Ovulation Testing

[NovA08]

My partner and i have started to TTC (3RD Month). I wanted to check when i ovulate as i hear so many stories of people ovulating early or late even on a 28 day cycle. So i bought some ovulation test kits to make sure i'm getting in that window. I decided to start them early on day 7 of my cycle.
I was surprised to see it come up as positive on the first day, on day 7. Thinking at this point it maybe a dodgy strip.
I am now on day 11 and every day has shown a positive so that's 5 tests in a row as positive.
Am i doing something wrong here? or have I a dodgy Bach of tests?

@NovA08 is there any chance you could be pregnant? Ovulation strips are known for showing positives if you are in fact pregnant. It would be unusual to get positives for that long

@Fifi1086 (Theres a nice thought :) )
I doubt it, I got overly excited the last two attempts and did a few tests, which where all negative, plus i finished my period 6 days ago (definitely a full blown period).
I have one last pregnancy test and sworn to myself, i am keeping it this time until i miss a period.

Are they definitely positive? It's normal to get a line at any point in your cycle on an OPK, but it's only positive if the line is as dark or darker than the control line. There are apps like Premom where you can take a photo and it will tell you if it's positive or not.

I have heard it's common for people with PCOS to get positive tests throughout their cycle, but unless you've got other symptoms I wouldn't necessarily worry about that!

I have just read somewhere, that its only actually a positive when the line is as dark or darker than the control line.
Now i feel a Numpty because i obviously didn't read the instructions properly. My lines haven't been too faint but not as dark as the control line.
I get it now.
Note to self, be more thorough!

On the plus side, this means i haven't ovulated yet so i'm still in with a chance this month :)

Just coming on to say exactly that. A line isn't positive. Only if it's as dark as the control line. Also it's good to test more than once a day once you're getting close as it's easy to miss the peak. Mine come and go quickly.

@bitheby I was just thinking, if now is the time to start testing a couple of times a day as i'm on day 11 with twinges.

Thank you all for taking time to reply btw

I ovulate around day 13. I was testing several times a day from Day 10. With the cheap tests I have they recommend testing between 10 am and 10pm. I did a test at 10pm on Sunday and nearly didn't bother given the time and that was the highest result I got. Levels had dropped again by the next day. So if I hadn't tested I would have missed it.

I was expecting to ovulate on Monday but at least this way I had confirmation.

Your best bet with OPKs is to aim to test at the same time with the same amount of liquid consumed. And in the afternoon because that's when you produce luteal hormone.

So my rule of thumb is I hold my urine for at least two hours and only have one cup of coffee or whatever during that time. That way you've sort of got a baseline. So if I have a drink at 11 then I'll not have anything else till 1/1:30 when I test. Don't test mid stream, have a little "sample pot" . Hold the test in for 10 seconds or till it starts bleeding up. It takes about 15 minutes for it to be accurate. And if the test line is as dark or darker than the control line then its a positive and you're due to ovulate in the next 12-48 hours so start dtd because it's better if sperm is there waiting to meet the egg. Good luck!

Sorry - just to contradict Alex above - LH surges early morning but doesn't come through in urine until a few hours later. That's why you shouldn't use FMU (as it will be diluted wee starting from the night before) for OPKs but often SMU is the strongest one.

Having said that, if you make sure to test a couple of times a day once your line gets darker I'm sure you'll catch it! Best of luck.