OPKs have become the bane of my existence.

[Kelissi]

OPK's are making me NUTS. I've never been concerned about ovulating before now, but since we'll be planning on one attempt at +OPK in August, I'd really like it if I knew how to use them effectively! I'm on CD 17, which is supposed to be peak day. Temps of past five days: 96.97, 97.31 (took 2 hours late), 96.25, 96.95, 97.38, 97.47. Next period should be in about 15 days. I haven't gotten a single +OPK, and have been testing the past five days between 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm. UGH. Maybe I should go back to the cheap one and test multiple times a day on peak-ish days? How do you ladies use OPK's without losing your mind? I thought they would LESSEN the stress of TTC, not raise it!

ETA: I don't think anything I'm doing would stop ovulation, so I'm pretty sure it's user error on my part. Eating around 1600 - 1800 cals a day, plenty of healthy fats and good food, and haven't even started exercise regimen.

[myurkanin817]

I would buy the cheap ones and test twice per day. Just my opinion though. :twocents:

[Kelissi]

Are there better times of day to test?

[myurkanin817]

Usually fmu I've read. It's more concentrated I believe. But I use fmu, mid day, & before I go to sleep. The more diluted it is the more likely you'll have a hard time reading the results.

[Christi]

From my experience, and I've used A LOT of OPK, here is what i have found out: 1. Don't drink water or use the restroom for about 3-4 hours before testing, diluted urine doesn't seem to turn the test positive (at least for me). 2. Do NOT use first morning urine as LH apparently starts to surge in the early morning, but hasn't had enough time to show up in the first morning urine, so if you test in the morning and the surge doesn't show up until about 10-11am you might miss the positive if you only tested with first morning urine. 3. Buy the cheapies and test a couple of times a day around when you think you might be O'ing to get the feel for how long a test will stay positive for you. For some people, they might get one positive test and that's it. For others, like me, once I get a positive, it lasts for 2 days (assuming I haven't been drinking lots of water).

Good luck!!

[WantingPink]

Yes, I totally agree with Christi. I used the cheapies and I would test around 10-11am and agin around 6-8pm. I would go off of what the darkest results were. Sometimes it wasn't a true positive because I was well hydrated. I did them for several months so I got to know what a true positive was. I have very regular ovulation so I knew when I should get a positive. The cheap ones can be more of an art than a science unfortunately. If you aren't getting a positive it might be because you are drinking lots of water??

[carmella_marie]

Use cheapies and do test NOT with fmu, I typically test around 11am, 3 pm, and before bed.

Stress can delay O! Are you taking vitex or sp? That can delay o too. If opks are stressful you might consider BDing every 4 days and not worry about opks, the stress will sway blue but DTD once every 4 days is essentially the same as one attempt.

[atomic sagebrush]

Are there better times of day to test?

REad the package directions to be sure but most brands of OPK are best done after lunch. IT's not an issue of concentrated urine like with pg tests, it's because your body's production of LH occurs in the "wee" (LOL) hours of the morning and then it doesn't find its way into your urine till about lunchtime.

[atomic sagebrush]

From my experience, and I've used A LOT of OPK, here is what i have found out: 1. Don't drink water or use the restroom for about 3-4 hours before testing, diluted urine doesn't seem to turn the test positive (at least for me). 2. Do NOT use first morning urine as LH apparently starts to surge in the early morning, but hasn't had enough time to show up in the first morning urine, so if you test in the morning and the surge doesn't show up until about 10-11am you might miss the positive if you only tested with first morning urine. 3. Buy the cheapies and test a couple of times a day around when you think you might be O'ing to get the feel for how long a test will stay positive for you. For some people, they might get one positive test and that's it. For others, like me, once I get a positive, it lasts for 2 days (assuming I haven't been drinking lots of water).

Good luck!!

Brilliant!! thank you.

[Kelissi]

Thank you so so so so much everyone! Like I said, I am *totally* new to OPK's, and had no idea what a finicky little pee strip they are :giggle: .

I do drink a *lot* of water - like, 4 quarts a day, probably. Not diabetic, just thirsty :) . That could totally be diluting them. I really don't want to get all Martha and time when I can drink water, etc., because I definitely tend to go a bit nuts on that. Maybe I'll just use the timer on my iPhone next month - pee, drink water, set a timer for 4 hours, do the test then.

Got a pack of 40 cheapies today, so I think I'll try testing at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m. tomorrow and see what happens. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I've missed it. As someone pointed out, the facts that I have regular periods, am 27, and have easily gotten pregnant three times (once with an IUD, for crying out loud!) speak way more to whether I'm ovulating regularly than an OPK, which are definitely more of an art than a science! I'll use them, but I'm not going to stress myself out about it. There's always BD every 4 days if they turn out to not really be a good indicator for me next month (which should be my very last cycle before TTC! Eeeeeek, yay!).

[Kelissi]

Flipping back through my app - I did get a positive for a day in March and April (on day 16 both times), and then not a positive in June or July, but didn't test consistently (scientific mind talking - controlling for dilution of urine, time of day of testing, etc.). I also was using Clearblue Digitals this cycle, which I've since been told are kind of the suckiest of all the tests to use (#1 recommended by OB/GYNs, my tuchis. I'm a breastfeeding counselor and should know better than to fall for that marketing!). So. Seems like all is probably well in my babymaker and that I shouldn't worry too awfully much about not being able to get pregnant just because a stick isn't showing the line I want it to!

[atomic sagebrush]

I honestly think the OB's don't see anything but a pretty package with the Clearblues. We have to keep in mind that for most people TTC, they just need ballpark when to DTD and Clearblues are relatively adequate for that "just DTD every other day of high and then every day of peak" but those of us using them for timing or pinpointing ovulation, they are not good enough.