OPK Suggestions

MrsFL2015 · June 2016

I've searched the history on here to see if there are any recent posts about OPKs. I didn't see anything recent and I'm hoping I don't get flamed for asking this (the way people get flamed for asking about vitamins). Anyway, I'm going to give an OPK a try this month. I've been charting for 3 cycles now and I'm having a difficult time determining my peak days. My CM varies month-to-month and sometimes it hard to know when I'm most fertile. I always ovulate, but we know it's already too late by then.

Anyway, any suggestions? They're pretty pricey and I don't want to spend money on one that's crappy.

Thanks

Neikoda · June 2016

Wondfo on Amazon. They have a pack of 50 OPKs with 20 HPTs for I believe for $25. Just make sure the brand it correct. There are some fakes named Wondfo that aren't actually made by the brand.

AliciaGoose · June 2016

So you're going to get 'mildly' flamed for this because questions like this are really best suited for either the daily WTO or TWW threads (depending on where you belong at the moment). Those are where you can ask any questions you have (and hopefully give back by answering others) so that the board itself doesn't get cluttered with each persons individual questions.

Also, the newbie thread lays out allllll of the things you need to know about what we as a group recommend in terms of charting and OPKs. So if you check that out you'll get your answer. Do people use things other than what's recommended? Yes, of course. So if you still have more questions after reading that, you could head over to one of the above mentioned threads to get more information, and get to know the ladies here. They're amazing and really helpful. Good luck.

MrsFL2015 · June 2016

AliciaGoose said:

So you're going to get 'mildly' flamed for this because questions like this are really best suited for either the daily WTO or TWW threads (depending on where you belong at the moment). Those are where you can ask any questions you have (and hopefully give back by answering others) so that the board itself doesn't get cluttered with each persons individual questions.

Also, the newbie thread lays out allllll of the things you need to know about what we as a group recommend in terms of charting and OPKs. So if you check that out you'll get your answer. Do people use things other than what's recommended? Yes, of course. So if you still have more questions after reading that, you could head over to one of the above mentioned threads to get more information, and get to know the ladies here. They're amazing and really helpful. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice! I tried looking for it in some of the previous posts and the newbie threads, but maybe I missed it. I asked in the WTO post yesterday, but I didn't get any responses. There's like 60+ responses in today's WTO and I feel like my question would have been lost again.

It would be cool if the admin for the board could make some permanent posts on OPKs, vitamins, etc. I know my brain gets overwhelmed when I'm trying to find info about a particular topic and there are tons of posts to skim through. Hopefully others will find this post useful too.

krys-2 · June 2016

It would be cool if the admin for the board could make some permanent posts on OPKs, vitamins, etc. I know my brain gets overwhelmed when I'm trying to find info about a particular topic and there are tons of posts to skim through. Hopefully others will find this post useful too.

That's all in the Newbie guide. Which an admin has already made a permanent post. https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12613283/the-ultimate-ttgp-guide-newbies-read-this-first/p1

AliciaGoose · June 2016

@MrsFL2015 That is understandable! Sorry no one was able to give you a response yesterday. That being said all of that info you're asking for is in the newbie guide which is permanent. I know it has a lot of info in it but it is really important to read the whole thing.

I will second @nwegman7878 and say Wondfo OPKs are the way to go. They're cheap and effective. I start testing about 5-7 days before my typical O day, and when it starts to get darker I test 2-3 times a day to make sure I get my peak. You need the test line to be as dark or darker than the control to call it +. Best time to test is typically between 12-3 because most people's LH surge happens in the morning and then takes a bit to show up in your urine. Good luck!

ETA: some people are never able to get true +s and end up marking the darkest as +. It takes a bit of trial and error to learn what they look like.

Edit again: Grammar and clarity and also spelling because I stink at it.

Basherbaby · June 2016

Are you temping as well? I have the Wondfo OPK's and they worked great last month but I never did get a positive this month so the only way I knew I O'd was by temp. I second what PP said about ordering from Amazon. I hope you find a brand that you like. Good luck!

PepperAT · June 2016

Last cycle I used Easy@Home. I bought it off of Amazon. I think it was something like 50 OPK and 20 HPTs for $25. They seemed to work really well for me. You can also try reading reviews online, that's what I did.

Sorry I missed your response in WTO yesterday, but generally the ladies are really good at responding and trying to help out as best as we can in the daily threads!

Also, regarding your "don't flame me", I don't think people get flamed for asking these kinds of questions we try to give suggestions and directions on where to look in the future. It is generally the random rude responses that are given afterwards that set people off. Anywho, I am just going to go ahead and leave Mr. Bean here because looking at this made me giggle.

Leighangel89 · June 2016

I use the wondof brand and ordered them from Amazon and I'm liking them so far and they are really cheap

MonaLisaRalphio · June 2016

MrsFL2015 said:

AliciaGoose said:

So you're going to get 'mildly' flamed for this because questions like this are really best suited for either the daily WTO or TWW threads (depending on where you belong at the moment). Those are where you can ask any questions you have (and hopefully give back by answering others) so that the board itself doesn't get cluttered with each persons individual questions.

Also, the newbie thread lays out allllll of the things you need to know about what we as a group recommend in terms of charting and OPKs. So if you check that out you'll get your answer. Do people use things other than what's recommended? Yes, of course. So if you still have more questions after reading that, you could head over to one of the above mentioned threads to get more information, and get to know the ladies here. They're amazing and really helpful. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice! I tried looking for it in some of the previous posts and the newbie threads, but maybe I missed it. I asked in the WTO post yesterday, but I didn't get any responses. There's like 60+ responses in today's WTO and I feel like my question would have been lost again.

It would be cool if the admin for the board could make some permanent posts on OPKs, vitamins, etc. I know my brain gets overwhelmed when I'm trying to find info about a particular topic and there are tons of posts to skim through. Hopefully others will find this post useful too.

[TW: dirty lurker]

To the bolded above, you can always put a note at the top of your WTO/TWW reply that looks something like:

*****question in r/r/cs*****

This will help your question to get noticed. You can also do the same thing if you want people to "chart-stalk" for you - just write "chart stalk please!" at the top of your post.

daisy62103 · June 2016

I, too, use Wondfo opks. I also bought a box of CBD . Wondfos are cheap, CBD isn't, but I use the wondfos frequently. Then when I think it's positive I use the CBD to confirm, which has been really helpful to me. The box of CBD has lasted me months.

NamelessAria · June 2016

Another person chiming in here to say that I use Wondfo OPKs. They're amazing and I definitely recommend them. They're also very cost effective.

I personally do use a couple of ClearBlue Advanced Digital OPKs each month in addition to the Wondfos because a lot of months I'll O the same day as my first +OPK. And since my husband and I can't really have a lot of sex prior to a +OPK since he burns out pretty fast and is done for the cycle (and then, ya know, we end up missing O because he's like no thanks I'm totally done.) It helps me to be able to see the "high" days so I know we can probably start having sex without being too terribly worried that we're starting too soon and I'm going to mess it up for the cycle. I mean, it still happens. But at least being able to see the "high" before the "peak" helps.

But I mean, unless you're dealing with something like that you only really need a wondfo OPK. Wondfo OPKs have worked wonderfully for me for predicting ovulation. 10/10 definitely recommend.

virginiaham · June 2016

I order the OneStep LH/HCG test strips off of Amazon (it's 50 LH & 10 HCG strips for like $12). I was gifted a CBFM by a family member, spent $40 on a month's supply of strips and never got a peak reading, even though I was doing the cheapie LH strips at the same time and had a blazing + with those. Some people have great experience with the CBFM though.

My advice? I'd get cheapies (one of the brands mentioned on this thread) and try those out and then move on to something more $$ if those aren't working for you. Follow the included directions on when to start testing based on your typical cycle length and you'll have plenty to use so you can test multiple times a day as you approach your surge and hopefully you'll catch it and get some good timing in.

We did at one time have regular threads either asking questions or intentionally discussing topics covered in the newbie guide. Some of them are filled with great input from regs and others are the, "blarghghgshh we JUST had a discussion on this like a week ago, go use the search bar." The last real discussion was back in March, I'm ok humoring this thread (which, OP, if you put OPK into the search bar and then add OPK where it says "title" you can find the dedicated OPK threads more easily). I disagree that this is really better suited for the WTO...keeping it to the WTO isn't going to allow for newer members to easily search for discussions on it in the future. Good luck, OP.

laurad75 · June 2016

I'm actually glad this question was asked - thanks OP. I read through the newbie guide when I first came on to lurk but a lot of it went over my head so I think I need to go back and read through it now that I am getting the hang of it all.

I used the CB advanced OPK earlier this week and got low the first day and then peak the next day. I thought that was odd and found online that it happens a lot and then the CB FAQ's said if you don't use first urine of the morning after longest sleep it could give you a false peak...ugh. I bought a pack of the Wondfo's online yesterday and got the CVS generic brand OPK so i could test yesterday afternoon and that came back negative. This morning was negative too. I'm on CD 11 and my temp is still low so I want to continue to test this cycle until I see a change.

Anyway, the comments here are super helpful and I'm glad I bought the wondfos so I can test to my hearts content until I get a temp rise.

nlwz123 · June 2016

virginiaham said:

I disagree that this is really better suited for the WTO...keeping it to the WTO isn't going to allow for newer members to easily search for discussions on it in the future. Good luck, OP.

I completely agree. If the majority of the questions are required to be in the WTO/TWW threads they will be unsearchable for the future.

MrsFL2015 · June 2016

Thanks for all the personal suggestions. I'm going to try a cheap one first to see how it goes and to make sure I'm doing it correctly. I'm getting close to testing time (for ovulation) and I don't want to wait for something to get shipped to my house. I don't have Prime, so I'd have to wait a few days to get the Wondfo off Amazon.

I believe I once read that people can get them at the dollar store? Are they any good? I'm a bit nervous. If not, I think I'm going to go with CB for the first time. Thanks!

AliciaGoose · June 2016

MrsFL2015 said:

Thanks for all the personal suggestions. I'm going to try a cheap one first to see how it goes and to make sure I'm doing it correctly. I'm getting close to testing time (for ovulation) and I don't want to wait for something to get shipped to my house. I don't have Prime, so I'd have to wait a few days to get the Wondfo off Amazon.

I believe I once read that people can get them at the dollar store? Are they any good? I'm a bit weary. If not, I think I'm going to go with CB for the first time. Thanks!

I used $ store tests for a month. I thought they were good, Wondfos were just cheaper so that's why I switched. I think those are a good option to start with if you don't have time to get the cheap internet ones!

izza2 · June 2016

I third the point that having every question pushed to the WTO/TWW threads keeps it from being searchable by new members. The board is basically only WTO/TWW. Having separate threads for legit questions isn't going to clutter anything. It'll help break up the mass of daily threads still hanging around days later.

OP - are you temping? I don't get the impression that you are, but that you're relying on CM to track ovulation. If you're temping, how are your charts looking that you're not seeing a clear temperature shift? If you're not temping - is there any reason why? It's the best way to track your ovulation at home. OPKs are helpful, but they test for LH surges, and you can have multiple LH surges throughout your cycle without having actually ovulated.

As far as OPK brands - you can get dollar store tests, and they should all work for you (keep in mind that some women don't turn a "true positive" on an OPK despite ovulating regularly). If you want to save money, though, buying Wondfos from Amazon is a cheaper way to go. You can buy mixed packages of like so-many OPKs and so-many HPTs so you're set for both parts of your cycle. I think they average somewhere around $0.30 cents a test or something if you buy Wondfos? So, you're saving a lot of money even in one cycle.

Good luck with your TTC journey, and I hope your stay here is a short one!

LadyMillil · June 2016

MrsFL2015 said:

Thanks for all the personal suggestions. I'm going to try a cheap one first to see how it goes and to make sure I'm doing it correctly. I'm getting close to testing time (for ovulation) and I don't want to wait for something to get shipped to my house. I don't have Prime, so I'd have to wait a few days to get the Wondfo off Amazon.

I believe I once read that people can get them at the dollar store? Are they any good? I'm a bit nervous. If not, I think I'm going to go with CB for the first time. Thanks!

I haven't used the dollar store ones because Wondfo's are cheaper. I need to test 2-3 times a day to see a positive opk, and even then I sometimes just see it get close to positive and then return to negative. I usually start testing the first day I have EWCM. You shouldn't use FMU and should try to hold your pee for a few hours before testing. Late morning to mid afternoon seem to be the best times to test.

OPK Suggestions

Re: OPK Suggestions

Choose Another Board

Search Boards