OPKS

[bibs124]

Just a quick one, my first month doing OPKs and although I have a pretty regular cycle I have started on CD5. I was under the impression I should test morning and night however the morning tests are always so faint it seems a waste of time? I've started reading SMEP and it says only do evenings? Obviously I'm getting through a lot of tests so just wondering if anyone has ever got there positive OPK in the morning or if I should stick to late afternoon evening?

Thanks in advance

@Poppy10121 Well this is my OPK today on CD12. I bought a new brand and still no hope 😭

@zippityzip if it helps mine looked like that until almost at peak then had one day where readings were low/high/high and the next day got my peak. So 2 days before peak mine showed nothing. It changes quickly!!

Still faint ish line on OPK but got so much EWCM, the most I've ever had today.. hoping I didn't miss my peak the other day but will keep testing

@zippityzip keep going and your line should show soon how long was your last cycle?

@zippityzip is there any particular reason you are worried about the lines? as in - do you normally ovulate CD13 or? There's no reason to be worried otherwise?

@bibs124 glad to hear about the EWCM! I get mine 1-2 days before a peak :)

@Juno231 thank you, that's good to know. Hopefully a stronger line tomorrow then will move onto the clear blue tests

@Juno231 I have no idea really on my cycles. My app says that this weekend is my FW and I'm new to OPKs. I didn't ovulate last month so convincing myself it'll never happen.

It's reassuring to hear though that others looked the same! I'm going to keep testing once a day and hope for the best.

This baby making business is making me crazy.

@zippityzip ah I get it then! I say don't worry too much (easier said than done, I know) - the most common day to ovulate is CD16 so you have plenty of time and the apps don't know squat until you have real data to input :) For what it's worth my OPKs tend to go from completely blank one day to high the next!

Hello lovelies,

We're going to start TTC in Feb so 6 months away yet, I'm maybe a bit too obsessive (worried my insane need to be prepared is going to end up hindering me) but anyway I wanted to start using OPKs now so I have a good idea of when I'm ovulating etc.

This is going to sound like a pretty dumb question but can somebody tel me how they actually work please? I see a lot of threads where the strength of the colour is being looked at and all sorts. Don't want to spend loads on the pricey ones either.

Thanks in advance ladies and baby dust to you all!! Xx

@Juno231 You have stopped me from going insane then! Thank you I do appreciate your help!

@zippityzip give it a few more days but depending how long you were on contraception your body could just be getting back on track. I'm sure I read it takes a month for every year you was on the pill on average!

@sunflowersaremyfav93 sorry I can't help I'm not really sure! I think it's the LH hormone that comes just before ovulation. There's no way to know 100% when ovulation is without scans but the LH levels give an indication of when it is coming

@zippityzip I really wouldn't worry. The fact that there is a visible line there is kind of a good thing. Mine went from what yours looks like to high within 12 hours. Couldn't believe my eyes as I didn't get anything last cycle (first cycle off the pill). I also didn't get my high until cd15 and some don't get one until even later than that so don't worry yet, you're still quite early in your cycle and everyone is different 😊

I posted a pic of my OPKs further up the thread if you want to see what mine looked like leading up to my positive for reassurance

@bibs124 No worries 😊 I wee on them but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing after 😂

@sunflowersaremyfav93 The tests are testing for the LH hormone in your wee. There should always be a control line (usually marked "C" but also its the furthest away from the wee in the test) which should always be dark once you've used it to show the test is working. Then the other line might be non-existent, faint, or darker, depending how much LH is in your wee. If both lines are the same colour you are close to your LH 'peak', if the control line is lighter than the test line then that is probably your 'peak' which means you will most likely ovulate in the next 12-36 hours. After that day the line will get fainter again. Hope that helps!

@Poppy10121 THANK YOU!!!!

@bibs124 You were right the one step batch were just crap.

Just done this 🤪 I may actually ovulate.

@zippityzip that's positive news! Keep DTD I'm sure you will get your peak soon

What do we think? Going to peak today potentially? That's from FMU today at the bottom

@bibs124 App says Sunday so I'll be getting busy all weekend 😂 how are you getting on?

@bibs124 Get busy!!!! It's looking good.

@bibs124 looks like you will peak either today or tomorrow. Time for a fun weekend 😂

@zippityzip @LT103 going to be a busy weekend 😂 glad it is over the weekend as wouldn’t have the energy in the week! Doing SMEP this month but didn’t start until CD9 so doing every other day atm until I get my peak then 3 days in a row 😶 anyone else doing SMEP?

@bibs124 looks promising for today/tomorrow! Good luck!

I did SMEP last month, started from CD5 as wasn't totally sure when to expect ovulation. It was a bit exhausting! And just got AF today so didn't work this time for me!

@bibs124 we crashed and burned haha. Started off every day from cd8 but it was during that really hot spell and it just became a chore haha. Managed to dtd day of peak opk and 2 days before so hopefully covered ok. Lesson learned for next time 😂

@Poppy10121 yeah I can imagine it is exhausting and don’t want DP to feel used lol! Was that your first month trying SMEP? Fingers crossed for you this month

@LT103 I didn’t even let DP touch me during the hot spell! Don’t know how you DTD at all lol! When can you test?