Q for anyone who has used OPK's?

amyfelice · July 2010

Has anyone who uses OPK's corroborated the result with their charting? I had trouble charting my temp, but I will say it doesn't totally correlate with my EWCM days. I get confused, should I just use the OPK's? and not worry about the EWCM?

Also they say that once the OPK is positive (I use the Clear Blue Easy, so it's a happy face) that you are good to go. Does that mean you should "do it" every day for the next two days? Or anytime in the next two days? DH saw the Happy Face and said "OK, let's go!" and then we were too tired the next day and I felt maybe that would have been better to try more than once.

Any advice? Am I obsessing? I know I am.

kittylove · July 2010

Should I just use the OPK's? and not worry about the EWCM? I think charting with temp, OPK and EWCM is the best. That said for most people OPKs alone seem to work just fine.

Also they say that once the OPK is positive (I use the Clear Blue Easy, so it's a happy face) that you are good to go. Does that mean you should "do it" every day for the next two days? Ideally yes you should for the next two or three days. Does that mean you have too? no

Or anytime in the next two days? I normally took OPKs in the middle of the day so at best we had sex that night. Some nights we were exausted and didn't till the am.

Am I obsessing? yes but it is so hard not to when you are trying! Good luck I hope you get your BFP soon.

hersheykiss · July 2010

I don't chart very well, so I am just using the OPKs. Should you do it every day for the next 2-3 days? Optimally the answer is yes. However for my DH, he would never finish if we did that. He is just one of those guys that once every 3 days is the best I can hope for, so we basically get one chance a month.

oceanangelbeauty · July 2010

There is some info on this in the TCOYF book. However I loaned mine out so I can't look it up for you. I need to get my book back.

From what I remember the problem with the OPKs is that whatever they measure (I think it is a hormone) does not raise enough to get a positive until you are in mid ovulation and you only have a short time after they turn positive. You also want to try to do it right before it turns positive ideally.

Disclaimer: I was never able to get a positive OPK but I somehow got pg. I was convinced I was not ovulating.

Mrs.Wubbin · July 2010

It sounds like you and I have similar TTC plans (Oh, PS: We are officially TTC #2! Yikes!). I am using the smily-face OPKs, and charting fertility signs including CM. Which is exactly what we did the last few cycles we TTC before Eloise. I tried really hard to chart before Eloise but it just made me crazy and I had a slow-rise temp anyways (which I did not discover until we used OPKs), so we were always missing our days. The whole thing was just frustrating to me.

When we saw a smily face pre-Eloise we went full tilt boogie! We'd BD like 5 times in 2 days. In our current state (parents to an almost 1.5 YO), we will certainly not achieve those numbers. We will probably do it at least a couple times though.

Lots and lots of luck (and energy to you!

amyfelice · July 2010

oceanangelbeauty:
There is some info on this in the TCOYF book. However I loaned mine out so I can't look it up for you. I need to get my book back.
From what I remember the problem with the OPKs is that whatever they measure (I think it is a hormone) does not raise enough to get a positive until you are in mid ovulation and you only have a short time after they turn positive. You also want to try to do it right before it turns positive ideally.
Disclaimer: I was never able to get a positive OPK but I somehow got pg. I was convinced I was not ovulating.

Interesting! I did read the book but it was so long ago. I agree, because I had the EWCM two days prior and I couldn't figure out why the OPK was negative. (of course we BD that day too) The thing does say that once you get a pos it will be 36-48 hrs before you ovulate though. It's the LH surge.

ladipale · July 2010

My first +OPK usually happened around the time of my max EWCM, but I generally ovulated 2 days later.

I always kept testing with OPKs until I got a negative. I used the cheapie OPKs available from early-pregnancy-tests.com and had good luck with them. We had sex every day of a +OPK, sometimes went to every other day certain months, but tried for every day.

love22 · July 2010

I am a big fan of the every other day method. When we had our IF class they said men make more sperm if they are having sex consistently. Then when we got a positive we had a lot of sex. Obviously, we can't do that this time with a 15 month old (yes, we too are trying Smile

but I didn't O this month so hopefully next month we'll get a smiley face). Lots of luck to you!

amyfelice · July 2010

thanks all. Yeah, I remembered that men don't have as much sperm if you do it every single day and it 's better to space out a bit, but DH has a theory, which I guess is c/w what you said that it "upregulates", haha.

kbrodie06 · July 2010

I am using fertilityfriend.com to chart and keep track of everything. I put OPK results in and EWCM and all. The TCOYF is good but after charting for over a year, it is not giving me any different info. I am 40 and my Ovulation time is short. I have a CBEFMonitor and it should have given me 2 high days and 2 peak days and then 1 more high, from what I have read. I have a quick cylcle, it gave me 1 high, 1 peak and nothing else. I do use the digital OPK's because got tired of trying to tell the difference on if the stupid line is darker than the other. As far a Happy face, remember sperm lives for 2-5 days so you can do a few days before, and switch to every other, including day after.

We all obsess, so just go with it. Best of luck! I agree with all the info everyone else gave by the way. Great feedback. I use this board a lot and I use the TTC over 35 board also, a lot. I should us the Infertility board and a few others but not bothering.

Kristin

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