OPK confusion!!!

[Bayhay]

Hi,

I am very confused about when to do OPK tests. I have two kinds: the basic tests (Easy@home ovulation test strips) and the digital smiley face ones from Clearblue. With the Clearblue I know to do these as "back ups" during my fertile days - I do these after/to confirm results from Easy@home tests.

I know with Clearblue to only test after holding urine for four hours. But with Easy@home tests, should I not do first thing in AM? When should I do these? Does it have to be after holding urine for 4 hours? Help! So confused. Thanks.

[atomic sagebrush]

Follow the directions that come with your individual OPK.

RE holding urine, most people get positives without holding urine as long as you aren't drinking tons of water.

Also, since I try to answer all questions personally, it makes it a lot easier if you post just once. :) Otherwise I have to answer the same q in each thread for whoever happens to read them.

[Birthfree]

@Bayhay I have those exact tests and am using them now. I do them in the evening same time every day. But I'm checking in morning too just for curiosity sake to be sure I don't miss a surge (which would be unlikely, but hey, I have 50 of them so...).

[atomic sagebrush]

If they're made to be used later in the day they probably won't pick up a morning surge. Better to do those ones after lunch and evening. :)

[Birthfree]

The instructions don't actually say a time of day, strangely... I just do them in the evening because of online recommendations for OPKs as a whole.

[Bayhay]

Hi! Yes exactly. I am confused bc these ones don't say when to use them. They don't even state that you should hold urine, or not have urinated for four hours! Very confusing. @Birthfree do you do first morning urine with these too? Or just mid-morning? Thanks! And sorry Atomic, still trying to figure out this site and unsure where to post.

[Birthfree]

@Bayhay I use morning urine and then do it again at 5:00pm (alarm on my phone). It doesn't require holding your urine (neither did Dollar Tree ones).

[atomic sagebrush]

The instructions don't actually say a time of day, strangely... I just do them in the evening because of online recommendations for OPKs as a whole.

Oh that's very strange!! In that case then I'd try them after lunch and just before dinner.

[atomic sagebrush]

No worries, it's just to make it a little easier on me. :)

As long as you aren't drinking gallons of water ~most~ people don't have to hold their urine. A minority of peopel (maybe about 15%) does have to.

[Bayhay]

@Birthfree: did you wait to do your BD 24hrs after positive OPK as suggested by easy@home? Super confusing bc I got a positive yesterday PM at 11:30, then this was confirmed by Clearblue smiley face. But then when I tested yesterday morning no more smiley face but still dark line on easy@home. @Atomic: the easy@home instructions state:

"Ovulation will occur after 24-48 hours following a positive test. One Step Ovulation Urine Test is a qualitative test used to predict when there is a LH surge, and in turn, when you are likely to ovulate."

So we didn't have a chance to BD until 24 hrs after positive OPK. Oh well, last time we BDed right away and it didn't work. Nothing I can do now but wait and continue to BD every four days I guess...

[Birthfree]

@Bayhay, I did on the day of equaling/dark + OPK.

But by charting I ovulated 3 freaking days later and had + OPKs all that time... ugh.

[atomic sagebrush]

@Birthfree: did you wait to do your BD 24hrs after positive OPK as suggested by easy@home? Super confusing bc I got a positive yesterday PM at 11:30, then this was confirmed by Clearblue smiley face. But then when I tested yesterday morning no more smiley face but still dark line on easy@home. @Atomic: the easy@home instructions state:

"Ovulation will occur after 24-48 hours following a positive test. One Step Ovulation Urine Test is a qualitative test used to predict when there is a LH surge, and in turn, when you are likely to ovulate."

So we didn't have a chance to BD until 24 hrs after positive OPK. Oh well, last time we BDed right away and it didn't work. Nothing I can do now but wait and continue to BD every four days I guess...

Do not wait till 24 hours after positive OPK to BD. If you O 24 hours after, and sperm take several hours to capacitate, that gives you a pretty narrow window to conceive before the egg dies.

Some months just aren't the month, and you can't always draw any conclusions from that, unfortunately. So BD the night of positive OPK, did not work last month but it doesn't then necessarily mean it won't ever work, if that makes sense.

[atomic sagebrush]

@Bayhay, I did on the day of equaling/dark + OPK.

But by charting I ovulated 3 freaking days later and had + OPKs all that time... ugh.

One way to deal with this situation is to pick it up with e4d or e3d after your one attempt at positive. Most times the pos OPK attempt will git-r-done but in case of delayed O, keeping going with attempts will cover you. :)

[Bayhay]

Thanks for your thoughts both. Any thoughts on getting negative OPK (both digital) the next day? Does this mean I ovulated already?

Also, how long should I be trying "normally" after this before seeking medical attention? I.e. If this doesn't work, do I need to try BDing every day for six months (or something like that) before getting help? Ugh.

[Bayhay]

Also, the instructions for easy@home say this:

"If the test is positive, that means you might ovulate in the next 24-48 hours. If trying to get pregnant, the best time is after 24 hours but before 48 hours."

I read this as stating the best time to BD after positive test is after 24 hours before 48 hours?

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks for your thoughts both. Any thoughts on getting negative OPK (both digital) the next day? Does this mean I ovulated already?

Also, how long should I be trying "normally" after this before seeking medical attention? I.e. If this doesn't work, do I need to try BDing every day for six months (or something like that) before getting help? Ugh.

You can't tell when you ovulated based on when your OPK go negative. That's not how they work. It just tells you how fast your body cleared the surge and not if O occured.

BD daily for 6 months would cut your odds of conceiving dramatically LOL!! We have lots of tricks to use to boost odds of conception so what we'll do is just change things up little by little over the course of time to improve the odds that you'll get pregnant. You don't have to change everything all in one go, we do it over time to preserve as much of the sway as we can. eventually the right sperm meets the right egg.

If you do go like 6-9 months and don't get pregnant and we've tried all our tricks you might want to consult a doc a that point but don't jump to that conclusion yet.

[atomic sagebrush]

Also, the instructions for easy@home say this:

"If the test is positive, that means you might ovulate in the next 24-48 hours. If trying to get pregnant, the best time is after 24 hours but before 48 hours."

I read this as stating the best time to BD after positive test is after 24 hours before 48 hours?

What they're worried about is people having an attempt too far before they O. They're trying to prevent that from happening. But most people do NOT O 48 hours after their first positive. They O average 36 hours after their first positive (but 24-36 is the main range) Oing 24 hours after positive is way, way more likely than 48. So I think that is actually poor advice and I urge you to BD the night of first positive OPK like I said.

[Bayhay]

Hi again,

Sorry - I have four more questions:

1. How many months would you count me as "trying" at this point? I was doing Shettles since August before signing up for this in November (so started doing E4D starting in November). So does that mean I've been trying for two months?

2. Do you recommend doing the easy@home and then digital after to see if the result is accurate?

3. Should I try temping next cycle, or do you think it's a waste of time?

4. I didn't notice any EWCM this cycle at all, except possibly after BDing the day after positive OPK, but is it possible that this was just semen? How does one know?

5. Also re: this service - how long do I have access to coaching for? I can't remember...Am I paying on a monthly basis? I think it was a one time payment but I can't find out where the info is on the plan I selected.

Thanks so much for your support and help!

[atomic sagebrush]

And you had a really long Shettles cutoff too, right??

Yes, I'd only consider it two "real" months of trying. TTC with a really super long cutoff is basically like taking a birth control pill - there is just no real chance you'll conceive that way.

You are doing e4d plus one more at positive OPK, right?? If not, I'd probably have you do that next month since it's so nervewracking getting BFN after BFN.

I find that the more OPK you do, oftentimes it makes more confusion, but many people do like to do it that way. Totally up to you, whatever gives you more peace of mind.

I feel like temping tends to make people overly focused on their cycles and it's so detail oriented it may sway blue. So unless you're already doing it, I wouldn't start.

there's a test you can to do differentiate but it's too late now. Most of the time we do have EWCM, it's just up inside where we can't see. If you're worried about it you can take guanefesin, but it may sway a bit blue.

You're actually not posting in the coaching forum, you're posting in the regular forum, but when I see your name come up I try to respond as fast as I can since I know you are a custom sway person. If you post in the coaching forum (where your plan is) then I can always answer your questions faster than when you post out here. The coaching runs for 6 months after purchase and yes it was a one time payment. After 6 months you can always renew if you want to for a small fee or I will jsut keep helping you here in the free forums.