OPK'S- waste of money or worth a go?

Good advice Genidef- apparently they don't work if you have PCOS, which I do. According to Attila the all-knowing!!!

I just have to add my big vote of no confidence in these sticks. They made me crazy, I was a slave to those sticks. Use them if you can really really trust yourself not to do one "just to see" on days when it's unlikely you are. I could never do that, wasted a lot of money, and it made me sad. When I did get preg the second time, it was by watching my bodily symptoms and listening to that.

I read that testing around 2pm and avoiding liquids for couple of hours beforehand gives best results.

Ladyhelen- don't know- bought shedloads of opks from accessdiagnostics and have never ever had a single positive, despite peeing on them eveery day for a whole cycle (which went on for 50 days.) Considering shellibng out on clearblue to see if they do what access ones didn't...have been reading Toni wechsler book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, and that's the one she suggests.

Hmm very interested in the OPK debate. I've been peeing on the clear blue ones for the last 5 months. I have only ever had one positive result, at day 17 following a 35 day cycle. However that month, following the pos result at CD 17 it was a 29 day cycle. So continued peeing on the sticks the following month from CD10 to 17 and bloody nothing. Still been shagging during those times every other day and still no BFP.

Here's the question, do I continue spending £20 a month on these sticks which I fear I am now addicted to?

I had some mild period pain type symptoms at CD10 this month. I assumed this may be ovulation pain - I've noticed this before at about the same time and think I had the sticky CM on CD11/12, but the sticks were negative.

Do I continue to fuel this peeing on a stick addiction?

Yep, DH has low % of properly formed/active sperm and I'm not ov'ing regularly. Am on 2nd cycle of Clomid at the mo, have been given til feb 08 to get pg before we move on to the next stage.

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Pop onto the no1 babies/ttc your first thread to find me when you pop in to say hi then Best of luck with ttc and your wedding

I'm ok, still ttc though . Tend to stay on the first babies thread as the monthly ones see to move so quick and just as you get to 'know' people they get BFP and bugger off! Good to have you back and that you got your smiley face!

I had a positive opk 5 days running - not right is it

I have scared you off, haven't I?

Did I scare you off mummy2olivia? Or are you busy peeing on sticks and undertaking science experiments?

I am still getting a positive on my opks (3rd day running)so quite pleased really as lots of women say they never get a positive.

I bought some cheap ones from ebay and they did tell me when I was ovulating. I haven't used clear blue ones so I can't say if they are as good.

I think OPKs can be very useful.

I have a very regular text book 28 day cycle and yet using OPKS made me realise that I don't always ovulate on day 14 - it can be anywhere from day 12 to day 16.

Just to pick up on something flippertyjibbet said - it's true that sperm can live for up to five days, in some cases seven days. However it is very very unlikely.

It's only the most perfect, virile sperm untouched by modern toxins that can survive that long - and even then it would have to be in the most perfect cervical environment - not too acidic, not too alkaline etc.

In most cases the sperm survives for 48 hours and no more.

Hiya ammy good to see you back! How's things going? Hoping to have a little secret on your wedding day now? So good to see you How are the wedding plans going?

I thought ovulation kits were supposed to let you know before you ovulate. That does seem to be the case with my tests anyway. I got stretchy cm for the first day yesterday and a + for the first time since period. So I assume ovulation will occur today or tomorrow.

My gp said that as eggs only last about 24-36 hours and sperm can take that long to get up there, only bonking when you ovulate can be leaving it too late. The best way he said (and it worked for us both times) is just to get jiggy lots immediately after AF, until and including the stretchy mucus days, as sperm can live a good 5 days, so there will always be some there waiting to pounce when the egg is released and at its freshest. The stretchy stuff isn't produced on the day you ov but the days running up to and including it, ie the best time to get jiggy, in advance of ov.
After being told this I decided that the ov kits and thermometer kits were just a cynical money making thing from manufacturers preying on ladies who want to be pg and will try everything they can (yup that was me).