WHAT ARE THE BEST OPK'S

[ebeson]

Hi, ive never used them before, are they easy to use and what would you say are the best ones to buy, does each pack last a month, dont know anything about them. Do you use them every day or just certain times in the cycle?

[Mandy73]

Hi ebeson, I've just tried the Clearblue digital one for the 1st time and I would recommend it.

Have been TTC #1 for 10 cycles with no luck & no charting whatsoever so was getting a bit sad & demoralized. Decided to take some control & see if I actually OV at all before getting GP to refer me.

It helps to know that I actually did have a LH surge (the prompt for OV) - if a bit later than I would have guessed.

The pack is easy to use & the instructions are good. Not a cheap OPK but I'm a rookie so didn't want to get cheap sticks online or start temping just yet. CB Digital comes with 7 foil wrapped disposable sticks & a plastic holder with a digital display. In accordance to my typical cycle lenght (28) I was told to start peeing on a stick on CD 11. Ended up using five before getting the smiley face signalling OV is imminent, then BDing like mad for 48 hrs - the result remains to be seen... (I'm CD 19.)
If AF comes I'll prob. use my remaining 2 sticks next cycle, chancing it by starting CD 14, then get myself another pack + holder if I haven't detected a surge (they don't come separately which feels a bit wasteful but hey.)

Go for it. Fingers crossed! x

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

If your periods are irregular do not use any such kit.

These kits work on two misleading principles; that women only have one rise in LH every month and that such a rise is immediately followed by ovulation. Both of these are simply not true.
They are not easy to interpret and apart from anything else they are expensive.

[ebeson]

Hi, Mandy, does the smiley face mean you are going to ovulate or you are already ovulating at the time of smiley face?

[Mandy73]

Tricky one ebeson. The CB OPK recommends using 1st thing-in-the-morning wee so I could well have had the LH surge any time in the previous 23 hrs before DETECTING it. Once detecting surge OPK says OV will happen within the next 48 hrs.

So we went with the recommendation of 'make love at any time in the next 48 hrs after detecting the surge to maximise your chances'.

Other helpful ladies here tell me the egg lives for 24 hrs after OV so that would make for 48 + 24 'super fertile' hrs after getting the I suppose.

I agree with AttilaTheMeerkat though - this is by no means an exact science - and OPKs would be fantastically expensive to use regularly. But I wanted to try. I'm reasonably regular.
Attila, what would you do if you were ebeson & me? Temping? CM monitoring? I do the latter and had v 'fertile' CM on day 13 & 14 but no surge detected so that may be where I've gone wrong in the past. And, of course, what my lovely female GP said: "Sex. Have lots of sex. Good sex. No matter what time of the cycle you think it is."

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Mandy

Would agree completely with your female GPs advice to have sex throughout the cycle (my own counsel would be not to chart or use any such method of detecting ovulation particularly if the menstrual cycle is irregular). It is also very easy to get the actual date wrong. Ovulation is not an exact science and a person can ovulate earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle.

If periods are regular its worth a go but for no longer than say 2 months. These kits can give misleading results.

I would also say to anyone with irregular periods to see their GP sooner rather than later. Gynaes as well generally like to see people who have been ttc for 12 months without success (and after 6 months if they are over 35).

Subfertility is not the sole preserve of the woman; both the man and woman should be tested to see if there are problems preventing conception.

[Mandy73]

Attila, here here. We are so getting referred in Aug whilst still TCC (getting appointments for some of the tests can take ages I understand). But I thought it useful to at least be able to say; Yeah, I did detect a LH surge, at roughly the 'right time for me, once.

Best of luck everyone! x

[Tinasan]

I tried the CB ones last cycle - didn't get a smiley face at all (am reasonably regular but my dh is away a lot and I wanted to know the best time to try, and also to know if I ovulated when he was away, so I'd not get disappointed when my period came, ifykwim). But what do you know, I got a BFP two days ago, so I must have ovulated and the blimmin things didn't pick up on it...For what I paid I think they are a bit of an expensive gimmick to be honest. Good luck TTC