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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

Ovulation strips

24 replies

Unicorn234 · 14/03/2018 20:32

What's everyone's opinion on ovulation strips? Are they accurate... Or have you ever known that they've given a negative result but you/someone else has ovulated?

OP posts:
thismeansnothing · 14/03/2018 20:33

I never got a positive result with them. I must have ovulated at some point cos I now have my DD

Original poster
Unicorn234 · 14/03/2018 20:52

Amazing 👌👌
I've not had a positive result either and I'm really worrying that I'm not ovulating 😢

OP posts:
sophi22 · 15/03/2018 22:02

@Unicorn234 I haven't had one positive yet either so in the same boat, but I am definitely ovulating because I get ovulation cramps! I think you have to test a fair amount to get a positive opk. Wishing you the best of luck on your ttc journey!

MagicalCreatures · 15/03/2018 22:41

I used them and thought they were brilliant. I got the cheap ones of the internet with the green ends (the same as 90% of people on mumsnet)

I had hormone troubles for a couple of years and was scared to death i wasn’t even ovulating anymore. So when we started ttc I had them ready.
They worked perfectly and you can imagine my joy when I got a good positive exactly 14 days after my period.
I fell pregnant the first month trying but sadly had a miscarriage.
But I’d use them again definitely x

Hopingnwishing · 15/03/2018 23:12

I've used them... They look for that lh surge which precede ovulation normally. They don't actually test for ovulation.... That's your d21 test. I've had positive opks but I dont ovulate.

OneDayIWillHaveAGreatUsername · 15/03/2018 23:15

I used them and fell pregnant even though they said I didn't ovulate!

Original poster
Unicorn234 · 15/03/2018 23:36

I've used them this week as I'm in my fertile window according to ovia but I haven't had a positive one yet even though I'm my most fertile today.

OP posts:
smoochincapuchin · 15/03/2018 23:49

I bought a big cheap pack of these from amazon. When it was positive I got pregnant with one try so they were definitely accurate for me.

Pinklily1 · 16/03/2018 15:49

unicorn, I had exactly the same - fertile week on Ovia but no positive ovulation strip. I got pregnant in the first month so I must have ovulated!

8DaysAWeek · 16/03/2018 16:54

@Pinklily1 did you have an almost positive?? I only ask because mine barely have a second line and I have lots of O symptoms! Testing at least twice a day too

Pinklily1 · 16/03/2018 18:25

8days the only time I had a remotely strong line on the strip was the day before I got my BfP!

Original poster
Unicorn234 · 16/03/2018 18:39

@8DaysAWeek I had two lines on my strip but was told they are negative?

OP posts:
Wheredidthebackboobscomefrom · 16/03/2018 18:41

Keep testing I don’t test positive until very late into my cycle. I have a short lp. Hope you get your positive soon

minniecat2406 · 16/03/2018 18:48

Could you post links to Amazon ones you’d recommend? X

Original poster
Unicorn234 · 16/03/2018 18:56

Okay I'll buy some more tomorrow thank you x

OP posts:
Celebelly · 16/03/2018 18:57

On OPKs, the second line needs to be as dark or darker than the control line to be positive. LH (what ovulation strips detect) is often in urine at different concentrations all through your cycle so it's not enough just to have two lines - the second line needs to be dark to indicate the sudden surge that precedes ovulation.

The cheap One Step ones on Amazon work fine for me.

Original poster
Unicorn234 · 16/03/2018 19:15

I've been having two lines but the second line isn't as dark

OP posts:
Celebelly · 16/03/2018 19:26

Bear in mind that the surge can last quite a short time in some women - maybe as little as 12 hours. So if you're testing once a day, say in the morning, you might miss it.

First morning urine usually isn't the best as the LH surge tends to happen overnight, so takes a while to filter down into your urine. Mine only turn positive from about lunchtime and stay that way for 24 hours or so. If you think you're getting near ovulation, you might want to use several a day (the cheapie ones are good for this) to make sure you don't miss the positive.

MotherOfWurzel · 16/03/2018 19:31

I found them essential for me. I started off just using ovia but after starting the ov tests, I realised that I was actually ovulating a week or so later than ovia said i was. I wasn't ovulating until around day 22 or 23.

I expected to see a gradual darkening as i approached ovulation but that didn't happen; it really is a spike. So they went light, light, light, unmistakeably dark, then light again the very next day.

MotherOfWurzel · 16/03/2018 19:33

Oh and yes to doing them slightly later in the say. I used to stow one in my bra to do mid morning at work Blush

8DaysAWeek · 16/03/2018 19:42

@Unicorn234 as PP said they need to be equal in stength or the test line darker. But most people have a fade in sort of pattern, so the second line gets darker leading up to O before it turns positive. At the moment the test line is barely visible, which is frustrating cos in my "non-fertile" days the test line is consistently prominent. You always have some LH in your system so some people always get a second line, I just don't get how my line is getting lighter the closer to Ov I am. Clearly somethings off.

Actually thinking about it I wish I never knew about opks. Constant stress. I'm the obsessive type though :/

minniecat2406 · 16/03/2018 20:51

Thank you @smoochincapuchin !

PinkAvocado · 16/03/2018 20:54

They were spot on for me but I had to do two a day and for about three weeks of a cycle to find the window was very different to when I thought it’d be!

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