using LH test strips

mummyspunkrat · January 21st, 2004, 12:49 PM

Is anyone using LH test strips to predict ovulation? We will be trying this for the first time this cycle, along with CM monitoring. Are there any finer points I should know about the tests, apart from what they give you in the instructions? Are they reliable? Are there any other methods to predict, in advance, ovulation? Don't really want to do temp charting or saliva testing and have not heard of any other way of doing it!
Thanks in advance for your input!!

mummyspunkrat
8-[

**Astrolady** · January 21st, 2004, 12:57 PM

Hi Mummyspunkrat

Firstly welcome to the BellyBelly Family.

I used the test strips for 3 months. Fortel brand. first 2 months i found it really hard to tell if the line was darker than the control line or not and on the 3rd month and the month we conceived, i really noticed the difference.

Just have to make sure you do it at the same time every day, but it says that on the packet anyway, and if you are not quite sure on when you ovulate I have known some ppl 2 buy to boxes of them and test for a week just in case they miss it with the first 5.

Goodluck with it all

Love :smt049

**iris** · January 21st, 2004, 01:59 PM

Welcome mummyspunkrat!

I have also used the Fortel brand of OPK and also cheaper ones that I have found on the internet. I have found them to be helpful.

I just followed the instructions in the pack. You may find that the test line starts of light (negative) as it gets darker over a couple days, to achieve a positive, I just make sure that I have started BD from the lighter line, as I have found that it is a good indication that I will get a postive soon. I do it just in case.

Good luck and I hope the the work for you.

Jen Schuster · January 21st, 2004, 04:25 PM

Hello Mummyspunkrat!

I too used the fortel ovulation test kits for a couple of months, but also found myself having to buy two packets cause my ovulation day varied so much.

It was also suggested to me to use the fertility friend website (www.fertilityfriend.com) to record all the information. Although when we were finally successful we were "having a break" from TTC, everything I learned from using the "tools" really helped me to learn about my body and how it worked.

Goodluck TTC - sending lots of baby dust your way

Love Jen

**mouse_9_2001** · January 21st, 2004, 10:52 PM

hello,
welcome Mummyspunkrat to belly belly

I'm afraid I can't help you with those strips as ive never heard of them as I'm newish to TTC, but I wanted to wish you luck and welcome you

take care
Lesley

**Rouge** · January 22nd, 2004, 05:56 AM

Hi there mummyspunkrat welcome to BB! Sorry I can't help you with your question as unfortunatley I can't get an accurate reading, due to my PCOS.

Goodluck!

*hugs*
Cailin

mummyspunkrat · January 22nd, 2004, 11:13 AM

Thanks everyone!!
Tried the strips for the first time yesterday, CD6, and got a light second line. Have bought enough to test every day for one cycle. Had our first baby 3 months ago and my body is not back to regular yet. I dont think I ovulated last month as AF was unusually light. I heard that stress can do that. (We only had our baby, Grace, for 23 hours due to problems during birth.) We hope that this month, using the LH strips and taking it easy, will be the one for us. I think we were very lucky with Grace, we made her the first month we tried!!
Wishing everyone lots of baby dust

Mummyspunkrat

Orkids · January 22nd, 2004, 11:53 AM

I'm so sorry that you had so little time with Grace - lots of luck and

inkdust: !!

**iris** · January 22nd, 2004, 12:10 PM

Thats great that you have a light line. Just keep using them everyday at the same time until it gets darker. Oh and start

!!! LOL Have fun!

Also, sorry for your loss. Grace is a beautiful name for her.

**Angel** · January 22nd, 2004, 01:10 PM

I'm so sorry to hear about little Grace. I have used Fortel as well and they are okay. I am now using the cheaper internet ones which I have found work just as well (this will be my 3rd cycle using them). My cycles can be all whacky so I tend to use a lot of OPKs (15+ per cycle) to make sure I know when I O, so the internet ones work out a lot cheaper.

Good luck!!

**Lucy** · January 22nd, 2004, 03:27 PM

I used this when we were TTC........and here's a thing I noticed: if I left them to work on the bathroom bench which is granite (and very cold) they took ages to show the lines, and if I left them on the bedside table the worked quicker and the lines were a lot clearer.............

So I think temps in the room may actually affect these?

I have heard that it's the same for HPT's, so whilst it might be my imagination, may be worth bearing in mind...........

Debbie Lee · January 22nd, 2004, 06:35 PM

Hi mummyspunkrat and welcome to the forum! I am so sorry to hear about your bubby Grace

I wish you the best of luck with TTC and I hope you are not in this forum for very long!

Angel - what website do you get the cheap OPKs from? I have only tried to used them once. The ones I bought were quite expensive and I didn't get a result from any of them (I found that I had tested too early in my cycle). I didn't bother after that but now that I know more I would like to give them another go (that is if I don't get a BFP this month).

inkdust:

mummyspunkrat · January 22nd, 2004, 09:18 PM

bieleemorris

I can help with internet opk's. This is the site I found the ones I am using on. They post from Qld. The only order Ive made was three days late, so order in advance. Apart from that, the tests seem to be working. At $2 a pop they are much cheaper than anything else I found in the chemists.

http://www.downunderhptopk.biz

Mummyspunkrat

**Angel** · January 23rd, 2004, 10:31 AM

Hi Debbie,

I get them from the Downunder site too. I always received them within 5 working days (and I live in Tas), so that's not too bad. Hopefully you get a BFP this cycle and won't need them!! Good luck.

LOL, just noticed that mummyspunkrat lives in Tas too!