Clearblue opk - how dark should the line be?

[Fingerscrossed2007]

This third month of trying for #1. In Nov and Dec I used the clearblue ov predictor strips. In both cases on day 11 I read the line as a positive surge. I stopped testing after that - although when i think about it the line was very slightly lighter then than the test/control line. Last month I am pretty sure I got EWCM during the evening of the 12th. Based on this i made sure we BD'd on day 11 and 13 minimum.

Today I'm on day 11 today (of a 26 - 28 day cycle) and tested at 2pm and saw the same type of line. Like last month it looks almost but not quite as dark as the test/contol line. I'm now thinking that my desire not to waste any of these expensive blooming sticks has meant that sperm was around far too early.

My plan has always to be make sure that there is sperm around to meet the egg so as much BD before ov as possible. Normally no problem with sponteneity but typical as ever the decion to ttc co-incided with a really stressful time at work for DP. as a result BD tends to be semi-planned. Thats fine as far as TTC is concerned but only if I actually have the right days. So this month I am testing every day at 2pm although I am worried that this may mean I end up buying another expensive pack.

The point of my post is to get other womens experinces of OPK. Is the line REALLY obviously more dark than the test/control line? Have I been a little bit dim!! Baby dust and light spirits to all.
x

I think that sounds like you are reading the line correctly. From my experience you need to have a lot more sex. We BD'd on the three days before ovulation, the day of and the day after and were successful on the 3rd month. It's not very romantic or spontaneous but I think only the very lucky or very fertile get pregnant without really working at it. Hope this helps.

Thanks shppoing bags... very reassuring. I thought I was going mad there. I am going to do another OPK at 2pm today anyway just to double check.

I appreciate your point about more sex. This month isnt goign to be great for that. We should be "on the case" now but as I said DP's work problems has made things very difficult. Things should be different from next cyle (March) - return of the vamp!!

Any other comments from MN'ers still appreciated

Hi Lottie
I remember from january the janaury thread that we are cycle buddies, so your tips on timings are the most idiot proof way of me gettign advice I'm on CD 10. I think I will test today and tomorrow for define to see if ther is any further colour change. After that i will be out of sticks and will have to decide whether to invest in more.

I was kind of hoping that ov would be this weekend as we have booked a couple of nights away in a B&B where hopefully we can do more than cuddle up!.

Thanks lottie.
Packing for the weekend already. seductive music, candles and bath stuff maybe even do a test run tonight.

Oh....I should add that I did an ov test at work today after a comic episode of smuggling a stick into the loos (I couldn't think of a good reason to take my bag). The result was exactly the same as yesterday. So it looks like you were right Lottie. I hadn't actually had a surge on the days that I thought I had. Si I will keep on testing til the stick is claerly darker. I notice that boots has an offer on so wthe pain of buying more will be alittle less.

I really appreciate both of you takign time to answer my post. I would have carried on thinking that I was oving much earlier than I really do if it weren't for you.

Will try more sex generally, but as I said earlier DP working crazy hours at the moment and is generally shattered so low chances for this month. But then it only takes one little sperm and one little egg!

x

Hi Fingerscrossed... I agree with the others. Stopping to early can be mistake. I thought I OVd on CD17 some months it was later and this month CD28. None of which is ideal asa guideline but it does highlight how stopping early for anyone each month is a non-runner.

This in itself can cause problems though because going at it to cover all windows is tough to keep up with and a spontenaity killer

The others can advice/ recommend, but there are some bulk OPK packs you can buy online to supplement the more expensive high street tests. These could act as a backup guideline.

Ditto: get the cheap online ones. Access Diagnostics is a good place for all your pee on a stick requirements! Then you can use more tests to be sure of your timing without having to explain to your bank manager

But also, the LH surge tests don't work for me, and I've heard other ladies say the same on here. My line gets darker and darker, but never quite gets as dark as the control line before getting weaker again.. But I definately ovulate, because my cm goes, my temp goes up and my boobs get really sore. So perhaps your almost-as-dark is a dark as you're gonna get.

Should still go for the lots of sex option too!

"But I definately ovulate, because my cm goes, my temp goes up and my boobs get really sore".

The surest way of knowing whether you are ovulating or not is to have blood tests done. Even normally fertile women have the occasional anovulatory cycle. You can also have a temp rise in the second half of your cycle when an egg has not been shed so charting is not infallable.

There are two inherent problems with opk's; namely that usage assumes only one rise in LH every month and that such a rise is immediately followed by ovulation. Both of these assumptions are not true.

I think a lot of women get really hung up on charting. it does make you feel like you are doing something yes but ovulation is not an exact science. Ovulation can easily occur earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle.

The general consensus is that if you are over 35 and have been trying to conceive for six months upwards then some initial investigative tests should be done.

Good luck. I got ovulation sticks really cheaply off ebay. Very unfancy- no plastic just little strips of paper that you dip. They definitely work though- two friends and I got pregnant first time using them and the lines for all of us were quite light. Because they were so much cheaper than the clearblue ones (£5 for 30 + p&p) I kept using them even after seeing a line. Still have a few left so might even use them as interim contraception!

Oh no, Attila, you have shreddedd the last certainty I had about my body! So despite regular patterns of ewcm, drying up when I have ov pains, followed by temp rise and then sore breasts, then 15 days after ov pains I get my period, despite all this I could still be not ovulating?

I'd rather know for sure! We're inseminating, involving a 2hr round trip, so we don't have the luxury of just having lots of sex (although I know this is burden for many f/ttc'ers), and don't want to keep plodding away at this if there's no hope. I did have blood tests once that confirmed I ov'd that month, but of course don't have these every month. If it's reasonable to go demanding more frequent tests on the basis of all the above signs STILL not confirming ovulation, then I will. Thanks for being so knowledgable!

Maybe there is a difference in the level of sensitivity between differnt Ov test makers. Just been and got some Boots tests and what do you know. A very clear negative to LH surge having occured. I am going to stick with these from now on (only had one clearblue left anyway). A bit of a relief tbh.

I'm also relieved that other MNetters don't find it easy to put the "just have more sex" plan into action. Sometimes it is too easy for to forget we all have such different lives. Several people have talked about DP/DH being away a lot. In my case it is me that travels. I feel lucky that I can control my diary to a certain extent so I could plan to be home around the crucil days. But at the moment I need some sort of testing to know roughly when those days are. As I am over 35 I have had blood tests so I know I do ov.

Was definately worth switching to Boots OPK brand. Todays test had a very faint line indicating a negative. I'm readign this as LH surge may be imminent as I am now on day 11 of a 26-28 day cycle. Plleased that this brand is so much easier to read.

When we were ttc recently, I wasn't sure when I was ovulating, but watched out for the famous EWCM (egg white cervical mucus) and then went home and jumped dh. We haven't had sex much recently because of work pressures and illness, but it must have been a reasonably good indicator as I have twice fallen pg after doing this...

Day 14 in the Fingerscrossd house:

This afternoons OPK turned positive and the biggest splodge of EWCM (sorry if TMIF ). Must have had surge recently as last night it was negative. Grinning [grin as tonight & tomorrow DP and I are staying in a little BB up north so some fun BD will be well timed.

Glad I took everyones advice and kept goign with the tests. otherwise I would have read the surge as happening 5 days earlier than it did. A big difference.

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