When to start OPK's

Good afternoon lovely ladies!

I'm starting OPK's this month which I've never used before. I was looking at purchasing a bulk amount online however I also purchased some more Elevit today from the pharmacy and decided to purchase some ovulation tests (Forelife which the pharmacist said is one of the best brands that don't break your bank account). Anyway it was only a box of 7 tests and I don't want to waste them so need your advice on when I should start using the tests?

The information leaflet included in the box says that my cycle length being 37 and 38 days then I should start testing on either CD 21 or 22 however since last night I have noticed that I'm starting to get an increasing show of CM when I wipe (sorry if TMI). Do you think this is just my body getting ready for O or would you start testing right away just to be sure? I've never really paid attention to what days of the month my CM increases before and this is the first time I've actually started marking it on the calender.

Any suggestions would be great :)

What CD is it now? Usually, your luteal phase will be 12-14 days long, so O would be around CD24, however it might be an unusual cycle. If O is around CD24, testing from CD21 or 22 might be bang on, you'll O 24-48 hours after a +ve opk. You could certainly start testing around CD 18 though to make sure you catch the rise, especially if you have a short cycle this time for some reason. Do you want these 7 to last one cycle or more if possible? If you test from CD18 and you have a short luteal, 7 opks might be just enough to catch the rise. Might be worth buying some internet cheapies - they do the job and you don't worry about how many you use.

Re opks, I'm sure you know, but take them at the same time every day, and if you can, mid-morning is a good time, however if you're at work you might not want that, and when you get home is fine too.

Good luck! I hope some of the above is helpful and your opks help get you your long awaited BFP!!

Hi WannabeMum :) Thanks so much for your reply it's very helpful indeed!

I'm currently on CD 14 my last 2 cycles were 27 and 28 days long so I'm expecting that pattern to carry forward. I just went to the bathroom and when I wiped there was A LOT of CM. It's definitely increasing by a lot now. The consistency right now is thick and stretchy and the colour is kind of cloudy clear with a tinge of yellow. I've noticed yellow CM before and I've read that some women do have a slight tinge to it. Do you think this might just be my body rearing up for O or is it possible for a woman to O early? My cycles have been irregular since coming off the pill so I suppose anything could be possible?

I'll definitely buy some internet cheapies. I found a good deal on oraclefertility.com.au which I'm guessing is good.

I would most likely start testing evenings around 6.30ish because I usually don't get home until 6 at night. Don't really want to cart O tests with me to work.

If your last cycles were 27 and 28, I'd say GET BD-ing!! If it's stretchy and cloudy/clear with a tinge of yellow (very woman dependent), it sounds like EWCM to me and you might be O-ing right now :) Might be worth doing an opk now, but you may have missed the positive already if you're O-ing now.

Oooh, I hope you catch the eggie :) If you haven't tried it already, I found fertility friend (the website) a lifesaver - between that and my naturopath, we got pregnant three times in four cycles after 12 months of failed assisted conception.

Oooh oops sorry I made typos. I meant my cycles were 37 and 38 days long! I would be freaking if they were 27 and 28 lol I would probably be living in the bedroom if they were that short lol. I wish they were that short...

Wish mine were too :( Weirdly, this bubby was conceived in my shortest cycle ever since monitoring it, thanks to the naturopath! (I think it was about 33 days, they were usually 37-45, sucks don't it :( ) I'd still be BD-ing every second day if you've got fertile CM, although you can get patches of it before O. You could still do one just in case it is a freaky cycle, but probably hold onto them until at least CD18 to start testing, maybe CD20 in case you have a short luteal cycle. One of the best things about charting and using opks is that you really get to know if there are strange things in your cycle that might be stopping you conceiving (short luteal, anovulation etc). Helps with evidence if you ever need to see someone.

Thanks again for your response WannabeMum.

I took one of my Forelife ovulation tests last night just out of curiosity to see what the result would be and it was negative. I'm going to take your suggestion and start testing at CD 18. I've purchased some more tests online and I'm expecting them in the next 2 days (hopefully) so I can start testing with them. I really want to save the rest of my store bought tests and use at least one of them the day when/if I get a positive just as a double confirmation.

I really hope I have some luck this month, even if it is just for me to see a positive so that I know I'm ovulating. I have an appointment to see a FS in December but I'd obviously love for something to happen between now and then. The waiting game until December will kill be unless I at least try to get some results myself.

Starz01, oracle fertility are the best, I use them and even with PCOS I can still get a good result. It took my perfectly healthy friend 7 months to conceive and she said she never got a positive result, but she now has a healthy 8 month old. Good luck :)

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Starz01, oracle fertility are the best, I use them and even with PCOS I can still get a good result. It took my perfectly healthy friend 7 months to conceive and she said she never got a positive result, but she now has a healthy 8 month old. Good luck :)

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Thanks Tasha :) I actually ordered my online tests from Oracle Fertility and they arrived today. I'm starting testing tomorrow. I bought a BBT thermometer with my tests aswell so I'm going to start temping. I hope this isn't too late in the month to start temping though. Do you just start temping once you start using OPK's?

Start temping as soon as you can. I temped and charted CM and only used opks in the last month I think. I found fertility friend really helpful for me, O was so obvious! As another woman with PCOS, it was nice to know it was happening :) Just make sure you keep that BBT next to your bed and stick it in your mouth as soon as you wake up before you get out of bed or do anything - same time each day if you can. If you're a mouth breather, some women have had better results temping vaginally, but that's not something I ever tried!

Good luck, I hope you get a +ve opk this cycle so you know things are going well :) I'll be stalking your journey!

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Start temping as soon as you can. I temped and charted CM and only used opks in the last month I think. I found fertility friend really helpful for me, O was so obvious! As another woman with PCOS, it was nice to know it was happening :) Just make sure you keep that BBT next to your bed and stick it in your mouth as soon as you wake up before you get out of bed or do anything - same time each day if you can. If you're a mouth breather, some women have had better results temping vaginally, but that's not something I ever tried!

Good luck, I hope you get a +ve opk this cycle so you know things are going well :) I'll be stalking your journey!

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Ooh so I need to take my BBT orally? I just stuck the thermometer under my arm this morning. I didn't even think to put it in my mouth... lol now I feel so stupid... oh well haha I've learnt something new today then :) I guess my temp this morning is invalid today or can I still use it? I'll do it properly tomorrow morning.

I started using my OPK's today that I bought from Oracle Fertility. It was negative of course but it was very exciting starting the journey of charting. Even DH was excited that I'm POAS each day after work. He can't wait until I get a positive OPK (FX that I do!).

I have an account on Fertility Friend but I haven't used it in ages and I wasn't charting at all back then. Must get back on there and start logging all my results!

Get back on FF - I learned HEAPS on their course too. And I reckon discard the temp under your arm, it'll be around a degree lower than an oral temp, but no guarantees :) I love the control you feel measuring everything, but it does become a bit of an obsession - got me pregnant though so I'm not complaining. And I know of at least one other person who found she had a very short luteal phase which meant she couldn't implant (like 6-7 days) and needed treatment. Funny how information is power!

Rather than starting a whole new thread I think it's best for me to post this new question here...

When you get a positive OPK does the positive result come up pretty fast or does it take a while to appear? I haven't gotten a positive result yet but I'm just wondering what I should expect when/if I get one this cycle.

Rather than starting a whole new thread I think it's best for me to post this new question here...

When you get a positive OPK does the positive result come up pretty fast or does it take a while to appear? I haven't gotten a positive result yet but I'm just wondering what I should expect when/if I get one this cycle.

hi StarzO1

i used the oracle fertility strips as well and found they worked really well. i got a positive OPK each time i fell pregnant. It was great to know my body was working. With my results they came up with in the 5min time frame. i dont think they were "automatic" like in some pregnancy tests the positive result shows up almost instantly.
I also noticed with one of my months (while testing - i didnt always) i didnt get a positive result at all but still had a full cycle despite me OPK every day. I read somewhere that sometimes the LH surge is only about 12 hours so if you only do it once a night you might actually miss the surge. so i started doing it morning and afternoon. (bit tricky at work lol!) that way i knew i was getting the best chance to find the surge. Another reason it is a good idea to buy the internet cheapies! doing it twice a day with chemsit bought ones would cost a fortune!!!!

cant help with temping as i tried to do it but always forgot! lol i would be up and about having and shower and then would realize i had forgotten! lol

good luck and hopefully O is on its way for you! hope you and your partner have fun!

I started following my cycle without temping, to get an idea of when I would O. After months of doing that, I used OPKs to get the exact day (we were trying to sway for a boy so needed to pick O spot on). At least about five days out from when I thought I would O I tested, got a -ve, waited two days, tested again and got a clear +ve. O occurred that night, like you, I could tell my body was Oing.

Watching your CM and perhaps using a fertility calendar to keep track of that and when/where it occurs in your cycle will probably work well as well as using the OPK. Turns out I didn't even finish my pack and sent it off to my sister to use the rest!

Thanks for your replies girls :) They have been really useful because just when I think I know what I'm doing with temping, CM and the OPKs then I read something that contradicts it completely and I'm just lost lol...

I'm having some strange occurances today which I'm really nervous about. I've been on 37 and 39 day cycles for the past 3 months after having some irregular cycles following my MC and this morning I started to get some light spotting (I'm only on CD25!). It hasn't been at all heavy and I'm starting to feel some very faint period-like cramps. I've done a google search and these are symptoms for a possible implanation bleed. I know that I shouldn't jump to conclusions and all I can do is wait and see what happens but all day at work it's been on my mind.

At the moment I just want the next few hours to hurry up so I can wake up tomorrow morning to check if there is anymore spotting or cramping and if there isn't then maybe this is something good. Wish me luck in keep myself calm. I just can't get my hopes up if this is just my body being stupid and stuffing up my cycles AGAIN. It's just... 39 day cycles to 24 day cycles is a big difference...

Ugh!!! I'll let you know what happens lol.

Oooh, I hope it is implantation, that would be exciting!

If it is cycle weirdness (I get that too :) ), perhaps a shorter, anovulatory cycle I'd ask if you have seen a naturopath? Mine helped me control and regulate my cycle without assisted conception (that had failed and we were between cycles when I saw her). I found one that worked with western medicine (she'd been an IVF nurse), if you can find one you like, there are some fantastic herbs for cycle regulation.

I can report it is definitely not implantation. Today the bleeding is much heavier. Because I'm 15 days early (going off 39 days being my longest cycle in the last 3 months) I called my GP this morning and had a BT to check if they can detect any hcg hormone to rule out a possible mc. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it isn't another mc and it is just my cycles being irregular but I have an appointment to see a fs in December and I want to be able to give him as much detail as possible about what I've been experiencing since my first mc in March.

I have read a lot about people's experiences with naturopath and I wouldn't have a clue what to look for in one. I know they can be a bit pricey and they use herbs to regular cycles but that's about it. So they are pretty much a herbalist right and mix you something specifically to assist you in fertility and cycle regularity? I'll wait for the bt results, see the fs in December and then I'll do some research to find some naturopaths in my area.

Thanks for the tip :)

Sorry to hear about the bleeding starz :( that's really smart of you to be armed with as much info/evidence as possible for the FS. I hear lots of good things about naturopathy - just wanted to put in a good word for acupuncture as well if you're game, I had it the last 2 cycles and I firmly believe it's contributed to my BFP. Good luck!

My naturopath experience was really positive. I'd been to the FS, no joy after 4 clomid cycles. He didn't talk to me about charting my cycle, didn't discuss a lot of the more natural things. I had an ovarian cyst just before what was meant to be our first IUI cycle, so it was cancelled. Given Christmas was coming up, I decided to "get my body right" before the IUI in January, so went to a naturopath. I googled and saw the person I wound up seeing had been an IVF nurse (still was at the time) and specialised in women's health and fertility. With some herbs (chastetree and a few others, I forget), charting and lots more knowledge, we were pregnant in 6 weeks.

I went back to her when DS was 13 months old and we wanted to try again - hadn't had a cycle since he was born. She triggered my cycle and got me on some herbs again - pregnant twice in 3 cycles. I guess all I can say for her is that we had heaps better results naturally than with the FS. I felt a whole lot better too :) Acupuncture is awesome too - and it's proven in the literature to assist with IVF cycles if you get that far - that's a long way off though :)

If you are going to have a look down the naturopath track, some are pretty anti-western, others embrace everything. I'd be wanting to have a quick chat with them on the phone before making an appointment, tell them you're seeing a FS, will they work alongside that treatment. Mine said basically some of the herbs I was on I'd have to stop before the IUI cycle (which we never got to :D).

I'm sorry your bleed wasn't implantation. Give charting a good go this cycle (temps, opks etc) - big :hug: it's a stressful journey, but as my FS said at my first appointment "you WILL have a baby"

Thanks for your advice girls :) I'm seriously thinking of considering anything at this point of time even if it just gets my cycles regular!