Can someone explain where to start with OPKs?

[Monkeyandthebear]

We started TTC about 6 months ago and so far no luck. I have been ready for a baby since we married last year (actually I have always felt ready!), but took the DH a little longer to get on board. Up until now I have been using Ovia, but worried that a weird cycle caused by jet lag is going to skew all my dates. AF was 8 days late when I am normally very regular.

I am the sort of person who likes a plan and am generally getting more stressed and upset by TTC as each cycle goes on, not helped by there seeming to be babies popping out all over, so I need to take some control and think the next step for me might be OPKs and/or temp.

Can someone explain to me what routine you take with opks? How often do you test? At what point in your cycle do you start testing? Also what tests do you use? I find it all a little overwhelming when I look on line to buy some. I am on CD2 and would like to start this cycle.

Thanks

Wow. I am at a really similar place to you. Except my readiness for this meant that from cycle 1 of 'officially trying' I was on the opks (had started temping before, but I can be a bit irregular).

So I tend to have slightly longer cycles, and most people ovulate and then about 12-16 days later your period will start. So if you have a 34 day cycle, most people tend to ov about day 20...

I have a plastic cup (or the opk packet) and dip the opk into it for 15 seconds. I generally do this at 2pm or 7pm (depending on the logistics) starting about day 12 (I have been oving anywhere from day 15 to 23). I stop when I get a positive, which means that I should ovulate abut 24 hours later. Input the data into an app to keep track. Also, (tmi, sorry) I tend to keep them for the cycle to see if there is a progression in the darkness of the second line, which there tends to be and it gives me warning for the following cycle.

I temp to confirm ovulation... though occasionally that can be a bit confusing as well.

Sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs!!

Thanks for that physicskate, I feel like everywhere else has given me complicated explanations and I just needed someone to tell me to poas on certain days! What Opks do you use? Any suggestions on what to order?

I am not very good with TTC not being do A and B and you end up with C! I am more used to work hard and you get the result you want, so getting more and more frustrated!

If you have a shorter cycle, I would start a good few days before you expect ov. I just use internet cheapies from amazon:

www.amazon.co.uk/One-Step%C2%AE-Ovulation-Tests-Sensitive/dp/B0071MSEH6/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1471437344&sr=8-2&keywords=opk

Some people use the clear blue opks, but I am too cheap for that! They work on a smiley based system, which is less confusing than, "are the lines the same darkness?? Or is the second line lighter than the control line???" With clear blue opks they show a static smiley with peak fertility and a flashing smiley during possible fertile window.