nothing else. So I Duno what to class my period is. So I can get some idea I thought I'd try this option to gauge some idea. Still going to every other day where possible, but increase around OV x

 

[Rose83]

I'll aim for lunch time at work then. How come they say not FMU? Strange that they tell you that for pregnancy but not LH x

It's because it's a different hormone that the OPKs are testing for and it's something that happens later in the day I believe. But also with pregnancy tests you need concentrated wee to try and pick up small amounts of HCG whereas the LH surge the OPKs test for should show up in an average wee x

 

[Carly89]

I'll aim for lunch time at work then. How come they say not FMU? Strange that they tell you that for pregnancy but not LH x

It's because it's a different hormone that the OPKs are testing for and it's something that happens later in the day I believe. But also with pregnancy tests you need concentrated wee to try and pick up small amounts of HCG whereas the LH surge the OPKs test for should show up in an average wee x

I get home from work at 5.30 do you think that is too late? X

 

[Rose83]

I've sill had positives that late in the day but judging by other people above I've been quite odd in getting 3 days of positives - most people seem to say it's easy to miss and therefore you'd probably be better trying to do it at work. I used to sneak a cup from the water dispenser into the toilet, pee in it for my OPK then put the whole lot in the sanitary bin after i'd emptied it! X

 

[Carly89]

I've sill had positives that late in the day but judging by other people above I've been quite odd in getting 3 days of positives - most people seem to say it's easy to miss and therefore you'd probably be better trying to do it at work. I used to sneak a cup from the water dispenser into the toilet, pee in it for my OPK then put the whole lot in the sanitary bin after i'd emptied it! X

Good idea! I reckon I'll do that. I actually thought about a toothbrush holder to transport them home so I can keep a log of them lol.

 

[Carly89]

my line had a small darkening, but has faded again, doing two a day at the moment. I'm expecting ovulation in 3 days ish, does anyone know why this happens?

 

[TORino]

When are you testing? Mine looked like this but when I started testing later in the day I got clear positives.

 

[Rose83]

I always read that sometimes your body heads up to ovulate and the doesnt for whatever reason. To be honest from the literal hundreds of OPKs I've done I would barely consider this a darkening in your lines, when you get a positive you'll see what I mean, it's so much more obvious than any of these x

 

[Carly89]

When are you testing? Mine looked like this but when I started testing later in the day I got clear positives.

Once in a Morning about 8am and again about 5pm x

 

[Carly89]

I always read that sometimes your body heads up to ovulate and the doesnt for whatever reason. To be honest from the literal hundreds of OPKs I've done I would barely consider this a darkening in your lines, when you get a positive you'll see what I mean, it's so much more obvious than any of these x

Ok, I'll wait for the obvious darkening. Ive never used these before so I'll wait and see. Once it shows dark is that go go go time? We've been having regular lately anyway but trying month 4 now and think we have been going too early x

 

[Carly89]

Thought I'd already hit peak, then this happened looking at the last 3. (dark AM, light Pm, dark again today AM) So I'm confused. Been Saturday AM, Sunday PM and Monday early PM..

 

[JulyBug]

It's annoying isn't it!.. OPK's can be a bit unreliable I think!.. it sounds like you've DTD enough to cover yourself so try not to worry too much.. I never tested in the morning as I would always get false positives for some reason! Good luck xx

 

[Carly89]

It's annoying isn't it!.. OPK's can be a bit unreliable I think!.. it sounds like you've DTD enough to cover yourself so try not to worry too much.. I never tested in the morning as I would always get false positives for some reason! Good luck xx

Think we'll just keep at it till the lines fade totally to be safe xx