Opk question

Christina239

This is my first time using an opk and I read through all the instructions. Based on the chart in the instructions, it says I should start today; however it also says to use the first morning urine. Since I didn't read through it until this afternoon, I'm wondering what I should do. Wait and start tomorrow morning (a day late) or do the test now without the first morning urine? Which option is better/right? I don't want to screw up my "baseline" reading but I also don't want to start too late. 

marijaa333

I would guess you should do it ASAP. What kind of opks are you using? 

artemis618

I just started using the Wondfos to test for LH surge last Wednesday myself (a little early for me on CD 9 - but they just came in the mail that day so it was novel), so am probably not the best to advise. It seems some of the ladies here aim to take them between 10am and 2pm-ish? My bathroom at work is not conducive to this, so last week I tried to hold my urine in the afternoon (tough because I drink a ton) and took them right as soon as I got home in the 5 'o clock hour.  I got my first positive yesterday - since it was Sunday I was able to take it about a quarter after noon (Saturday's I did around 11am).  I tried again last night around 8pm for kicks and the line was more faint.

Unless you're talking about something totally different (baseline what?) in which case, never mind!

Christina239

Thanks ladies! Yesterday ended up getting crazy and I wasn't able to do it anyways  I have the clearblue digital advanced. I did it this morning so hopefully it still works ok for this month. The instructions said you had to start early so it could get a "baseline" for your hormone levels so that it could detect the surge. it also said to use first morning urine until you got the "high fertility" symbol and then you can test more often. I don't know, it's the first time I'm doing it so I guess I'll learn as I go haha! 

Lu19

@Christina239 - we are very much in the same boat. I just got my first OPK yesterday at CD 13 - also a clearblue easy digital, and totally unaware about this need to start at CD9??? what? totally never heard of that. ... just thought you tested when you figured you were close to O.... anyway, I tested in the middle of the day just to see if it was positive. It was negative yesterday and today (took first thing this a.m.). I'm guessing I should be O by Friday, so we'll see if I'm at all in touch with what I think my body is doing. Interesting to see if this helps. Best luck and FX for you!

laurad75

Welcome to the wonderful world of OPKs and peeing on sticks.  

CB advanced does require FMU (first morning urine) to get an accurate reading while most others, including wondfos that are way cheaper, you can test at anytime and most recommend testing in the afternoon.   The reason CBDA wants you to starts so early in your cycle is so the monitor knows what your LH level is when you are not ready to ovulate and then when that level is increasing it can recognize high and peak LH levels indicating that you are about to ovulate.  If you wait until right before ovulation it doesn't know that hormone level is higher than normal.  

I use both CBDA (FMU) and then wondfo in the afternoon while WTO because I'm a crazy person.  One cycle I used the CBDA later in the morning and it gave me a false peak reading causing me to think I was ovulating super early and messing up my timing.  

edited bc I cant spell. 

Christina239

Wow! Well it sure changed fast for me! I was supposed to start on day 8, ended up starting on day 9 instead and got low fertility for day 9 and 10. And then this morning I got high fertility, I tested again this afternoon and got peak fertility! On day 11!!! Does that seem right??? I guess it's go-time! I thought high fertility would last longer than a few hours before peak fertility kicked in! 

Christina239

Oh shoot @laurad75 I just re-read the part about getting a false peak reading later in the day. How did you know it was a false reading? 

Christina239

Thanks @Lu19! Best of luck to you too! It is definitely interesting and a whole new world!  I would have thought O day would have been a few days later for me so this is definitely an eye opening learning experience to see where it actually falls. I am feeling kind of crampy tonight which I guess I have noticed in the past and just ignored knowing it wasn't time for AF. Are there ovulation cramps? 

jennh75b

I made the mistake of not reading the instructions about first morning urine with the advanced Clear Blue Easy digital, and I got positives every time I took a test...even far outside the FW, because I was testing later in the day.  I started using the regular Clear Blue Easy Digital at the advice of my RE (she said the new advanced tests just make it more complicated by testing for more than one thing, and they really only want to know about the LH surge).  Now I get only a one or two day positive which is all I'm looking for, really.  I always use my first morning urine.  I've had confirmation with the RE on these days, too, for a few months.  It's always CD 13, sometimes will get a second positive on CD 14.  

I never felt any type of ovulation cramps before all of this, but now that I test, I do notice some sort of odd sharp "pinging" that doesn't last too long.  Not sure if that is legit ovulation cramps or I'm just paying special attention down there when I get the positive on the OPK.

laurad75

@Christina239 I suppose I can't say that I knew for sure that it was false but I got a negative on a wondfo the same day and it went from low to peak without a high in between so I suspected it was a false peak after I read the instructions that said that might happen if you do not use FMU.