seeking info from users of cheapie ovu sticks

[sowanted]

Hi everyone.

Have bought some cheapie ovu strips:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Highly-Sensitive-Ovulation-Fertility-Strips/dp/B001G7P62S

Questions for people who've used these:

(1) Did you collect urine into a cup and dip the strips into it as instructions advise?

(2) Did anyone just pee on the stick?

(3) Any advice to share?

Am 41 this year. Fearing I'm now looking down the barrel after having had such a great 'start'. Got pregnant four month ago on first calculated attempt. Miscarriage at 9 wks was a huge wobble of course but we're heartened to know I can get pregnant, presumably quite easily. Then, two periods as normal post-miscarriage (whose regularity came as a huge surprise). And now, things are not as they once were. If my system is 'off' because of the miscarriage the difficulties are showing themselves later than I would have expected. Need to start charting...

Many thanks for anything you can offer.


Why I'm using the sticks (in case this helps others):
I miscarried Easter weekend this year (after having gotten pregnant after our first calculated attempt...on Valentine's Day, exactly 14 days after my last period). I have very regular cycles.

28 days later I had a period. And 28 days after that had another period. Timing-wise everything was normal (surprisingly), flow-wise a little different (as to be expected, I suppose).

In June I started paying attention to mucus, to see if my ovulation was still on track as it appears to have been pre-miscarriage. Ovulation seemed to be happening few days later than normal. Read up on it. Learned it's quite normal for ovu to happen on day 16 or 17 post-mc.

Had sex later than normal mid-cycle in July (which was probably a bit later but hubs and I were apart so we did what we could!). And two days later, I got my period. On day 21. Very rare for me. A total shocker as only one period in nearly 30 years of menstruating has been out of the 27-28 day range (and that was because of a sudden change in exercise/sport regime in high school one summer).

Last period came at day 28, lasted usual four days, blood a little darker than pre-miscarriage but other than that normal. Now need to identify when I'm ovulating. Not long left to do this... Eek.

 

[jessshakespea]

Same sticks worked for me! I just used the cup method like it says. My luteal phase is short, am starting to worry its a sign of things to come :/ but that meant my ovu didn't arrive when expected. Charting was therefore no good! Really does seem to work! (I had my second last year aged 35 now thinking of the third).

 

[pearinthesnow]

I use the cheapies from Amazon too. Just the Wondfo brand, but I am in the US so maybe it is different for you?

Yup, I pee in a cup. Do not pee on the sticks! If you get it above the line you can mess up the test. I have a stack of little paper cups on the toilet...my guests must think that is odd!

I think that they are hard to read sometimes...so I confirm with the expensive smiley kind.

Other than that, I think these are great little tests and are so cheap that you can test 2x a day. Great for people like me who drink a lot of water and therefore have a dilute sample.

Good luck!

 

[lovemyboys72]

I've used them and think they're great for the cost. Use a cup and test straight away. When I think a positive is nearing (as line gets a little darker) then I test twice a day. Get really strong positive from these tests, even first thing in the morning. Have conceived twice as a result but sadly lost both early.

 

[sowanted]

I've used them and think they're great for the cost. Use a cup and test straight away. When I think a positive is nearing (as line gets a little darker) then I test twice a day. Get really strong positive from these tests, even first thing in the morning. Have conceived twice as a result but sadly lost both early.

Thanks for this helpful info. Still have yet to get a positive. Body signs (ie mucus) say otherwise and I'm trusting body! Will know more 8th Sept.

PS. Sorry for your losses. Hope you're still trying. Quite a rollercoaster, all this.

 

[sowanted]

I've used them and think they're great for the cost. Use a cup and test straight away. <text cut>

Just re-read your reply. What do you mean by 'test straight away'?

 

[sowanted]

<...>
Yup, I pee in a cup. Do not pee on the sticks! If you get it above the line you can mess up the test. I have a stack of little paper cups on the toilet...my guests must think that is odd!

I think that they are hard to read sometimes...so I confirm with the expensive smiley kind.

<...>

Thanks for replying. Have started in on the sticks. Been peeing on them directly (am away from home for 2 weeks, staying w/friends, just easier this way) and am getting valid results (ie control line comes up, nice and dark). Still have yet to get a positive ovu reading, however...despite body (ie mucus) telling me otherwise! Hmm.

Started yesterday peeing into a cup. Negative.

QUESTION: you say you confirm with the expensive smiley kind. WHEN do you confirm? What signs are you using to signal 'time to try expensive kind'?

Thanks for your help.

 

[NatoPMT]

Sorry to hear about your mc. I hope youre ok

Dont pee on the cheapies direct, they whole stick isnt protected - the cup method is most accurate. I have found hpt internet cheapies very unreliable, but IC opks are fine in my experience.

Best time to test on opks is between 2-4pm if possible. But 2 tests per day is better but make sure at least one is around the early afternoon time, the LH is produced in the morning and metabolised by early afternoon

I had an mc at 39, cant remember how long it took to normalise, but everyone is different and recovers physically differently. If you use opks it gives you more ammo and info and thats what you need

just as an aside, i drink lots of water and have never had a problem with opks as a result.

good info on opks here

https://www.peeonastick.com/opks.html

 

[NatoPMT]

<...>
Yup, I pee in a cup. Do not pee on the sticks! If you get it above the line you can mess up the test. I have a stack of little paper cups on the toilet...my guests must think that is odd!

I think that they are hard to read sometimes...so I confirm with the expensive smiley kind.

<...>

Thanks for replying. Have started in on the sticks. Been peeing on them directly (am away from home for 2 weeks, staying w/friends, just easier this way) and am getting valid results (ie control line comes up, nice and dark). Still have yet to get a positive ovu reading, however...despite body (ie mucus) telling me otherwise! Hmm.

Started yesterday peeing into a cup. Negative.

QUESTION: you say you confirm with the expensive smiley kind. WHEN do you confirm? What signs are you using to signal 'time to try expensive kind'?

Thanks for your help.

If i were to do that, I would use the expensive one on the day the IC opk seemed to be positive to confirm the IC opk was positive - again, i have never had a problem with IC opks so havent bought expensive ones since i first started ttc 3 years ago.

I often start opks 3 days before i think i am due to ov, the day after i start to get ewcm. I then test until positive and then test the day after to make sure its gone negative, just for my own peace of mind. The only way to confirm ov is to take basal temp, but opks are cheap and easy to and give good guidance.

 

[sowanted]

<...>
Yup, I pee in a cup. Do not pee on the sticks! If you get it above the line you can mess up the test. I have a stack of little paper cups on the toilet...my guests must think that is odd!

I think that they are hard to read sometimes...so I confirm with the expensive smiley kind.

<...>

Thanks for replying. Have started in on the sticks. Been peeing on them directly (am away from home for 2 weeks, staying w/friends, just easier this way) and am getting valid results (ie control line comes up, nice and dark). Still have yet to get a positive ovu reading, however...despite body (ie mucus) telling me otherwise! Hmm.

Started yesterday peeing into a cup. Negative.

QUESTION: you say you confirm with the expensive smiley kind. WHEN do you confirm? What signs are you using to signal 'time to try expensive kind'?

Thanks for your help.

If i were to do that, I would use the expensive one on the day the IC opk seemed to be positive to confirm the IC opk was positive - again, i have never had a problem with IC opks so havent bought expensive ones since i first started ttc 3 years ago.

I often start opks 3 days before i think i am due to ov, the day after i start to get ewcm. I then test until positive and then test the day after to make sure its gone negative, just for my own peace of mind. The only way to confirm ov is to take basal temp, but opks are cheap and easy to and give good guidance.

All very helpful! Thanks! Makes good sense but as I still have yet to get a positive (or an invalid) on a cheapie ovu stick, maybe I should buy the expensive ones after all? Hmm.

QUESTION: So your ewcm comes 3 days before ovu? And as you've had a mc as well, were things 'different' soon afterwards?

I ask because last week I had very slick, very glisteny mucus just one day (on d11)...the kind that takes ~3 wipes to feel you're done wiping. Then on day 13 I had thicker, glob-like, very sticky, cloudy mucus (for two days actually). Neither was exactly like egg white but if I had to pick one the earlier more closely resembled that. Am now worried that THAT is my ovu signal, ovu happens perhaps sooner than yours does, and the thicker stuff two days later was hostile mucus. That would mean ovulating on day 12 (at least this month). I'm so confused...sure could do with some reliable sticks. Think I may get a few for next month (if AF comes in early Sept).

 

[NatoPMT]

As youre on your 3rd cycle, your body might well have not yet recovered. Im trying to remember my circumstances, and i think i had one really long cycle at 1st, with 10-14 days of constantly nearly +ve opks, and that was my body constantly surging LH to try and ov but kept failing. My cycle after that was very short i think, and my 3rd was ok. So it took me 3 cycles, but everyone is different

what at the opks doing? there's a really good website about what to expect after mc will try and remember what it is but it explains what your circumstances might mean.

As you havent used opks before i would use expensive ones while you recover possibly, just because you dont know what to expect and to know the IC's arent messing you around, but i have never felt the need to use branded or shop ones since my 1st ttc cycle.

I dont really know what my ewcm did before mc as i didnt look out for it then, after i had very very little for a year, until i started drinking green tea again. Got bfp with Eloise the 1st month i started drinking it again. This cycle i had 6 whole days of it. If you arent oving just yet, that might explain the patchy ewcm - you might need another month or 2 to get back to normal. If you do drink green tea, make sure you get lots of folic acid as it slightly inhibits uptake - i would recommend double dose just in case. Im on 5mg so not so worried about it being inhibited.

To be sure, do opks from CD10 and if you can, take your basal temp as thats the real indication of ov

 

[NatoPMT]

found it,

https://www.pregnancyloss.info/cycles_following_loss.htm