Unreliable OPKs?

[ImpatientHove]

Hi there - any experienced users of OPKs out there?

I bought some yesterday and in the afternoon got a negative result. Today, at midday I got a positive result and (just to check...) did another a few minutes ago - negative. Not sure what to believe now. Does anyone know if they give false positives??

Thank you!

Hi ImpatientHove your on the January thread with me and i noticed when posting on there just now that you got a positive opk the same day as me (i just got one an hour ago).
It depends which ones you are using but generally you cant really get false positives as it is looking for the luteinizing hormone which you get a surge of before you ovulate. Some women have really short surges so if for example you tested yesterday afternoon but didnt test again till early this afternoon that is nearly 24 hours, some surges last for a couple of days some only a few hours.
I tested this morning with clearblue and an internet one and got nothing then this lunchtime with another internet one and nothing then at about 3.45pm i noticed a period type pain so i tested again with internet one and it was positive! I backed this up with the clearblue digi and got a now if i had only tested this morning and got a neg then left it till tomorrow it would have probably have been neg again as judging from last month i seem to have quite short LH surges.
I would hazard a good guess that you started surging late yesterday and caught the tail end of it today with your positive opk at midday, if you got a positive then thats it - a LH surge was detected, you will be ovulating or have ovulated very shortly Looks like we might be testing buddies!

Hi Rosie - thank you for your reply. That is very interesting - I didn't know the surge could be so short. I wish I hadn't taken the second test and then I would just be confident (ish) that I am about to ov.. I've never been able to detect ov from CM, or getting a pain etc so OPKs are the way to go for me..

You have reassured me

Yes I will join you on the Jan thread again as it lookks like we will indeed be testing buddies.

Out of interest do you chart?

I really haven't been able to get to grips with these. I think I must have a really short surge. Been testing first thing and then late afternoon, thinking I will catch it.
I think I have seen it a couple of times, but can't be certain

No i dont but i was looking at some on ebay today as i was getting really dispondent that i wasnt going to ovulate this month and i know some women dont ever show positive on OPK's because their LH just isnt strong enough to show on them but by charting they can tell that they actually have (and still get pg with a neg OPK).

I took another test at teatime last month after a positive OPK first thing in the morning and it was still positive but when i tested again the following morning it was negative, just goes to show my surge was less than 24hrs. I am glad you are reassured because i think thats why in OPK instructions (the digi ones anyway) that you shouldnt test again, the fact is that you got a surge so hopefully ov should follow.

Do you chart at all? How do you find it? I might if i dont get pg this month get a bbt thermometer and chart and have a go next month in conjunction with OPK's mind you have heard of discrepancies between the two so maybe it wouldnt be great to confuse the two.

Startagain try the clearblue digi's you get a smiley face so can be sure. Mind you after a neg this morning it would work out expensive using those twice a day, perhaps you can back up with internet opks for the afternoon, thats where i got the first positive today so i double checked with the CB iyswim - i dont think that relatively short surges are uncommon - if you look at peeonastick.com there is some great info on them and photos showing a surge that started and ended in less than 17 hours.

Hi, on the opks I have bought online it says not to test in the morning as you may get false positive due to concentrated urine! but to test from afternoon.
I've just started using opks today as I'm scared I'm not ovulating anymore, irregular cycles no longer get ovulation pain or egg white cm. It's difficult to know when in my cycle to begin testing as it is so irregular ranging from 24-38 days.

Hi Rosie - no I don't chart - am only on 1st cycle TTC this time round so will leave it until 3-4 months before thinking about charting... I think

can anyone tell me where is the best place to buy cheap but reliable opk. i once got some on ebay (cant remember the seller) and i never got a positive and neither did my friend as i passed them to her after trying them for about 6 months and she tried for about 4 months. i bought about a years supply foolish me,

Ebay, type in midstream ovulation tests and it will come up with a pack of 10 or 15 or something like that for about £7 they arent as cheap as the strips but i wont use then because even when i had a positive last month and this month on other tests the second line was still quite faint on the strips wheras i was definately ovulating according to clearblue and the plastic coated sticks i got on ebay. The seller is called fertilityplan or something like that - just like i said make sure its the plastic coated ones because i have had two months of bugger all with the strips so its a good job i double (and triple) checked.