OPK Question

[FutureMiniMe]

Hello!

I have a really hard time with not drinking anything before I take an OPK and I also drink a lot of water everyday. I am wondering how important it is to hold your urine for 4 hours and not drink fluids during that time. I try to drink all my water in the morning before lunch but I have been trying to take an OPK right before leaving work around 4-5 so it is really tricky to hold it for 4 hours and not have coffee or something...

TIA for advice. This is my first month trying them.

[aidansmum]

I guess you can drink something, as long as you don't have a LOT of liquids before it should be fine. I always drank when thirsty before an OPK, but wait until you're thirsty, and then after you take the OPK you can drink as much as you like.

[atomic sagebrush]

Most people will get a positive result without doing all that so I would just go for it and not worry about it. At the same time tho, do be ready to have an attempt if you really really feel you are ovulating and not getting pos OPK.

[The Anchor]

Have you got + yet? My experience with OPKs was dreadful the first time around (TTC my DS) and I got like one + in a year. My RE told me to hold your wee for 4 hours, and no liquids for the last 2. If you don't see a + this cycle you might have to give this method a shot...

[maidentomother]

Anchor, after holding/limiting did you finally get positives? How dark was your urine that gave you positives? I still have never had a positive OPK...

[The Anchor]

Anchor, after holding/limiting did you finally get positives? How dark was your urine that gave you positives? I still have never had a positive OPK...

My RE told me that some women have very short surges...like maybe only 12 hours. So she had me testing twice a day, once at 2 pm and again between 8 and 10 pm. That very month I got a +OPK. And yes (TMI alert) my urine was pretty dark. Do you chart?

[FutureMiniMe]

So, I had been testing for several days. I got a pos OPK on Sunday around 5pm. Now I feel weird because my Clear Blue OPK was negative and my internet cheapie was much lighter (although I could still see a line). I have been using the internet ones and saving the more expensive ones for if I am not sure.

[FutureMiniMe]

What is weird to me, it that I expected the CB OPK to be positive for more than one day.

[maidentomother]

My RE told me that some women have very short surges...like maybe only 12 hours. So she had me testing twice a day, once at 2 pm and again between 8 and 10 pm. That very month I got a +OPK. And yes (TMI alert) my urine was pretty dark. Do you chart?

I do think I have a very short surge. I have however tested 4x a day (FMU, early afternoon, evening, bedtime) and still not had a positive. I don't drink a lot of water but my urine is rarely dark.

I do chart and I have clear temp shifts, so based on that (as well as bloodwork/ultrasounds and past pregnancy despite negative OPKs) I don't doubt that I'm Oing. With Wondfo OPKs I reliably get 'almost' positives the day before O, but I can't get them here and all other brands I've tried don't show significant darkening around O or barely give me lines at all.