Why are FRERs worse than ICs?

[JWC13]

Can we just talk about why FRERs are so crappy compared to ICs? I noticed that in my testing that even though I see a line on 2 different brands of ICs, I don't see anything on the FRER which is supposed to be 4 times more sensitive. I thought this was so weird but then I've noticed a lot of people on these boards complaining about the same thing.

What is going on? Are they actually not as sensitive as they claim?

 

[fuschia]

I'm not sure .

I took some ics today which all showed a faint but obvious line progressively through the day .

The frer also showed a line but super faint and took a little while but I think the ic must be more sensitive ?!

 

[Dill]

I've always hated FRERs. My Wondfos always performed the best, followed by IC's (knockoff Wondfos), the $.89 Walmart tests, and FRERs came in very last. They have always been the least sensitive for me, even the first responses.

 

[happycupcake]

I don't know. Six years ago when I used FRER with our son I tested about 10dpo and saw a line, it wasn't a dark line but it was obvious, you couldn't miss it or confuse it with anything else! But nowadays and for the previous four cycles I have had obvious lines on ICs and Superdrug Early tests and also CB early detection, but nothing more than what I assume must have been an indent on the FRERs because they didn't progress and weren't obvious. I think with a single exception, where the line was super faint but clear to my husband and I.
Having said that, I know that with most tests (with the exception of digital tests obviously) the dye can vary so much with them that even using two in the same sample for the same time can give hugely different results as I have seen with my ICs and Superdrug tests. Some have had obvious pink lines, others have had barely there lines.
For me personally, I don't know if it's just that my hormone levels didn't reach FRERs threshold and that's why, or whether they really are rubbish these days. I don't think though, that they are quite as sensitive as first claimed, since I was still getting fairly good lines on other tests with our most recent early loss even through bleeding and even the day before my blood test came back below 1. hCG does disappear faster from blood than urine, but still, you would have thought a FRER would have detected a line on the days I got my darkest results on other tests so I don't know. I think the best thing to do is use a few different brands rather than relying on a single brand which was once perhaps the 'holy grail' of tests

 

[Alligator]

I'm new to this - what are IC's? I've only had one pregnancy (which sadly just ended in a loss) and my first BFP was on an easy@home test I bought off Amazon. It was faint, but definitely there. Immediately after I took a FRER and it was quite obvious (I was 11dpo I think..I wasn't tracking my ovulation with temperatures or tests, just guessing based off my cycles/symptoms...it was 2 days before AF was due).

 

[happycupcake]

Alligator, ICs are internet cheapies. Those cheap strips you can buy from places like Amazon and eBay in bulk, tests like One Step, and I'm assuming Wondfo are? I'm in the UK, so I'm unsure on US brands

 

[Alligator]

Alligator, ICs are internet cheapies. Those cheap strips you can buy from places like Amazon and eBay in bulk, tests like One Step, and I'm assuming Wondfo are? I'm in the UK, so I'm unsure on US brands

Oh I see! DUH! I totally have some of those ha. I thought it was a special brand. UGH, blonde moment. Thank you!!

 

[happycupcake]

Alligator, ICs are internet cheapies. Those cheap strips you can buy from places like Amazon and eBay in bulk, tests like One Step, and I'm assuming Wondfo are? I'm in the UK, so I'm unsure on US brands

Oh I see! DUH! I totally have some of those ha. I thought it was a special brand. UGH, blonde moment. Thank you!!

Don't be silly, I didn't have a clue about all these abbreviations at first, I thought everyone was speaking Martian or something lol

 

[JWC13]

Haha yeah it's like we speak a secret language on these boards.

 

[Alligator]

Alligator, ICs are internet cheapies. Those cheap strips you can buy from places like Amazon and eBay in bulk, tests like One Step, and I'm assuming Wondfo are? I'm in the UK, so I'm unsure on US brands

Oh I see! DUH! I totally have some of those ha. I thought it was a special brand. UGH, blonde moment. Thank you!!

Don't be silly, I didn't have a clue about all these abbreviations at first, I thought everyone was speaking Martian or something lol

LOL I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I found myself nearly referring to my period as AF the other day when talking to hubby. Oops!

 

[happycupcake]

I keep doing the same with my husband and he hadn't a clue at first what I was talking about but he's learning lol

 

[missladybug]

I have had 4 pregnancies, 1 miscarriage and 3 births. With all my testing I always waited until I missed my period/the day AF was due. I used different brands... Clearblue, FRER, etc and always got very dark positives. I never had any issue with any of the brands although I've never tried any internet cheapies because I've never tested early. I just never thought to and it wasn't hard to get pregnant so I never tracked anything until this time around because my cycles changed since I had my daughter a few years ago.

 

[Dill]

The thing is, FRER is supposed to be able to catch a good positive before the other brands, and it just doesn't. My Wondfos, and even my knockoff Wondfos, consistently catch pregnancies sooner than FRERs, and without nasty indents or evap lines. The indents on FRERs are the absolute worst!

But anyway, what I'm getting at, is sure it works fine if you don't test early, but early testing is the whole point of the FRER (vs. just FR).

 

[missladybug]

The thing is, FRER is supposed to be able to catch a good positive before the other brands, and it just doesn't. My Wondfos, and even my knockoff Wondfos, consistently catch pregnancies sooner than FRERs, and without nasty indents or evap lines. The indents on FRERs are the absolute worst!

But anyway, what I'm getting at, is sure it works fine if you don't test early, but early testing is the whole point of the FRER (vs. just FR).

That makes sense, I tested early last month and in June but obviously wasn't pregnant and got an evap line with a Clearblue but not with any of the others and I used multiple different tests. FRER, CB, Generic knock offs of those and even walmart cheapies and dollar tree tests. Testing early stresses me out as does OPKs and charting so after this month I'm not doing any of it since I know I'm regular etc. Plus my charts LOOK good but are disappointing... so yeah... don't have any BFP experience with testing early... wouldn't know unfortunately.

 

[Dill]

Blue dye tests are the only things worse than FRERs and Answer tests, imo.

Early testing is definitely stressful. I'm just a POAS addict and get so obsessive over whether or not I might be pregnant that I can't resist it. It's a problem, to the point where I buy my Wondfos in 50-packs and went through several of those packs last time. So I feel you, and I applaud your restraint! Hubby tried to tell me I wasn't allowed to test early anymore because I kept picking up chemical pregnancies that I would have otherwise been blissfully unaware of. But... I can't resist, like I said. I've had 8 pregnancies, but only 1 rainbow baby. I wish I could resist early testing this time, because I'm sure we'll have a few more losses, but I just have to know! I'm so bad.

I love the temping and OPKs, for me, it keeps me from spending the whole month stressing about it. But if it's stressful for you, it sounds like quitting is going to be a good decision. Especially if you're regular! I'm not, especially not in the last year or so. Getting old, maybe.

Fingers crossed for lots of sticky babydust for you!

 

[JWC13]

Dill- exactly! The entire point of a FRER is that it is supposed to be so much more sensitive than other tests and can pick up a pregnancy much sooner. This just doesn't seem to be the case because they appear to be equally as sensitive as my Wondfos that are so much cheaper. Why spend $15 on 2 FRERs when I can spend $20 and get 50 ovulation tests and 20 pregnancy tests?

I, too, am a POAS addict so I start testing around 10 dpo. I try to hold out but it never works. Unfortunately that addiction showed me a chemical last cycle but I just don't possess the ability to hold out on testing until AF is due.

 

[Dill]

I'm so sorry for your loss, JWC13! That really is the worst part about early testing -- you know about the chemicals.

I like to buy the $19 pack of 50 Wondfo hcg tests, and the $13 pack of 50 Babi OPKs. Sadly, I go through more pregnancy tests each month than OPKs.

 

[missladybug]

Sometimes I wish I never discovered OPKs or knew about early testing lol being blind to it justant I had to wait to know haha was much more easy tp distract myself that way. Guess we'll just have to step it up a bit in the DTD department LOL that way without testing/temping I'll be sure to cover my fertile window.

My charts attached are from this month(first pic) and last month (second pic)...

Thoughts?

 

[missladybug]

P.s. how did you get your ticker on your signature? I have one with fertility friend I wanted to use but can't figure it out lol

 

[Dill]

For the ticker, you have to use BBCode instead of HTML.

Your charts look great! This month's looks picture-perfect, though I think your chances would be a little higher if you DTD the day before ovulation. Still, you've got the day before that, and the day of, so you've got a solid chance! Last month's didn't look quite as good, though those extra high temps right before the end-of-cycle drop looked so promising. Do you have a thread of your own going? I would love to stick with you while you TTC, I want to see how this cycle ends for you with such a great chart!