Could someone tell me how ovulation tests work please?

[Peppaismyhomegirl]

Hello,
We are ttc baby 2 after the miscarriage we suffered at 12 weeks a few months ago. we have recently got ovulation sticks and I'm a bit confused?! Do I test every day and when I get the faint line that's when I'm ovulating? And the strong line is when it's at its peak?! Or does the strong line mean I'm ovulating?! We are doing everything we think we can with this. It's very upsetting as you can imagine, I know it will take time, but any help and tips would be great fully received

OPKs measure Lutinising Hormone (LH) which can be present in our bodies in small amounts throughout our cycle then peak about 24-36 hours before ovulation. Opk's will pick up the small amounts as well as the surge of LH just before ovulation, they are only positive when the test line is as dark as or darker than the control line. They are now foolproof though as we can have an LH surge without actually ovulating - only d21 bloods will confirm it by measuring the level of progesterone. Digital opk's such as the Clear Blue ones can be useful as they interpret the results and give you a straightforward to understand blank circle (not ovulating), flashing smiley face (rising LH levels) and static smiley face (peak LH levels).

Thank you. I don't think my positive was a real positive then. It was only faint. Thank you that really helps x

The clear blue ones are easier to understand but they are bloody expensive! They are only good if your cycle is regular too as they are too expensive to test every day. Worth noting that I tried for 4 months to get pregnant and only had one positive opk in that whole time and it wasn't the month I got pregnant! They are a good guide but don't work for everyone.

Clearblue OPKs are a wee bit cheaper from amazon, still £30 for twenty, which in theory is a 2 month supply, but only if your cycle is predictable and you manage to start on the right day. They are a lot easier to understand though. I'm going for a month without this month though as they foxed me last time, 'ovulated' on day 23/4 (solid smiley)........ Then AF arrived four days later (definitely not implantation, still going on day 4). No idea what happened there. So as Helen says, not foolproof.

It's expensive if they are not foolproof. I am very regular (honestly, af literally comes within the same hour every month) I'm gunna do another month with the cheaper ones as it's encouraging that I'm getting anything positive really. We are coming up to my original due date and I can't bare the thought of it without any hope

I got some clearblue ones to get an idea of my cycle (Amazon, defo cheaper)
When they run out I'll use the cheaper ones as I should have a better idea of what my cycle looks like.

I had a mc at 11 weeks in Aug so it's my first month of using ovulation tests again (pre mc I used the boots ones)