OPK Help Thread

ilovecake13 · February 2021

Hi All!

This is my second month of TTC. I am 35, and have regular cycles between 24-28 days, with 26 days being my average. This month I decided to start temping, and use OPK strips. I am also using pre-seed because I know I do not have enough cervical mucus, maybe because of my age. I DTD with my husband on cycle day 7, 9, and 10 so far, and currently on cycle day 11. I started using OPK tests from cycle day 5 when my period ended just to make sure I am not ovulating earlier than what I expect. Today's test looks very dark, about equal to the control line. I just wanted other pairs of eyes to make sure that it is equal and not darker, which I know it has to be in order to be positive.

Thank you!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/4w/arfsfeakr53u.jpg

sienna221 · February 2021

I agree with what chindimples said in the other thread. Definitely looks positive. And from my personal experience, you might still get ones after this that are a darker test line and show a peak. But either way, I’d start DTD daily!

ilovecake13 · February 2021

Thank you! I hope some swimmers were able to get up there from the last 2 nights, lol!

ilovecake13 · February 2021

Hi Again!

So, I had posted my picture of my OPK test from yesterday 2/15, see below:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/v4/txamdpbgjj8j.jpg

And this is my BBT chart as of this morning 6:30 along with my OPK test using SMU:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/xe/u802gpj776yz.jpg

Since this one looks definitely darker than yesterday's, would my result today be the official positive? then I can anticipate ovulation within 24-48 hrs? I got confused because my app thought I ovulated already due to the 0.3 temp increase from 02/15-02/16, and maybe because I had received a positive already yesterday, but today looks like my real positive.

acleverusername · February 2021

@ilovecake13 the most important thing to keep in mind is when your OPKs start to darken. That signifies the onset of an LH surge, and you could ovulate anywhere between 12-72hrs following that onset. So, the darkest-most OPK doesn't really matter that much. Hope this helps.

acleverusername · February 2021

From: https://modernfertility.com/blog/ovulation-tests/... we how your fertile window is once your LH starts to rise and up to your peak? There's another graph that has been shared here stating that your most fertile day is the day before O. I feel like it was @kiki047 who'd shared it.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/xx/qg3bkbcf7dad.jpg

ilovecake13 · February 2021

Hi again !!!

So after my positive OPK 2/16 around 10am, I believe I had ovulation pain in the evening. Right sided pain/pressure/cramps, thought it was gas but it was not in my stomach. Lasted few hours, I had to use an ice pack and took Tylenol (but didn’t help) and slept it off. I have this once a month now that I’m thinking about it, and never correlated it with time of ovulation. My temp dropped the following morning on 2/17 to 96.24, then spiked today 97.75.

I also check my temps while in bed once I wake up around 6:30 everyday. I’ve taken two -three readings in a row and it always gives me different temps by .2 - .4. I always keep the first though. Any insight on this one?

Does this mean I may have ovulated 2/17?

Thanks in advance!

keikilove · February 2021

@ilovecake13 Looks like you had great timing! It also looks from your chart and sounds like from your symptoms that you did ovulate on the 17th. Personally, I always ovulate within 12-36 hours after getting the Peak reading, no matter how many days before that I got a High reading. It seems like you caught everything exactly right. If you get 3 days of higher temps you can feel certain about pin-pointing O on the 17th.

ilovecake13 · February 2021

@keikilove thank you, here is my temperature from today (98.20), I took it twice, and it's now above 98.0 which it has never been since the start of my period.

I'm still a bit confused though, I read that you would take the 3 highest readings (above coverline), then the temperature before that would be ovulation day. Looking at my chart, it seems like my coverline would be at 97.80 (02/16) and the first high temp above that would be 98.20. This makes me think I ovulated 02/18 instead despite my symptoms on 02/17. I'll keep charting my temps, let's see!!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/v8/ducz9cfs0yt6.png

keikilove · February 2021

@ilovecake13 I see what you’re saying. I never pay any attention to the coverline. Personally, I ignore that rule about the temp right before the 3 highest.... For me, O day is always on the day I have the temp drop. If you were using the FertilityFriend app, you’d be able to see other people’s charts and the temperature trend pattern would start to jump out at you. My guess is that you’re going to get 2 more high temps (the one on the 18th may not count as one of those) and your O will still get pinned on the 17th. Even if it gets pinned on the 18th, if it were me I would override it and put it on the 17th based on all the other signs and symptoms (Peak
OPK and ovulation pain on the 16th, temp drop the next morning).

ilovecake13 · February 2021

Thank you for your insight!! It makes sense. I get my period between 24-28 days, but rarely get my period every 28 days (maybe once a year, twice if lucky), so ovulating on CD 14 is unlikely. I'm sticking with the 17th (CD 13)

acleverusername · February 2021

@ilovecake13 if you’re having such short cycles and O is on CD17, how long is your luteal phase? It sounds like it’s on the short side so you should check that out with your doctor. Anything shorter than 10 days means you’re likely not producing enough progesterone to sustain a pregnancy.

ilovecake13 · February 2021

@acleverusername Hi!! my ovulation was actually on CD 13 (2/17) not CD 17. I still need to confirm this with my BBT. So far I have 2 high temps post suspected ovulation. I still need 1 more. See below.

I think my luteal phase is 12-13 days. My previous cycle I had my period Jan 9, then Feb 5. Counting back 14 days, I must have ovulated around 1/21 or 1/22 which was cycle day 13 or 14.That would make my luteal phase 14 days at the least 13.

This is the only month I started tracking, so If I’m not pregnant this cycle (I’m currently 3 DPO), I can get an exact length of my luteal phase. My expected period is March 3.

acleverusername · February 2021

@ilovecake13 keep us posted! And feel free to participate in the other threads in the channels.

grey222 · February 2021

Im a little confused by my ovulation this month. Usually my temps start low during my period and then there is a pretty obvious drop then shift in temp. This month, my temps started high, then dropped low and went way up again. Usually I ovulate around day 13/14 but does this look like I ovulated early? I got a very positive opk on day 9, and negatives on day 10&11 but didn’t test after that.. my temps started so go up after day 10/11 but it also seems like there could be a shift around day 15. I’m just so confused because this cycle is so unlike any other one I’ve had. Do you put more weight into opk or temp?

ronnie320 · February 2021

Hello! I recently switched OPKs to Wondfo so I started testing earlier than usual. I noticed on two of the strips that the control line is super close to the blue LH labelled part..does anyone know whether these are still valid and just weird one-offs or if maybe they are somehow faulty? Want to get it figured out before I get to my FW and the results matter more!

TIA!!

inthewoods23 · February 2021

@ronnie320 Hmm... I've never seen something like that before. I'm inclined to believe the placement of the lines is a manufacturing error but doesn't necessarily make the tests invalid. The distance between the control and test lines in each of those tests are the same so maybe they just got "printed/placed" a little off-center. So they are likely okay - at least in my opinion - but if you don't trust it then I would just dip another strip and see if the lines are more centered. Wondfos are pretty damn cheap anyway.

ronnie320 · March 2021

Ok sorry me again. It has been such a weird cycle..my last 3 like clockwork I have had a peak on CD 16 with “high” readings both before and after. This time...nothing, so strange. Maybe it’s a weird longer one and I will still get my peak, but based on this, do you guys think CD 14 is dark enough to count as a positive? I know hard to say without other info, but still fairly new to OPKs so curious to hear your thoughts! TIA!

fantasyflyte · March 2021

@ronnie320 I don't think any of those are dark enough to count as positive. It could be that your body geared up for ovulation, but then didn't actually ovulate, so you might have another surge in the coming days. Are you tracking any other signs like BBT and CM? I suppose it is technically possible that you could have had a suuuuuper short surge in between the two CD14 tests but that seems fairly unlikely, IMO. I'd HIO every other day if possible just to be safe.

fameonmain2 · March 2021

@ronnie320 your cd14 is about as dark as they usually get for me so I might mark it as peak if everything else lines up. I know you said you weren't temping this cycle but what about cm? Has it dried up? Even if so I wouldn't say you're 100% in the clear.. this is a tough one!

ronnie320 · March 2021

@fantasyflyte @fameonmain2 thank you both!! And that’s interesting that yours don’t get darker! It’s also my first cycle with new OPK brand so was thinking maybe it just registered the pee differently...? Haha I have no idea. Will definitely keep testing CM and OPK and will be BDing! Thank you

acleverusername · March 2021

@ronnie320 everyone's LH surge is different and some of the OPK tests might not be suited to you. Did you know there are 3 different test types? Qualitative, threshold-based, and quantitative. Some ppl's LH surge is so low, a threshold-based test (one that shows T/C like the one you show above) would never turn "positive". A better idea might be to try using quantitative tests, so see what your LH surge concentration is like. I highly recommend you read this article to learn more about the types of OPKs that exist: https://modernfertility.com/blog/ovulation-tests/

FWIW, I have a pretty low LH surge... enough for it to register on a threshhold based test, but never enough to get a really dark line, like I've seen from some on here.

ronnie320 · March 2021

@acleverusername that’s super helpful, thank you so much!!

acleverusername · March 2021

@fantasyflyte Btw, that article could be interesting for you too, especially as it mentions that thresh-hold based test might not be best choice for women with PCOS. You've mentioned that you got an "almost-positive" test this cycle, which I'm betting was basically positive.

misspricklepants · March 2021

@ronnie320 I'd agree with @fantasyflyte and would have expected a darker +OPK later that day or on CD15. Hopefully you get a 2nd surge with some darker lines!! So frustrating that TTC can be so confusing and inconsistent sometimes.

fameonmain2 · March 2021

@acleverusername thank you for sharing that article!! So true about the different brands. The pregmate ones are terrible for me. I prefer the easy at home

fantasyflyte · March 2021

@acleverusername interesting, thanks! I'll definitely check that article out when I get home tonight.

bumblebee0210 · March 2021

@fantasyflyte. It's $$$ but I found the mira really helpful because it just spits out actual numbers. I have a low LH surge (sometimes too low for threshold tests), and my surge was still super obvious in the numerical graph. It just took all of the guesswork out of it for me. (If you buy it it's pretty easy to google a coupon to get it for $149, but that's still like the equivalent of one million premom strips, and it doesn't even count the additional wands you'll have to replenish...)

ilovecake13 · March 2021

Hi Everyone!

This is my second month tracking BBT. I am checking it around the same time. This cycle I used Primrose oil until ovulation, and vitamin c 750mg. I also had the COVID vaccine 3/12. I had all signs of ovulation. Positive OPK, big BBT dip, EWCM, mild ovulation cramps, and a huge spike in BBT post positive OPK. My temps on 2 DPO and today (3 DPO) are lower almost near pre ovulation temp. Can anyone give insight to this?

Femometer detects ovulation and puts my cover line at 97.65 but FF has not.

daisy0322 · May 2021

Alright I’m not even entirely sure what to ask but if this was a real ovulation LH surg, would my OPKs be fading more than this?

acleverusername · May 2021

@daisy0322 some people have long surges, others have shorter ones. And they can also change. It looks like your surge did happen sometime before May 16 (onset of the surge) and you peaked on May 16. That means ovulation can occur 12-72 hours post onset of surge.

inthewoods23 · May 2021

@daisy0322 I regularly get positive OPKs for about a day to a day and a half. I peak pretty quickly in that my baseline OPKs hover around 0.2 or 0.3, then once I get an OPK a little higher than that (say 0.4), I know when I take my next OPK in the morning or evening it's going to be positive or nearly positive (0.8 and up). My LH drops much slower once I get my peak reading. Sometimes the value from Premom isn't far off from the previous test when it's been 4+ hours.

edit: fixed a typo

daisy0322 · May 2021

@inthewoods23 okay awesome thank you!

pajamstagrams · June 2021

Ok, I probably did this opk thing wrong...been *very* low the last week, and then BAM suddenly today it's high and positive? Admittedly my urine was super concentrated today (I'm def dehydrated). Yesterday's test was a long hold after 2 cups of coffee (too diluted??). Not sure what to think, maybe I have a quick surge? Or just today's value is off? Do I need more data and I should wait until tomorrow to make sense of this?

*TW loss*

Of note, my normal O day (before loss) was CD13, which would be tomorrow. I ovulated on CD 17 after my MC.

Also, since I'm benched, this is more just satisfying my curiosity and gathering more data for a good baseline.

bows22 · June 2021

@pajamstagrams Mine don’t really get gradually darker so if I were only testing once a day that’s probably how mine would go. The one today may be slightly darker than normal if you’re a little dehydrated so I’d keep testing and see what they look like as far as which one will be your “peak” but regardless you are definitely surging now.

optimistgardener · June 2021

hey @pajamstagrams gonna join @bows22 here and say when i do opks, my LH surge is fast. there have been many months when i've gone from stark white to a blazing line in 24 hours. for that reason, when i start getting close-ish (like w/in 2-3 days... I'm usually pretty dialed in on my calendar) i start checking 2x a day. I've been known to check 3x a day if i think i'm right on top of a surge and i want to perfectly land an IUI timing (not that my uber-careful testing has done any good!). I hold the possibly unpopular opinion that unless your urine is reaaally dilute (did you just chug a liter of iced coffee?) the test results will be fairly easy to read regardless of how long you held or whether you had something to drink in the last 4 hours.

pajamstagrams · June 2021

@bows22 @optimistgardener thanks for the help! I'll try testing 2x tomorrow for funsies, and definitely take that into account next cycle. And lol no, it was maybe 30 oz of coffee over 3 hours? So pretty spread out I think. Wasn't like I had a *ton* of pee 😂

mamanbebe · June 2021

@pajamstagrams I'm the same as @optimistgardener and @bows22 in that I only have a gradual build up in one day, but every other day is an obvious negative. I check multiple times per day every day of FW so that I do not miss it, but usually it's the afternoon of the day before O when I get the +. Also, dilute urine hasn't had any affect on my positives or negatives with OPKs.

optimistgardener · June 2021

@pajamstagrams when i test 2x a day, i usually opt for something like an 11am and 5pm test. 3x a day is more like 9am, 2pm, and 8pm (or somewhere in that range).

pajamstagrams · June 2021

@optimistgardener well maybe I'll check after dinner then! I've got cheapies so I'm not worried about "wasting" them.

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