First time using opks

[Mrs_Bump]

Hi. Tonight was my first time using an opk, having given up on temping with a toddler who won't sleep the night. I got a very faint second line. My cycles lately have varied between 26-33 days so I have a pretty varied window for o. In your experience what should I do now? Do I need to use one opk per day and bd when it gets a bit darker or is it more complicated than that, currently cd13, if that helps.

 

[Cara x]

I don't have a massive amount of experience with them either - this is the first cycle I have managed to get a positive as the last time I used them I was just off BC and discovered I wasn't ovulating. But I did have a question similar to yours this cycle.

I got very very faint lines on cd 8, 10 and 11. I have a 28 day cycle and was wondering how they were ever going to turn dark enough in time. I used digi tests on cd 12 and 13 so can't comment on the lines for those, but I got my positive 2nd line on cd14.

Looking at other ladies' tests in the gallery, most people seem to have a more gradual darkening than me, whereas it seems like mine was quite sudden. So it might depend on the person.

If your tests are still very faint I would say maybe test every 2 days (save yourself some pennies!) until they darken a little, and then every day once you think you're close. I'm saying that, but I was so scared I would miss it that I tested every day!

 

[Dia0624]

Hey which opk are you using? I have a 28-30 day cycle. I use the cheap opk tests from 10-12 just to keep and eye on it .. Then from day 12-14 I use the digital ones. However I find the cheap opk sticks as reliabile as the digi ones. Also I noticed I only get a positive at night I don't know why. I usually have to stop drinking water by 3 pm, and when I pee the second or third time after that's when I get reliable results. If your cycles are long you prob ovulate anytime on days 13-17... Generally it's 14 days before your period arrives .. But you may have a long/short LP. Keep testing with cheap sticks until you notice a pattern.

 

[Dia0624]

Oh and the line has to be as dark as the control line for it to mean a positive, which is why I switch off to a digital because the smily face is just easier to confirm
The results.