WANTED! your questions on AF and OPK!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Hi! I am writing a book and need your help - I want to know everything you want to know about your menstrual cycle and using OPK for swaying. Also, if you see the same q come up again and again, give me a reminder - just want to make sure I have all questions covered.

[Bigwish]

Wow, you're a very busy woman AS! Looking forward to your book!

I was wondering
- my cycles always begin with spotting (brown/pinkish), the second day i got some fresh blood drops but then, again, it remains brown... Then, on day 5 i have a very heavy blood loss for about twelve hours, then it fades and by day 8 or 9 it is gone.
- has this something to do wit low levels of a particular hormone? Does it sway and in what direction? Do i have to check this with a doctor?
- i've always learned that day 1 of a new cycle is the day you see the first fresh blood. Is this right (thus for me day 2), even if on day 5 the severe blood loss appears?

I'm using a fertility monitor. I used it years before ds1 and between ds1 and ds 2 (i was breastfeeding but had been having regular cycles since six weeks after birth (i know, poor me, LOL)). It always showed my ovulation in the screen. Now i've been using it for the last nine months (had an IUD after ds2) and it only showed my O two times since then! Last month i used opks and i got three pos OPKs (three different brands) when my fm says i wasn't ovulating. Strange, isn't?
- last month i used opks from day 8. They were dark instantly but not positive, and on day 11 day they became very faint! Then, - few days later they became darker again with a pos opk at day 15 and a peak on day 16 around noon? Can you have two surges in one cycle?

Ok, these were my questions untill now. Hope they are what you're looking for!

[atomic sagebrush]

yes that is PERFECT!! added to my FAQ to be answered

[atomic sagebrush]

PS - you can have more than one surge per cycle BTW!

[The Anchor]

If I don't get a +OPK does that mean an anovulatory cycle?
(Of course I know the answer to this, I never got a +OPK and ended up pg with my boy)
If I DO get a +OPK, does that mean I ovulated?
(NOPE).

[Tmolly]

I wish I was swaying after your book comes out -- just started using OPKs and don't completely understand it!
- I understand that a positive OPK indicates an LH surge, which means ovulation should occur within 12-36 hrs. But when the test strips go negative again (the next day or later), does that mean that ovulation has already occurred? What DOES it mean?
- Does the length of an LH surge matter for general fertility or for swaying?
- Is the length of the LH surge pretty consistent for any one woman, cycle to cycle?
- If a woman has and knows her "average" LH surge length, is there an ideal time for a 2nd attempt when swaying pink? (Assuming she does her first attempt within 8 hrs of positive OPK.)

[coralsky]

Ok, I know you already know my back-story and the reasons for my Q's so will try and keep Q's short and not ramble on about my cycle in too much detail lol!

1) How effective is a +opk at predicting O? (ie. how likely is it that you WILL ovulate 24-48hrs after +opk)

2) I know it is possible to get a "fake" surge/+opk, and then a "real" surge/+opk a few days later, so I always keep poas on opk for 5-7days after first +opk just in case...but if you DON'T get a 2nd +opk later, does that mean that the first is even more reliable at predicting ovulation?

3) How long is longest possible luteal phase?...it appears mine have been longer than normal lately as you know, but I don't know if this is just me, or if it has happened to others.

4) Do you always have to count the fresh-red blood of AF as CD1?...my pre-AF brown spotting has been lasting a lot longer than usual lately (3-4days instead of 1day) so I am not sure if this means I should count CD1 earlier OR LP is longer than the "norm" OR if +opk was wrong at predicting O.
(I think it has to be at least one of these 3 options, as a chemical was highly unlikely due to early POAS on HPT, and this happened 2 cycles in a row, and could be heading for a 3rd!)

5) Is it normal for clomid to alter a person's normal pattern of +opk, LP and AF?...it seems to have done this for me, not sure if others have found the same, and if this is to be expected on clomid.

Ok, that's all I can think of just now... hope it makes sense ok, and hope I have not rambled tooo much lol :)

[atomic sagebrush]

TMolly - when your tests go negative doesn't mean anything at all. length of surge does not matter. It is not consistent between people and more important, will not be consistent for YOU - next month may be totally different.

Personally, I think we are seeing such good results with one attempt, I would stick with one until you are totally sure you can't get pg with one attempt. If you MUST do more than one attempt, I'd do is as soon as is possible after the first one - back to back even.

[atomic sagebrush]

Coral - thank you! this will all be covered so let me know if you do want me to answer now too.

[Dreamofpink]

How about "why shouldn't you use FMU to test for your LH surge with most OPKs?" I do know the answer but I think it can be confusing when compared with the instructions for using a pg test. :)

Sent from my LG-E400 using Tapatalk 2

[coralsky]

Oh great, hope it wasn't too much.

It would be great to get some quick answers to these if you have the time.. just for my own peace of mind really, but I know how extremely busy you are and don't want to add to your huge workload...no big deal if you have too much on, was just trying to think of all the things that have been confusing me lately lol x

[Bigwish]

How about "why shouldn't you use FMU to test for your LH surge with most OPKs?" I do know the answer but I think it can be confusing when compared with the instructions for using a pg test. :)

Sent from my LG-E400 using Tapatalk 2

Good question!
My fertility monitor wants me to test with FMU. Could that be the reason it couldn't find my O? I'm using P.ersona.

[Bigwish]

Coralsky, except for Q3 and Q5, are you me??? LOL

[atomic sagebrush]

Ok, I know you already know my back-story and the reasons for my Q's so will try and keep Q's short and not ramble on about my cycle in too much detail lol!

1) How effective is a +opk at predicting O? (ie. how likely is it that you WILL ovulate 24-48hrs after +opk)

2) I know it is possible to get a "fake" surge/+opk, and then a "real" surge/+opk a few days later, so I always keep poas on opk for 5-7days after first +opk just in case...but if you DON'T get a 2nd +opk later, does that mean that the first is even more reliable at predicting ovulation?

3) How long is longest possible luteal phase?...it appears mine have been longer than normal lately as you know, but I don't know if this is just me, or if it has happened to others.

4) Do you always have to count the fresh-red blood of AF as CD1?...my pre-AF brown spotting has been lasting a lot longer than usual lately (3-4days instead of 1day) so I am not sure if this means I should count CD1 earlier OR LP is longer than the "norm" OR if +opk was wrong at predicting O.
(I think it has to be at least one of these 3 options, as a chemical was highly unlikely due to early POAS on HPT, and this happened 2 cycles in a row, and could be heading for a 3rd!)

5) Is it normal for clomid to alter a person's normal pattern of +opk, LP and AF?...it seems to have done this for me, not sure if others have found the same, and if this is to be expected on clomid.

Ok, that's all I can think of just now... hope it makes sense ok, and hope I have not rambled tooo much lol :)

Haha it's funny I made myself more work trying to save myself work in the long run! ;) Glad you guys asked tho.

1)I really can't say because of user error. One study found that they were up to 100% accurate at determining ovulation - but it wasn't that 100% of the time you get a positive test, it was that 100% of the time when there was ovulation, the woman (specially trained stick-pe-er) was also able to get a pos OPK. As they say in commercials, your results may vary LOL

2)Yes, if you don't get another pos OPK the odds are good the first one was the real one - but keep in mind that it is possible to ovulate without getting a pos OPK. So you could have a situation where you had a surge, did not ovulate, then DID ovulate but the second one was not detected.

3)16 days is the outer limit that we typically see. if you regularly have one longer than that, there are a couple unusual things that can cause this. Some may wantsee a doctor to rule them out. (you may not be ovulating on the Clomid or could have a corpus luteum cyst that isn't going away like it should) But most people either miscalculated O or else had a chemical that delayed AF.

4)No. I think that rule of thumb is kinda stupid TBH. Some people might have brown blood all day just normally and that should count as CD 1. In your case I'd prob. split the difference and see if htat makes things seem more logical. The "rule" is meant to be helpful and make sense, there's nothing inherently biological about that rule really.

5)Yes totally normal. There is no normal with Clomid other than nothing is normal.

[coralsky]

Haha it's funny I made myself more work trying to save myself work in the long run! ;) Glad you guys asked tho.

1)I really can't say because of user error. One study found that they were up to 100% accurate at determining ovulation - but it wasn't that 100% of the time you get a positive test, it was that 100% of the time when there was ovulation, the woman (specially trained stick-pe-er) was also able to get a pos OPK. As they say in commercials, your results may vary LOL

2)Yes, if you don't get another pos OPK the odds are good the first one was the real one - but keep in mind that it is possible to ovulate without getting a pos OPK. So you could have a situation where you had a surge, did not ovulate, then DID ovulate but the second one was not detected.

3)16 days is the outer limit that we typically see. if you regularly have one longer than that, there are a couple unusual things that can cause this. Some may wantsee a doctor to rule them out. (you may not be ovulating on the Clomid or could have a corpus luteum cyst that isn't going away like it should) But most people either miscalculated O or else had a chemical that delayed AF.

4)No. I think that rule of thumb is kinda stupid TBH. Some people might have brown blood all day just normally and that should count as CD 1. In your case I'd prob. split the difference and see if htat makes things seem more logical. The "rule" is meant to be helpful and make sense, there's nothing inherently biological about that rule really.

5)Yes totally normal. There is no normal with Clomid other than nothing is normal.

Atomic, I am so sorry to have caused you extra work, esp. when I was supposed to be helping! But thank you so very much for this detailed reply it really does help loads :heart:

A lot of what you said is kind of along the lines of my guessing/thinking on it, but it really does help to get the reassurance and clarification, thank you thank you
:bowdown:

At first I had assumed it was the opk that was wrong, but now I think I am pretty well practiced at them and reasonably vigilant too in keeping checking (lol) so now I think it is probably a cross-between a longer LP and AF/CD1 being a bit different to the "norm" and I previously thought that CD1 was always the fresh/red blood day, so this part in particular really does help.

I think in my case I may need to count CD1 a day or 2 earlier in future if this pattern continues.

You are amazing, and I will totally be buying the book (unless I get a BFP before then...highly unlikely, but still hoping anyway :))

Thank you soooo much xxx :flowerz:

[coralsky]

Coralsky, except for Q3 and Q5, are you me??? LOL

haha so nice that I am not the only one who has all this confusion lol!
not that I would wish it on anyone of course, but nice to know I am not alone nonetheless!

Good luck with your sway :)

[atomic sagebrush]

No not at all, I really appreciate it. When I work on essays/books sometimes I lose perspective and forget things that really need to be included. LIke the "when to count CD" I did include in the body of the book but forgot to put in the FAQ and so it is very helpful~~~

[coralsky]

Oh good, that makes me feel a bit better then lol!

I really do appreciate all your help and answers though, they are always so clear, concise and helpful, thank you again xxx

[ELP]

For the book!
I conceived 3 girls by dtd the day after + opk, is this coincidence or is there some truth in o+12?

My own answer to this is its probably more to do with the fact that I was living of jam/jelly on toast and pasta and chocolate during this time as I later conceived one of my sway boys with the same timing:bigsmile: but if it helps!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Wow, you're a very busy woman AS! Looking forward to your book!

I was wondering
- my cycles always begin with spotting (brown/pinkish), the second day i got some fresh blood drops but then, again, it remains brown... Then, on day 5 i have a very heavy blood loss for about twelve hours, then it fades and by day 8 or 9 it is gone.
- has this something to do wit low levels of a particular hormone? Does it sway and in what direction? Do i have to check this with a doctor?
- i've always learned that day 1 of a new cycle is the day you see the first fresh blood. Is this right (thus for me day 2), even if on day 5 the severe blood loss appears?

I'm using a fertility monitor. I used it years before ds1 and between ds1 and ds 2 (i was breastfeeding but had been having regular cycles since six weeks after birth (i know, poor me, LOL)). It always showed my ovulation in the screen. Now i've been using it for the last nine months (had an IUD after ds2) and it only showed my O two times since then! Last month i used opks and i got three pos OPKs (three different brands) when my fm says i wasn't ovulating. Strange, isn't?
- last month i used opks from day 8. They were dark instantly but not positive, and on day 11 day they became very faint! Then, - few days later they became darker again with a pos opk at day 15 and a peak on day 16 around noon? Can you have two surges in one cycle?

Ok, these were my questions untill now. Hope they are what you're looking for!

If that bleeding is normal for YOU, then it's normal. My belief is that it's not hormones, but the level of clotting factors in your blood that you tend to make. You may make more than the average person, so your body has to really amp it up (it makes chemicals to make you bleed) to get the blood flow going, then the whole lining comes off with heavy flow.

If you ALWAYS have a day of brown spotting before red flow, then I'm not sure I'd count your second day as CD 1 - you have to stay flexible on this and use your LP and O day as a judge. if you have 14 days after that first day of spotting before O, and then 14 days after O, then the day of spotting is CD 1. But if you have let's say 12 days between O and the spotting, then you should count the 2nd day as CD 1. Sorry this is kinda hard to explain. YOu have to use your instinct a bit and not just some blanket rule about red flow, because it doesn't apply to everyone equally. I do NOT think you should count the 5th day as CD 1 unless you are having really super short LP.

My guess is that something has happened to your fertility monitor making it work not as well as it originally did. Sometimes the company can recalibrate it for you and it may work better. My guess would be it's missing surges that aren't superstrong.

RE 2 surges, yes, you can have more than one surge in a month. your body may start to ovulate and decide the time isn't right and not release an egg, or it may be that's just how your LH rises, in a stairstep fashion where it increases then falls back, before increasing enough to trigger ovuation.

[atomic sagebrush]

For the book!
I conceived 3 girls by dtd the day after + opk, is this coincidence or is there some truth in o+12?

My own answer to this is its probably more to do with the fact that I was living of jam/jelly on toast and pasta and chocolate during this time as I later conceived one of my sway boys with the same timing:bigsmile: but if it helps!!

It's coincidence IMO - the good studies on timing have found that about 50-50 boys and girls are conceived every day of the cycle.

DTD the day after pos OPK is really spot on O and not O+12 - for O+12, it is more like 48 hours after pos OPK.

[wonderstruck]

New here, and I had a question about OPKs. I've seen it mentioned on the site several times that you should not test first thing in the morning, it seems that generally afternoon is the best time. However, the instructions on the OPK I've been using specifically says to use my first morning urine. So, is this test an exception to that rule, or does it just have bad instructions? It's the Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Test.


Not sure if the background is necessary, but this is my first time using an OPK. I have a 6 month old baby boy and we are ready to start TTC again because we want our kids pretty close together, but my period isn't back yet and I want to know if ovulation is occurring, so I bought the OPK. So far it hasn't been working great - after about a week of negatives, I got a high fertility result. Typically after 2 days this is supposed to switch from high fertility to peak fertility, but I'm on day 5 of high fertility and am getting so anxious to see the symbol for peak! I know that I should probably start charting too, but it's difficult because everything goes by when your period starts, and I still don't have mine even though I stopped BFing 4 months ago.

[atomic sagebrush]

The directions on your individual OPK trump the directions on this site or any other. Most OPK are best after lunch but not all of them. do what the box says.

If your period is not back, you are not ovulating. No ovulation, no AF. Please save your $$, those Clearblues are superspendy, and wait to test for ov till you get your first AF, unless you are trying to catch the first egg. If so, then get some cheap ones online and use those 1x a day, if they start to darken up then test 2x a day, and if you get a pos with them, use your Clearblue as confirmation.

The prob. with those "high" readings is that it may not be affiliated with true ovulation. When you are BF, sometimes your body can gear up to ovulate and then ov. is suppressed by the prolactin, so you can have increases in hormones that may make your test read high but then never truly ovulate. One time while breastfeeding I had a fake ovulation that was so real that I would have sworn on the Bible I was Oing and even went to my doc for a pg test but it was negative. I never actually ovulated, just had all the symptoms and then some!!! (had EWCM, O pains, the whole 9 yards)

[wonderstruck]

Ok, thank you very much for the advice! I'm just frustrated since it's been 4 months since I stopped breastfeeding, we're wanting to start TTC again (and plan on swaying this time, hence me using this site), but my period is nowhere in sight. :(

[atomic sagebrush]

I have an essay with some tips here http://genderdreaming.com/forum/ttc-help-infertility-support/2194-getting-pregnant-while-breastfeeding.html

[girlbean]

Hi Atomic,
Haven't been on in a while, have a few opk questions and a couple of others so will start with the opk ones here.
We did our first ttc for a girl last month and weren't successful.
I'm using the Clearblue digital that gives high and peak fertility but waited for the peak fertility to show.
I work shift and was on nights for the days up to expected o day last month so tested after my longest sleep as that's what the instructions say but I'm wondering if shift work may effect the accuracy of the results, is sleep hormone relevant or is it just urine concentrations ?
Also if I'm testing first thing in the morning and get a peak reading is it ok to wait till the evening to dtd ? If the surge occurs soon after the previous day testing could we be dtd up to 36 hours after O and therefore too late to conceive ?
Will post other questions re sway in other section
Thanks
x

[girlbean]

Have I posted this in the correct forum ?

[atomic sagebrush]

yes somehow I just missed it, I'm sorry, thanks for bumping

CBFM goes off of the LH itself and shouldn't ahve anything to do with sleep - as long as you have a good run without drinking a lot of liquid and can save up your urine for a few hours it should be just fine.

It's ok to wait till the evening to DTD BUT the CBFM is really meant for people to start having attempts at High reading, rather than waiting till peak. So if it's ~possible~ to get in an attempt sooner rather than later the day of "peak", it may up odds of conception. (with a normal OPK, you'd get a pos test possibly the day before you get on the CBFM and have a little more lead time.) I think you're still in with a chance if you DTD the night of a "peak" but just don't postpone any longer than need be.

[bunnywabbit]

One I think I've asked before - probably just a weird me thing that happens but can a heavy cold/flu (lots of coughing and sneezing) start AF? Should it be anything for me to worry about if it happens?

[atomic sagebrush]

It can kinda "knock it loose" but it shouldn't make it start if it wasn't about to anyway.

[atomic sagebrush]

If you do notice that happening and it's just a little spotting it can even be from your cervix instead of AF.

[nancynichols1]

Has anyone ever had 2 lh surges in one cycle? I use the smiley face digital so they are certainly positive. Occured this month on CD 10 then again on CD 27. HPTs are negative and the last positive OPK lasted 2 days so it was tested multiple times. I did use progesterone suppositories after the first positive OPKnstarting on CD 13 and stopped on CD 20 when my HPT was negative thinking my period would start in a few days. Never started AF then started getting EWCM which prompted me to try my OPK and it was positive for 36 hrs then CM turned white & sticky. I am so confused!!!! I also stopped taking Fertile CM during this time. Any thoughts?

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes it can happen. The first one was a faker and then the real O was delayed by the prog supplements.

[nancynichols1]

Thanks Atomic! How do I know in the future that it is not a real surge? Should I always keep testing after the first surge to be sure or was it delayed because I took the Progesterone too soon after the first opk and it caused the ovulation to delay? What should I do going forward?

[aidansmum]

This is a very interesting and helpful thread! What a great idea and can't wait for this book!
Well, my period can be quite tricky. I am a spotter and sometimes it's hard to know if I am actually spotting or if it is the real thing. I follow the 'until you need a pad, it's not AF', but sometimes I can spot from 2-4 days before I get a steady flow. It also happens sometimes that my period starts (the day of the flow) and then stops for a day or so and then starts again, that started happening about 3 months ago (coincidentally when I started Vitex).
I guess I just wish it was easy to know when it is indeed cycle day 1, specially when I want to have meds like Clomid or FSH test that has to be done on a certain day.
As for OPK's, they worked like a charm to me but they went nuts during my Clomid cycle, which drove me bonkers! I has lots of dark but not quite positive from day 10-20, then darker ones from day 23-27, but not just one day, it was every single day and it made it very hard to time BD'ing as I can't get poor DH to comply every single day :).
Just thought I should add this in case you want to put a OPK and meds in your book. :)

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks Atomic! How do I know in the future that it is not a real surge? Should I always keep testing after the first surge to be sure or was it delayed because I took the Progesterone too soon after the first opk and it caused the ovulation to delay? What should I do going forward?

You don't. That's the downside of OPK, without an ultrasound to confirm ovulation, you really do not know if you ovulated or not. The progesterone will delay ovulation and so you would not get a second surge until the prog. was stopped anyway.

The only option is to have your doctor do an ultrasound when you think you have ovulated to confirm it prior to starting the progesterone. not all doctors are willing to do this unfortunately, so there may be an element of guesswork involved.

I know I should know this but what day are you starting prog?? 3 DPO? THere is the possibiltiy of delaying it a bit, but in cases of true prog. deficiency it is probably not going to help much if you start it later.

[atomic sagebrush]

This is a very interesting and helpful thread! What a great idea and can't wait for this book!
Well, my period can be quite tricky. I am a spotter and sometimes it's hard to know if I am actually spotting or if it is the real thing. I follow the 'until you need a pad, it's not AF', but sometimes I can spot from 2-4 days before I get a steady flow. It also happens sometimes that my period starts (the day of the flow) and then stops for a day or so and then starts again, that started happening about 3 months ago (coincidentally when I started Vitex).
I guess I just wish it was easy to know when it is indeed cycle day 1, specially when I want to have meds like Clomid or FSH test that has to be done on a certain day.
As for OPK's, they worked like a charm to me but they went nuts during my Clomid cycle, which drove me bonkers! I has lots of dark but not quite positive from day 10-20, then darker ones from day 23-27, but not just one day, it was every single day and it made it very hard to time BD'ing as I can't get poor DH to comply every single day :).
Just thought I should add this in case you want to put a OPK and meds in your book. :)

The pad/red flow/AF rule is one of those things that is not set in stone and it needs to be a help for you, not a hindrance. My rule is, "if you think it's AF, then it is." Some people have spotting but only when they wipe, all day, others have a tiny bit of red blood one day, and to me it's just silly to slavishy stick to the "pad/red flow" rule. Look at the big picture - take into account when you ovulate. If you O and then have a day of spotting every cycle 15 DPO before red flow begins 16 DPO, then the day of spotting is part of AF. If you O CD 14 and then start spotting 10 DPO and spot for 4 days before AF starts, then it's a short LP issue. If you're on Clomid and this happens, err on the side of being fully sure that you are firstly not pregnancy and secondly that AF has begun - you can start Clomid as early as CD 2 and as late as CD5 so it's not worth the stress trying to get it exactly on a particular CD.

Re OPK, if it's not positive, it's irrelevant if it's pretty dark and should be disregarded. You will O 8-48 hours after the first positive OPK (avg. 36 hrs) regardless of whether you get positives for 5 minutes or 5 days. Time your attempt from that first positive. Now, if you take OPK while actively taking Clomid or a couple days afterwards, you will get a false pos with OPK so do take that into consideration and be sure to wait a couple days before starting OPK.

[nancynichols1]

I took the progesterone suppository starting 2 DPO. I am still unclear as to why it then delayed my ovulation or caused a second surge 14 days later??? If you take it after ovulation it wouldn't delay it right?! I'm still confused thus i won't be taking it again until I get a BFP! I'm sure there is little chance of getting PG with a CD 30 ovulation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

[atomic sagebrush]

Because your body "thought" you were pregnant when your progesterone went up and that inhibited ovulation. That's how your body works - after you ovulate, the hole that the egg came out of starts to make a ton of progesterone and that keeps any more eggs from being ovulated. But in your case, the egg never WAS ovulated, so everything just kinda froze in place right where it was. Then when you stopped the progesterone, your body was then able to resume previously scheduled programming and you did ovulate (I doubt it was the original egg, probably that egg was reabsorbed and another egg took over and popped out, but no way to know without ultrasound)

Of course if you take progesterone after ovulation, it can't delay ovulation, because ovulation has already occured - ya can't close the barn door after the horse escaped. ;)

There is absolutely a chance of getting pg with CD 30 ovulation!!!! That's hardly even considered late ovulation.

[Tmolly]

OMG, Atomic, I came here to post a new OPK question and JUST noticed that you answered my prev questions over a month ago. I assumed we were just asking to give you ideas for your book's FAQ and didn't expect a response nor did I ever look for one -- thanks so much for answering, much appreciated!!

Okay, my new question is this: How long can urine be kept for an accurate OPK reading? When I see my OPK becoming positive, I sometimes keep the cup of urine aside to test again with another strip to be sure that it's not a faulty strip. But just my luck, I seem to get pos OPKs when I'm busy (e.g., about to put DS to bed), so I don't make it back to the bathroom until an hour later, and the 2nd strip I test in the same urine is never positive. Does LH dissipate in some way that makes a later test inaccurate? Not looking to hoard urine or anything, but how long is urine good for this purpose?

[atomic sagebrush]

the official story is 8 hours at room temp, up to 24 hours in the fridge but allow it to come to room temp before testing. But, if you're not getting the same results testing in the same urine, then that's not working for you. I wonder if you gave it a stir before testing, it might help???

[Tmolly]

Thanks, Atomic. I remember it looking like it had settled somewhat, but I couldn't stir it too well with the tester (didn't want to wet it above the "max" line). If I'm back to testing next month, I'll keep a toothpick handy. ;-)