Faint line on ovulation tests

[WednesdaysChild11]

Just looking for advice on using these. I did one this morning and got a faint positive line. The test instructions say this should be treated as a negative, but is it the case that there is about to be a LH surge (much like the faint line on a pregnancy test that gets darker each day) or conversely, can it mean that ovulation has already happened and the LH levels are wearing off? Or should there be no line if ovulation has already happened? The instructions didn't stipulate on this.

Unfortunately it can mean all of those things and there's no way to know which.
We do generally have some level of LH in our bodies at any given time, which is why any line that is not as dark as or darker than the control is negative. LH also doesn't always progress slowly over time, and the surge happens so fast it's fairly easy to miss.
That's why it's best to use the tests in conjunction with other methods like cycle tracking and basal body temperature tracking - they're very imprecise.

There is always LH in the system…there will always be lines of varying faintness or strength depending on time of day, urine hold, etc.

the only thing you can ever extrapolate is a positive, with a line dark as or darker than the control line.

The clearblue ovulation digital sticks that also test for progesterone will be able to give you a flashing smiley if the LH surge is coming up- but the cheapies with just the lines will only be able to tell you if there is a surge.

Thank you to both. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. Might try again tonight or wait till tomorrow morning.

Thank you to both. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. Might try again tonight or wait till tomorrow morning.