OPK frustration-who has trouble with them?

[Allie84]

Hi everyone,

This is my 2nd cycle using OPKs. Last month I got very good positives but this month I'm not. A few may have been very nearly positive. I just don't understand.

I have all of the signs of ovulation....but I'm douting it with no pos OPK. Could it just be the OPKs? I know that's what I want to hear but I also don't want to kid myself.

We've been BDing like CRAZY this week and poor DH, I feel bad I'm just like demanding sex all the time but have no idea if I'm ovulating.

I don't think I'm going to use them next cycle, they're just making me depressed!

Does anyone else have terrible luck with OPKs?

 

[Quaver]

If the lines are getting lighter, then you probably have had the surge somewhere.
It is easy to miss the surge if it is more like a spike. Also, some never get a line that's darker than the control line. It could be that you drank too much fluid, and the urine was diluted.

Anyway you are supposed to ov 12-36hrs after the 1st positive

 

[Allie84]

Thank you for your response.

The lines are ever so slightly lighter than the few times I thought 'almost positive', but they are still very visible. I wish they'd dissapear so I knew I had some sort of surge.

Also, when the tests dry all of the lines look the same so I can't really compare except for looking at the photos I've taken. I've got about 10 dried up OPKs on my night stand. I'm sad lol.

 

[dekerlady88]

You and me BOTH! Gah! I'll have close to positive, totally white, totally white, faint line, darker line, white, close to postive again, lots of nothings, etc. It makes me close to crazy! I tried adding in BBTs this month to confirm and have such odd sleeping cycles those arent doing too much yet. I'm starting to think rather than a late ov with short luteal phase (as I've been assuming...just the negative in me I guess) that I am actually ovulating much close to AF witha longer luteal phase.

My confusion comes from hearing once or twice that regular cycles 99% demonstrate you are infact ovulating. So my cycles being within four days at most different lead me to think that I must be ovulating just not catching it!

Here, eggy eggy eggy........where ARE you!?

 

[Allie84]

Yeah I hear that too, that if you're having regular AFs then you must be ovulating. The doctor I saw even said having long cycles doesn't rule out ov as long you aren't actually going long enough to skip a period. So it's really confusing .I'm still getting faint lines today, no darker and no lighter.

Is this your first month using OPKs dekerlady?

Also, does anyone else keep their OPKs and have any insight onto how they dry. I looked at all of mine from this cycle (about 10 of them) and they have more or less all dried up to to the same shad of line so I can't even compart them anymore! Is this normal? I know some were lighter and some were darker when I took them.

 

[dekerlady88]

This is my 2nd month, actually. I stopped yesterday. I just ....can't handle it. it pisses me off and stresses me out. Ordered pre-seed and fertibellum so next month we're just going to BD...every other day from the day I stop bleeding next time if no BFP in a couple weeks.

 

[lisaf]

OPKs were important to me since DH and I do not have high libidos...

I had to try a few brands until I found one that worked for me. The Answer brand were horrible for me, giving me false positives and they definitely all dried to the same darkness... First Response was just the opposite.. never gave me an official positive, but on my BBT chart I did O near the time when they were darker.
I had great luck with the IC ones I got... there was no DOUBT when I ovulated with those because they were 2x as dark as the control line. It was nice that they were cheaper too, lol.. and I could but a handful of sticks and a stack of strips so I could test at work or at home etc... all individually wrapped which means you can save some for the next cycle.

So first thing I recommend is trying different brands... they are not all the same and they are totally frustrating until you find the one that works right for you.
Some women have really short surges too... so testing 2x a day might be best... late morning and early/mid afternoon seem to be the best times to catch a surge.

As for how they dry... they all dry a little darker than they looked wet... but I've never known a negative to look positive when dry or vice versa. And I saved up a giant stack at one point... which was totally gross because the B vitmains I'm on stain my pee bright yellow... so all my tests were very yellow

Allie - did you switch brands from last month to this month? From your BBT it looks like you haven't ovulated yet... might be close though?
What time of day are you testing? What brand are you using?

 

[mrswilsey]

OPKs were important to me since DH and I do not have high libidos...

Amen sister! i thought we were the only ones...

 

[lisaf]

OPKs were important to me since DH and I do not have high libidos...

Amen sister! i thought we were the only ones...

LOL!!! Feels like that sometimes, doesn't it?! We went 8 days in a row a few cycles back and nearly killed ourselves... yet I have a friend who went every single day of her (45 day long) cycle... I dont' know how she does it

We only DTD 3 times on this last cycle and it was enough for us!!

 

[Allie84]

Yeah, I probably have a regular libido and I am SO SICK of right now!!

Thank you for all of the info!

lisaf, yes, I did switch brands from last month to this. Last month I used a few Dollar Tree ones, this month I've used ICs...they are clinical gaurd brand. They have all dried to the same faint line. I got a a few nearly positives a few days ago, I think...but no pos.
As for time of day, I was doing it at 4pm and 10pm every day. I realize that I may have missed my surge, but I just can't POAS at my job (I work at a school with only very public restrooms). I also don't know if I was holding my urine long enough...usually only a few hours. If I could go back in time I would change my OPK habits last week!

 

[lisaf]

darn, that stinks! I understand about the public restroom... but I still managed to POAS (midstream tests) then slip them back in my pocket and check when I have a chance to be discreet.
At least you'll get to confirm O on the BBT chart. So when you see the temp rise you can take a break!

Are your ICs dark green or light green? I've heard the light green are better than the dark ones.

 

[dekerlady88]

My ICs that I can never get to work correctly are dark green outsides with a lime/lighter green inside section.

 

[lisaf]

Not sure what you mean by dark green AND light green... here is one of my positive OPKs:
https://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll165/bethijimika/tests005-1.jpg

 

[dekerlady88]

Oh! Hahaha. I was referring to the package. Are those clinical guard?!

 

[lisaf]

Early_Pregnancy_Tests.com actually... they're in Canada so easy to buy if you're in North America. SUUUPER cheap too. The outside package is mostly light green, but never really paid too much attention to that...
I loved their HPTs too..but DO have to say that the line took FOREVER to get dark. I wasn't taking FRERs at the same time, so I can't say if the ICs picked up my pregnancy first or not. Well, my 10miu Wondfo tests from ebay picked it up when my beta blood level was only 7... doubt the FRER would have picked that up!

 

[Molly5186]

This is my 2nd month, actually. I stopped yesterday. I just ....can't handle it. it pisses me off and stresses me out. Ordered pre-seed and fertibellum so next month we're just going to BD...every other day from the day I stop bleeding next time if no BFP in a couple weeks.

We agreed to do the same exact thing! I just ordered my pre seed and intend to go every other day from the day I end my period up until the next period. It's SOOOO frustrating not know when the hell you're ovulating, when to even test with opk's just eveeeerything.

 

[Allie84]

Thanks for the info!

Mine must be the dark green ones. Here is my almost positive. So hearing they aren't as good gives me hope!

 

[lisaf]

Yeah, I think they are not as sensitive... and if you didn't get many lines that dark, it might have been your surge.

 

[Allie84]

That's what I'm soo hoping for. I had a dip yesterday and temp rise today so I'm hoping I ov'd yesterday. That test was from 11 pm Friday so that could be possible I guess? My tests Sat. and Sunday weren't as dark.

 

[lisaf]

I said it before but First Response never got officially positive for me... I had faint lines leading up to O, and very dark lines (similar to your pic) RIGHT around ovulation... and they were basically BLANK the rest of the time.

The light green ICs I switched to almost always gave me some kind of line, but it was OBVIOUS when they were positive... took all the guesswork out of it for me!

Lots of girls like the digital OPK with the smiley face... they use ICs until it looks like its positive, then use the digi to confirm. Expensive though and since I found the right tests for me and got super clear positives, I never wanted to waste the money on CBdigi OPKs.... I'd rather waste the money on tons of HPTs!!