Help with OPK's please.

[new1]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi all,

Ive been tracking my cycles for a few months-they do often range between 30-32 days but have also been earlier and later in previous months. Anyway,
i would like to know(this cycle)i'm now on cd17, i started OPK's on CD12. Very, very faint test line CD12,13,14. CD15 was slightly darker but no way as dark/darker than the control line. CD16,17, very, very faint again-almost nothing on the test line. Is ovulation yet to come? or have i missed it?
So confused.
I do seem to struggle deciding with the sticks am i or am i not O?
Just like to add, i have had all necessary tests done via GP and i DO ovulate.
I have been testing 3x a day, starting at 10am, 2pm, 6pm. I have not used 1st morning urine and i have been holding my pee inbetween tests and having very little fluid intake.

If OPK's started off light, then slightly darker and back to light(almost not there) are they likely to get darker now?
Thanks for any advice.

[BC-DKNY]

hi new1

if the test line on your OPK has not been as dark as your reference line then O has not takken place yet. you can infact have lines that are darker and lighter without having yet gotten a true postitive.

generally you will get about 2 days of a pos OPK during O. some women have gotten 3 days at times, but 4 days of positives would be very unlikely.

if you have a 32 day cycle this month, then you could still O within the next couple of days and still have a normal length LP. i would continue testing over the next coupl of days and see what happens. also, make note of the day you O (usually 12-36 hours after your first pos OPK) so that you can veify that your LP is long enough.

you said that you're sure you O. is this based on previous pos OPK's? do you get any bodily signs? do you temp? just curious as to how you've verified O in the past.

[BC-Maura]

Hello new1! Welcome to the bb! I agree with Dina... it's definitely not too late to both get a ++OPK and O this month. Keep at it and I hope you see your ++ OPK soon!

Don't stop BMSing until you are sure you've O'd!

Best and keep in touch++++++++++
Maura

[new1]

Thank you Dina and Maura,

I have had definate pos OPK's in the past but also had many months where i struggle to decide pos or not?

This month, ive never had a month like it...my OPK's(test line) are very very faint, almost nothing there. My urine is so so clear too and im hardly peeing and very little fluid intake. Could my OPK's be so faint because my urine is so clear? I dont temp or get any bodily signs that i notice?

New.

[BC-Maura]

Hi new: If you are hardly peeing, with little fluid intake, I would actually expect your urine to be more concentrated. I'm surprised that it's so clear! Usually you find clear urine with lots of water intake.

As for the OPKs, I think I'd give it until cd 20 and see if they turn ++. With a 32 day cycle and a normal LP, you should O by cd 20 latest (although you did mention that you have had longer cycles, right?).

Have you ever temped? If not, you might want to try it, particularly if your OPKs tend to the ambiguous at times. With OPKs and temps, you should be able to pinpoint your O and take away any guesswork. Let us know if you'd like to try and if you need help getting started.

Good luck and keep us posted+++++++++++
Maura

[BC-DKNY]

i agree with maura about the fluid intake. usually the more water you drink, the clearer the urine is.

i agree about the testing too. don't give up yet.

[jodik79]

i bought some of the OPK from the early-pregnancy-test.com, i started testing on cd 10. 10,11,12,13,14 i got nothing, the morning of cd 15 the test line was slightly darker, but not as dark as the ref. line. that evening i took another, and the line was a lot darker, not quite as dark, but pretty darn close. but on the morning of cd 16, i took yet another, and got a very faint line. i have had some pinching like feelings, and my mood was sour. i am just wondering if the test you buy from early-pregnancy-test.com are more sensitiv than the over the counter ones???!!! does anyone know?? did i ovulate??? SOMEONE HELP ME UNDERSTAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i think i may have. the feelings i had were about the same as they were last month when i was on clomid, and had the u/s done. we are taking this month off, and i have to take dostinex for my prolactin level. any advice would be helpful.

thanks ladies. i know that if i have questions i can count on FT to be here for me and help me.

[BC-DKNY]

hi jodi....i'm not personally familiar with those tests. i was strictly a clear blue/plan user. i can understand where you might be confused. if you had additional symptoms (together with the darker line) i might've taken that as my surge. it's hard to say for sure tho. i'm assuming you stopped testing after cd 15?

sometimes it's possible to get what *almost* looks like your surge, and then it recedes, only to turn pos a few days later.

i'm not sure about the senstivity, i don't know if there's actually a variance from test to test as with HPT's.

do you track ewcm or temps?

[BC-Maura]

Hi Jodi and welcome to the bb.

Sounds like you might have surged on cd 15 (particularly since you've had pinching), but it's impossible to say for sure since you didn't see a true ++. I don't know what cd you are on now, but if you have any doubt about O, I would keep BMSing! As Dina said, observing your cervical mucus might tell you whether you've O'd. Also, if you know the latest cd you've ever O'd (for example, I rarely O'd later than cd 20), you can keep BMSing up to that point just to cover yourself.

Like Dina, I never used anything but ClearPlan Easy and I always found that brand to be reliable. I have heard lots of accounts like yours with other brands. Too bad ClearPlan Easy is so expensive! I didn't use it every month because I was temping and so I would just BMS until my temp rose.

Good luck with this cycle and let us know if we can help you try to figure out where you are in your cycle.

++++++++++++
Maura