Clear blue OPK dual hormone tests: 1st TTC

[MissyEm]

Hi Everyone, so I decided this month to use the dual hormone test to get a wider idea of my peak window. I love the idea of the flashing face for high fertility and the static for peak. So yesterday it was a circle (negative/low fertility) and today flashing on CD8. Has anyone got any experiences to share using this test? It says that once you get the flashing face you can test more than once a day. I wonder if I should to catch the peak earlier? Thoughts please?

Any feedback is much appreciated.

I use them. Don't bother testing more than once a day. They are expensive. I test in the morning and still get a static face each month so don't see why you should have to test twice in a day?

Thanks @mrsjones17 . So is it recommend to DTD every day after the flashing face comes up, up until the day after the static? Sorry to ask first time using this kit. It seems to have appeared early I think as my fertile window isn't until Monday onwards.

Well not 100% sure I should be giving advice as we're on cycle 8!! 😐 My DH had too much pressure if we DTD every day for flashing smiley sometimes you might get 8 or 9 in a row! We go for every other day if we can and then in the day of static and day after static. Not sure if this is the best way but best we can manage. I know roughly when I ovulate each month I use the opk to pin point it really

On Thanks @Mrsjones17. Any knowledge is helpful to rest the mind that I am not using them incorrectly. Good luck to you guys!

I used them for a couple of months and found them very stressful and not very useful. Apparently, the flashing smily only happens as a result of detecting raised levels of oestrogen, not LH. This is why you can have eg 8 or 9 days of so-called "high fertility" before the peak (which is when the static smily appears, once the raise in LH levels has been detected).

Because sperm can only live up to 5 days (and for most of them the average is up to 3 days, I think), then any DTD efforts up to 5 days before the static smily occurs are most likely a waste of time from TTC perspective.

Ovulation doesn't actually occur once you see the static smily: on average, it's 12-36 hours after the LH surge has been detected.

Therefore, when you consider the actual date of likely ov, and the length of time sperm can survive for, if you get a lot of "high fertility" days, then several of those days won't count. I actually think what the manufacturers say about being able to identify around 6 fertile days is quite misleading.

As for me, we use the internet cheapie OPKs now. Me and DP just get all stressed out at the prospect of DTD multiple times in a row, at the behest of an annoying flashing smily face, and just go for it once the OPK turns positive or nearly.

Apparently, around 80% of conception result from DTD 2 days before ov, the day before, or the day of. So my logic is as long as we are hitting at least one of those days, we are giving ourselves the best chance, rather than going for it on e.g. 4 days before ov, and missing the days closer to ov due to too much pressure or whatever.

@pibbee you have a point there. Hhhmmmm well I need to keep testing now this week to catch the static, but I don't think we will stress is we miss a day in the next few. I don't think OV is due until late in the week. So frustrating the window is so small when you are actually ready to conceive, when you spend your whole younger years avoiding it assuming it can happen anytime. I was so naïve!

Omg @MissyEm tell me about it!! It's insane! In fact I sometimes think that for anyone to actually manage it is a complete miracle!

Quite why they told us all a complete pack of lies in secondary school biology is beyond me.

We used successfully twice on the first attempt.
It's best to test at about lunchtime rather than using FMU.
Good luck !

I've conceived three times using the dual hormone tests. We basically dtd two or three times during the flashing smiley period (I usually get three days of flashing) and maybe once during static. I figure that as sperm can survive longer than the egg it does no harm to have them in there ready and waiting!

Practice makes perfect I guess pibbee

Vinlsgroot but at lunchtime I can't do anything about. I still don't understand how long you have once you get the static, maybe the static was already hanging around a few hours before you got round to testing?

Ancientova that's really good to hear, wow 3 happy outcomes. 2 days of flashy face so far, no complaints from DH!

This is month 3 but I think the first real month for AF after break through, then a really heavy one and back to what I guess is normal this month after 14yrs on the POP.

@Missy re the timing post-static, it's not an exact science. I think that is why they suggest testing more than once a day once you have the flashing smily - so that you don't miss the start of the "static" phase and end up wasting it. For example, if you test at 8am each day, your surge could start at 10am one morning. You then wouldn't pick up that surge until 8am the following day, meaning you'd have missed nearly the first 24 hours of what's meant to be the uber-fertile time.

It does get expensive though, that's for sure.

Best get on every day then!

Well yes, if that works for you then great!

Although sperm can easily live for 2-3 days, so no real need to DTD every day