need an intro to OPKs

[gizmo77]

ive only tried an opk once in my life and it resulted with "positive" and had no idea what i was doing. that was 2 yrs ago.

i have the clearblue digital and it says to use urine any time of day, but having held it for 4 hrs and not drinking much liquid.

i read countless times on here and other sites that mid day is the best urine to use, but in order to make it concentrated, should i withhold drinking as much? does it really matter if i use 1st morning urine?

it also says as soon as the display reads that there is an LH surge, there is no need to further test, and to DTD within 48 hrs and that most likely i'd O 24-36hrs later. i thought i read that those of you who use OPKs keep testing until you no longer get a positive for LH then DTD 24hrs later???

my point in trying the OPKs is to try to dtd as close as possible to O and only once. of course i also chart temps, and my cm for about 7 mos now.

cycle is 30-31, O is cd17-18, LP is 13-14days long.

i guess i dont get how long after opk tests positive to dtd??

[zanacal]

I think it depends on the invididual to be honest.

I use a Clearblue digi too (a smiley face is much less ambiguous than a line which may or may not be darker than another line!) and I take the test when I get home from work, which is mid-afternoon. I usually get a + 2 days in a row and I O on the second day. This past month when we had our attempt I got a + 1 day, we DTD the following morning and I got a - the next day so I suspect we DTD almost exactly as I was ovulating (though obviously we're ttc pink!).

If you waited until 24 hours after you no longer had a + your egg would have died I think.

Do you have another month before your attempt? I would use the OPKs alongside your temping and you'll know when you O'd because your temp will rise and you'll then be able to relate that back to what the OPKs were telling you and how much warning they gave you!

[gizmo77]

im not attempting till oct. so thats why i wanted to "test" to see how these things work.
but i thought that youget your LH surge then 1-2 days later you O. vs, you dont O necessarily on the same day that you get a positive opk...??

[zanacal]

That's right around a day or two after your first +OPK, but then you'll likely continue to get +OPKs (if you keep taking them) and you'll only get a negative after you've ovulated. So in my case, I would usually ovulate (I think!) on the day of my second +OPK.

[gizmo77]

okay, gotchya. so with some ppl, you can get a +OPK and that MAY mean that you are currently ovulating (or of course ABOUT to also). i thought that you get your lh surge/+OPK, then at LEAST 1 day later, you O (i didnt know that you could get a +OPK and be O'ing at that moment). i assumed by the time you O, the LH surge has decreased as it has done its job and the egg is on its way out. and that you could get a -OPK (after having had a couple +opks) and be O'ing at the time of that -opk.

huh?

sorry. i confuse myself and OTHERS.

[gizmo77]

also when i eject the test stick from the clearblue digi, there is one dark line (control line im assuming and then another line that is faded.is thatw hat you guys call the "fade-in." or "fade-out?"
how can you tell teh differnce of fade in, fade out (or am i just making up words here).

if the i am in the days leading up to O, and the 2nd line is faded, does that mean that there is slight LH detected and i may be on my way to a +opk?

the instructions command EXPLICITLY "NOT TO READ THESE LINES!!!!"like 50 times over and over. so now im curious, obviously, whats the big secret? ;-)

[gizmo77]

That's right around a day or two after your first +OPK, but then you'll likely continue to get +OPKs (if you keep taking them) and you'll only get a negative after you've ovulated. So in my case, I would usually ovulate (I think!) on the day of my second +OPK.

now the instrcutions say, once you get a +opk there is no need to take another test and to just BD within the 48hrs.
so you guys continue taking them just to make sure you keep getting +OPKS to make sure to pinpoint O right?

also how often do you guys take the OPKS? (every 12 hrs?)
and finally, SORRY!!! whats wrong with taking OPKS with FMU (first morning urine)/why is it better to use midday urine?

[atomic sagebrush]

There is already so much awesome info out there on OPK, I just made this thread and posted links rather than rewrite it.

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?1723-getting-started-with-OPKs

1) I think it really does matter what time of day you test. Midday urine is def. most reliable. I would just try and hold it for as long as I could and not worry about the 4 hours exactly.

2)For people who are really concerned with timing, they might want to keep testing but I honestly think people should just quit testing when they get a positive.

3)Personally I think you should just DTD the next night after a pos OPK if you're trying for Shettles timing. If you wait until you no longer have a pos and then DTD 24 hours later, that seems to me that you could totally miss the egg doing that (or hitting O+12 timing!!)

[atomic sagebrush]

now the instrcutions say, once you get a +opk there is no need to take another test and to just BD within the 48hrs.
so you guys continue taking them just to make sure you keep getting +OPKS to make sure to pinpoint O right?

also how often do you guys take the OPKS? (every 12 hrs?)
and finally, SORRY!!! whats wrong with taking OPKS with FMU (first morning urine)/why is it better to use midday urine?

I just think it's easier to BD the next night after the pos OPK. So get the positive OPK in the afternoon of day 1, DON'T BD that night (if you're trying for Shettles boy timing, that is) but you can try and have a female O that night! Then BD the night of day 2.

It's better to use midday urine because your body doesn't put the surge hormones into your pee until later on in the day. You will end up with false negative tests (you'll be Oing but getting negative OPKs.) and you can end up missing your ovulation all together.

[zanacal]

I just think it's easier to BD the next night after the pos OPK. So get the positive OPK in the afternoon of day 1, DON'T BD that night (if you're trying for Shettles boy timing, that is) but you can try and have a female O that night! Then BD the night of day 2.


I think if you're only using an OPK once a day you have to be careful with that. Usually I would have 2 days of +OPKs and O on the second day but this month I only had 1 and if we'd waited until the following evening I would probably have even missed an O+12!

Obviously using them for a trial cycle or two helps to understand how the OPKs work for us individually but we're changing so much of how 'we' work with the diets and supplements that I don't think even that can be relied on!

[atomic sagebrush]

im not attempting till oct. so thats why i wanted to "test" to see how these things work.
but i thought that youget your LH surge then 1-2 days later you O. vs, you dont O necessarily on the same day that you get a positive opk...??

All the pos OPKs are detecting is the presence of hormone in your body. Not what your ovary is actually doing. So if you still had the hormone floating around in there after the egg had been release, you could still get a pos OPK even if the egg was practically on its way out the door or had been out for a little while (because the hormones take at least some time to go away). So when you wait 24 hours after a pos OPK (esp. on the second day of a positive), you might have Oed as long as a day prior already!! That also puts you at much greater risk of an O+12. For Shettles timing, it's much better to have the sperm there before the egg is released than afterwards. Usu. the day before O is considered boy timing.

[atomic sagebrush]

okay, gotchya. so with some ppl, you can get a +OPK and that MAY mean that you are currently ovulating (or of course ABOUT to also). i thought that you get your lh surge/+OPK, then at LEAST 1 day later, you O (i didnt know that you could get a +OPK and be O'ing at that moment). i assumed by the time you O, the LH surge has decreased as it has done its job and the egg is on its way out. and that you could get a -OPK (after having had a couple +opks) and be O'ing at the time of that -opk.

huh?

sorry. i confuse myself and OTHERS.

You can BOTH have a neg. opk and be ovulating (or about to) or also have a pos. OPK and be ovulating or about to. A pos. OPK tells you nothing about what is actually going on, other than the presence of luteinizing hormone in your body. LH doesn't just shut off like a light switch 10 minutes before the egg is releasesd, it takes time to clear your body.

That's why you (for Shettles blue timing) need to go off of the FIRST positive OPK rather than waiting for a negative OPK, because by the time you have a neg. OPK it can be too late. And it's also why pink swayers shouldn't rely on a neg. OPK for pinpointing O+12 timing, because you can ALSO get a negative OPK and not have Oed yet. It's all about the level of LH in your system and what the OPK even picks up on, which can vary.

[atomic sagebrush]

I think if you're only using an OPK once a day you have to be careful with that. Usually I would have 2 days of +OPKs and O on the second day but this month I only had 1 and if we'd waited until the following evening I would probably have even missed an O+12!

Obviously using them for a trial cycle or two helps to understand how the OPKs work for us individually but we're changing so much of how 'we' work with the diets and supplements that I don't think even that can be relied on!

Those are both really good points Zana - when practicing with OPKs you very well MAY want to take them for several days to see how your body works and get a feel for it.

But, even if you do that, with swaying, there's no way of knowing if the same thing will happen next month or not!!

I also agree about the OPKs and when I say it's easier, I'm talking about for people who are trying to do strict timing. To my mind, it's easier in terms of getting pregnant, to DTD the night of a pos OPK and the next night and even the day after that. But people who are trying to DTD once right at O or just before will prob. not want to do that, even if it means they may not get pg the first month of trying.

[Hobbermittens]

I get the Wondfo cheap tests from Amazon. They work great. I usually test starting on day 11, 2x a day until I get a positive, and then I start testing 3x a day until I get a neg. It has helped me figure out my O day. This cycle, I started testing on CD11 and got a positive--which was really early for me! Glad I was testing though, or I may have completely missed O day (CD12). Not that I was doing my attempt this month, but it has shown me that next month I need to start testing earlier!

I typically get 2 days of positives. I plan on dtd the first positive day, and possibly the following morning.

[atomic sagebrush]

also when i eject the test stick from the clearblue digi, there is one dark line (control line im assuming and then another line that is faded.is thatw hat you guys call the "fade-in." or "fade-out?"
how can you tell teh differnce of fade in, fade out (or am i just making up words here).

if the i am in the days leading up to O, and the 2nd line is faded, does that mean that there is slight LH detected and i may be on my way to a +opk?

the instructions command EXPLICITLY "NOT TO READ THESE LINES!!!!"like 50 times over and over. so now im curious, obviously, whats the big secret? ;-)

The fade ins can indicate when you're gearing up to O, but the problem is that not everyone gets fade ins and they don't seem to be the same from month to month. LH in small amounts is always there and will be detected (the light line) even if your HUSBAND POAS!!! And so it's only when it's as dark as or darker than the control line that it indicates ovulation (and the Clearblue is designed to pick up on that better than your eye can see).

I assume they tell people not to read the lines simply because it's confusing and doesn't count for ovulation until the Clearblue says it does, so they don't want people seeing a kinda dark line and thinking "ovulation" when the test isn't even positive yet.

[zanacal]

I also agree about the OPKs and when I say it's easier, I'm talking about for people who are trying to do strict timing. To my mind, it's easier in terms of getting pregnant, to DTD the night of a pos OPK and the next night and even the day after that. But people who are trying to DTD once right at O or just before will prob. not want to do that, even if it means they may not get pg the first month of trying.

I'm with you - the first option definitely sounds easier but I understand :D

[TTC5]

I just think it's easier to BD the next night after the pos OPK. So get the positive OPK in the afternoon of day 1, DON'T BD that night (if you're trying for Shettles boy timing, that is) but you can try and have a female O that night! Then BD the night of day 2.

It's better to use midday urine because your body doesn't put the surge hormones into your pee until later on in the day. You will end up with false negative tests (you'll be Oing but getting negative OPKs.) and you can end up missing your ovulation all together.

Quick question... Last attempt I tested late at night at like 9pm and was a clear neg using smiley opks and then I tested 2 hrs later at 11pm. We DTD at arounde 1/2am that same evening. IF I had not of tested at 11pm i would have missed my surge, is that right? Or would it have been better to have just waited till the following day to find a +smiley opk and DTD THAT night instead???

[LolaInLove]

I get the Wondfo cheap tests from Amazon. They work great. I usually test starting on day 11, 2x a day until I get a positive, and then I start testing 3x a day until I get a neg. It has helped me figure out my O day. This cycle, I started testing on CD11 and got a positive--which was really early for me! Glad I was testing though, or I may have completely missed O day (CD12). Not that I was doing my attempt this month, but it has shown me that next month I need to start testing earlier!


I typically get 2 days of positives. I plan on dtd the first positive day, and possibly the following morning.

This is me also, exactly. Wondfos, 2x a day (at 1pm and again at 8pm) and test through till negative. You get 40 in the Wondfo pack (plus 10 hpts, all for $9) so I don't care about using a ton. I also get 2 days of + and I will O about 24 hours after the first + is picked up. If my 1pm test is ALMOST positive, I will do another at 4pm and it usually is way +. Then I O at about 4-5pm the next day, I can feel it.

[LolaInLove]

Quick question... Last attempt I tested late at night at like 9pm and was a clear neg using smiley opks and then I tested 2 hrs later at 11pm. We DTD at arounde 1/2am that same evening. IF I had not of tested at 11pm i would have missed my surge, is that right? Or would it have been better to have just waited till the following day to find a +smiley opk and DTD THAT night instead???

Well, that's why I use a bunch of them, I like to know exactly when I get the surge, give or take a few hours. I think you would have been fine to wait till the next day, though, as long as you dtd that night, or even waited till the next night, like Atomic was saying about the Shettles timing.

[gizmo77]

well i got a smiley (+OPK) yesterday at 1pm and didnt test again. that was cd16, and that night i felt the familiar O pressure/pain. ive never O'd on cd16 before (since charting from feb 2011). and same pressure felt today (cd17). when i tested cd15 with FMU, it was negative (and didnt test again till cd16 1pm). does this mean FMU just really doesnt detect lh surge and that i MAY have gotten +opk had i test later in the day of cd15?

[gizmo77]

for those of you who test multiple times a day (2x or more) do you drink less fluid on those days and hold pee for longer periods?

[Hobbermittens]

I do a 4 hour hold. I do drink a little less on those days, but not by much. Maybe I am not drinking enough anyway?

[Flava]

well i got a smiley (+OPK) yesterday at 1pm and didnt test again. that was cd16, and that night i felt the familiar O pressure/pain. ive never O'd on cd16 before (since charting from feb 2011). and same pressure felt today (cd17). when i tested cd15 with FMU, it was negative (and didnt test again till cd16 1pm). does this mean FMU just really doesnt detect lh surge and that i MAY have gotten +opk had i test later in the day of cd15?

I always test with FMU because I use the CB monitor .But also I test the smiley test on the same time and I get a + with both of them.

[Flava]

It's so hard to hold it with all this drinks I have to take ! I can't hold it for 4 hours no way! Max 3 but not always.
Anyway who said we need to hold it for 4???

[TTC5]

Well, that's why I use a bunch of them, I like to know exactly when I get the surge, give or take a few hours. I think you would have been fine to wait till the next day, though, as long as you dtd that night, or even waited till the next night, like Atomic was saying about the Shettles timing.

Yep that day I was testing like all day lol...

So say I get a smiley late at night again on our next attempt should we dtd a few hours later or do it the following evening (over 24hrs after the 1st + ) ??

[TTC5]

It's so hard to hold it with all this drinks I have to take ! I can't hold it for 4 hours no way! Max 3 but not always.
Anyway who said we need to hold it for 4???

Same lol I am lucky to hold it for 2 hrs lol!

[Flava]

Yep that day I was testing like all day lol...

So say I get a smiley late at night again on our next attempt should we dtd a few hours later or do it the following evening (over 24hrs after the 1st + ) ??

If you get a smiley all day the next day and night too I would do it that next night .
Actually that is what I do today lol .Only we try afternoon because Im lucky DH is home today. Well that if we can...if not have to wait till night.

[LolaInLove]

for those of you who test multiple times a day (2x or more) do you drink less fluid on those days and hold pee for longer periods?

Not really. I try not to pee for at least an hour or so, and don't drink any more than I normally do. I have taken opks when I thought my urine would be diluted and it still registers, so I don't think it's that big of a deal. As long as you are not say, carrying around a gallon jug of water and continuously drinking it, kwim?

[LolaInLove]

Yep that day I was testing like all day lol...

So say I get a smiley late at night again on our next attempt should we dtd a few hours later or do it the following evening (over 24hrs after the 1st + ) ??

Well, I would continue to dtd every 24-48 hours until you feel like your ovulation is over. I know this is very anti-old IG thinking, but really, many sperm studies are showing that it is good for sperm count to have constant turnover. You guys probably remember my doctor telling me to dtd every other day, that that is the best sperm count timing there is. So I guess it depends on your goal here, if it's to dtd a lot or just once, but I would dtd again even if the opk has gone negative. Remember, when it goes negative doesn't mean you are done ovulating, it means your surge is over. But the surge is just needed to jump start ovulation.

[TTC5]

Do you guys think it is ok to DTD more than once when trying for a boy?

[LolaInLove]

Do you guys think it is ok to DTD more than once when trying for a boy?

I don't think it matters how much you dtd. But, you have a better chance of actually getting pg if you do it more than once, which is what I'm down for at this point. If you read the "How we got our boys" thread, you will see that barely any of them dtd once. K, if you have the time and patience, you could try it. The longer it takes you to get pg, the more weight you gain from doing the diet so long though.

[TTC5]

Yep true and the more stressed I will get. What will be will be!

[Hobbermittens]

Do you guys think it is ok to DTD more than once when trying for a boy?

From experience, the only two babies I had as a result of one BD are both girls. My son was a "do it all week that I'm fertile", so I am going to do more of that type of thing this time. I think we are going to do it about 3x.

[TTC5]

Cool!

[soontobesix]

Do you guys think it is ok to DTD more than once when trying for a boy?

I am wondering the exact same thing. I made DH abstain for 3-4 days before our first try last night. I feel weird trying again the very next night. BUT I think I maybe have ovulated a little later than I thought. Hmmmm.

[atomic sagebrush]

Quick question... Last attempt I tested late at night at like 9pm and was a clear neg using smiley opks and then I tested 2 hrs later at 11pm. We DTD at arounde 1/2am that same evening. IF I had not of tested at 11pm i would have missed my surge, is that right? Or would it have been better to have just waited till the following day to find a +smiley opk and DTD THAT night instead???

It depends on how long your surge usually lasts. I suspect that you would have simply had a pos. opk the next day and BD that next night, still perfectly in the boy timing window.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss! ;)

[atomic sagebrush]

well i got a smiley (+OPK) yesterday at 1pm and didnt test again. that was cd16, and that night i felt the familiar O pressure/pain. ive never O'd on cd16 before (since charting from feb 2011). and same pressure felt today (cd17). when i tested cd15 with FMU, it was negative (and didnt test again till cd16 1pm). does this mean FMU just really doesnt detect lh surge and that i MAY have gotten +opk had i test later in the day of cd15?

You may have or the pressure/pain you feel may have just been your body getting ready to O.

A lot of times, I have O pain for days and days before O which then immediately disappears afterwards (followed by a 14 day LP, so that's how I know my pain was mostly all prior to O and not afterwards)

[atomic sagebrush]

It's so hard to hold it with all this drinks I have to take ! I can't hold it for 4 hours no way! Max 3 but not always.
Anyway who said we need to hold it for 4???

I think some of the companies that make the OPKs say that, but it's just like with pg tests, most of the time they come out fine without holding it.

[atomic sagebrush]

If you get a smiley all day the next day and night too I would do it that next night .
Actually that is what I do today lol .Only we try afternoon because Im lucky DH is home today. Well that if we can...if not have to wait till night.

I agree, I would prob. wait until the next day IF I was trying to do precise, strict boy timing. The next night is probably closer to true O.

Good luck flava!!!!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, I would continue to dtd every 24-48 hours until you feel like your ovulation is over. I know this is very anti-old IG thinking, but really, many sperm studies are showing that it is good for sperm count to have constant turnover. You guys probably remember my doctor telling me to dtd every other day, that that is the best sperm count timing there is. So I guess it depends on your goal here, if it's to dtd a lot or just once, but I would dtd again even if the opk has gone negative. Remember, when it goes negative doesn't mean you are done ovulating, it means your surge is over. But the surge is just needed to jump start ovulation.

I completely agree with this sentiment and I would LOVE to see everyone who was trying for a boy DTD every other day through O starting with the earliest you suspect O. So 4 DBO, 2 DBO, and O, then if it turns out to be 3 DBO, 1 DBO and then again spot on O (or not if you were scared of DTD two days in a row).

Only my first son was a one shot deal, all the others I BD at least twice in my fertile window (even with a cutoff) and still got boys.

The idea that frequent BD might sway pink has merit obviously, but they have to DTD 7-10 times in a row, at least once a day and preferably more often, and I tell them not to skip any days at all. DTD 2,3,4, times in a row, even on subsequent days, is not going to diminish sperm numbers in an average guy plus the frequent BD might help keep pH high and provide a medium for maximum sperm survival rates.

[atomic sagebrush]

I don't think it matters how much you dtd. But, you have a better chance of actually getting pg if you do it more than once, which is what I'm down for at this point. If you read the "How we got our boys" thread, you will see that barely any of them dtd once. K, if you have the time and patience, you could try it. The longer it takes you to get pg, the more weight you gain from doing the diet so long though.

I also completely agree with this. Unlike with the pink swayers, I think it's preferable for the majority of blue swayers to get pg within a month or two (because you're trying to increase fertility rather than decrease it) with the added advantage that it keeps weight gain to a minimum. Plus, like I said above, if you DTD more often you're also increasing pH, even if the idea that more sperm = boys is not the case (I think it IS the case, but even if is isn't, DTD still will raise pH.)

Lola, thanks as ever for wonderful answers that are SO helpful to me.

[atomic sagebrush]

I am wondering the exact same thing. I made DH abstain for 3-4 days before our first try last night. I feel weird trying again the very next night. BUT I think I maybe have ovulated a little later than I thought. Hmmmm.

I would def. go for it. I know it's hard though. But remember, the pink swayers have to DTD 7-10 times in a row (or more) before they can count on lower sperm count from frequent release. DTD 2 days in a row, after a 3-4 day abstinence will not sway pink!!!