Anyone used ovulation test strips?

[sprinkles77]

like this? They seem much cheaper than the digital things you get in Boots? We're in the 2nd week of our 2nd TWW, so early days. But with a DS aged 14 months and generally knackered, we wanted to maximise our chances whilst minimising the effort! Is there any point using a BBT thermometer too? I'm struggling to work out what my cervical fluid is doing. I know that BBT and cervical fluid monitoring is just a proxy for measuring actual hormone levels, which is what these sticks do.

I use OPKs (the spenny digital clearblue ones because I like a clear yes or no with interpretation required) and also temp to get to know my cycle. Temping will only give you an indication that you have ovulated AFTER it has happened. If you want to know beforehand so you can target peak shagging time, you need to look for egg white cervical mucus or use an OPK.

I used to use the cheapy strips but got sick of trying to interpret them so now I buy cb digi ones from amazon, the cheapest place I could find them. Plus you can use fmu with them which works out much easier for me.

oh i hope they are half decent. Just ordered 20 off ebay today!

i use them but they are abit cheaper on ebay than amazon, been using them for 4 months now to chart my cycle and ovulation and had really clear positives every month

i thought for the sake of £3/4 and pp they are worth a go for a month

My post should say no interpretation required.

thanks, meliesmummy, what is fmu?

doh! FMU?

First morning urine. With the cheap ones you have to not have drunk anything or peed for a few hours but you can't use fmu, plus you have to use them at the same time every day and I don't fancy doing it whilst out of the house so it's a bit awkward if you don't want to be stuck in mid afternoon or morning.

Just curious: do they actually manage to help you conceive? I've read of ladies buying in bulk- which makes me think that they don't work. I mean if they did then why would you buy 100?

diamondsandrubies, I think that if your cycle is regular, and you use the strips over several cycles, it helps to build a picture of when you are likely to ovulate (they only really tell you after the event). I suppose, if like us you're too tired for shagging all the time, they'd let you know when not to bother! Oh, some people who use the rhythm method would also find it helpful to know they are out of the danger zone.

Ovulation tests don't tell u after ovulation do they? I thought they tell u a few days before it happens because it's recognising the hormone that is increased just before hand?! Or have I read it All wrong

The cheep ones I use say that a positive result means that will ovulate in the next 24 - 48 hours.

I used the ovulation tests, but it was the clearblue ones (not the digital ones). I spent ages trying to concieve then the first month I used these properly, I did. :)

I think they are worth it.

Yep, I've been using those ones for the last couple of years. They work for me no problem. Sadly I've yet to hold on to a pregnancy but I've got pregnant using them 4 times. I start testing from around day 10-12. I buy them from www.homehealth-uk.com and buy a combo pack of them and the pregnancy tests.

They do say it's best to test around the middle of the day. I've never had to wait hours without drinking of peeing before using them I just test when I need a wee around that time of day. If I'm out I will use a small screw top plastic container like a urine sample container or an empty little cream jar and do it in the loo where I'm working at the time. You get a feint line at first which can fade before it gets dark enough to be a positive. When the two lines are the same colour, that's when the surge starts and you will ovulate within 24-36 hrs. You want to be getting all your action in just before and during the surge for best results as when ovulation actually occurs you want the swimmers to already be there waiting. Keep at it for a couple of days after the lines disappear too just to be sure .

Diamondsamdrubies people buy them in bulk because regardless of knowing exactly when you ovulate a lot of people still struggle to conceive for many reasons other than not getting the timing right. It can take some people months, if not years, to get pregnant unfortunately.

sprinkles as someone else said, they don't tell you after the event. The idea is that they detect lutenising hormone, the one which "ripens" your egg. This surges just before ovulation, so the idea is that the test gives you a bit of warning that ovulation is about to happen.

You might be confusing it with temperature charting, which does indicated you've ovulated after it has happened and allows you to build up knowledge of your cycle over a few months. Progesterone released after ovulation makes your basal body temperature rise, so you can see with hindsight when ovulation happened.

As another poster said, some people buy the sticks in bulk because whilst pregnancy cannot happen without sperm being around when an egg is ovulated, sperm being there at the right time will not always result in a pregnancy. I've had at least 5 cycles of perfectly timed swi that have not resulted in a BFP.

I hope this helps.

thanks folks. If i'm not pregnant this time I'm going to order some!