Ovulation Predictor Tests 101

(This pic above is one of my own tests)

I received some pics from a Making Babies member (also a good friend) of her Ovulation Predictor kits(OPK), and thought I would share them with you as well, and also do a quick recap on how OPKs work.

Unlike Home Pregnancy Tests(HPT) a second line is not always a positive result. When taking an OPK, you want the test line to be as dark (or darker) than the control line. That would indicate the positive result, which means the test is picking up the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) surge that is produced just before ovulation.

Once you have gotten your positive result, you are supposed to ovulate within 12-36 hours. I noticed with my positive results, I would ovulate 2 days later. So it's not uncommon to go as long as 48hours after the positive.

A few rules to remember when OPKing:

1) It's best to test late afternoon/early evening. I used to get my best results at 3pm. However, some ladies get better results at 6pm. It all depends on how your body produces LH.

2) Try to limit your fluid intake for at least 2 hours before testing. This includes holding your P for those 2 hours prior.

3) If you are using a Making Babies OPK, remember the test needs 10 minutes to react after the urine has passed over the control line. DO NOT discard the test after a few minutes. WAIT the whole 10 minutes for an accurate result.

4) If you are taking Clomid/Fertomid only start using OPKs about 2 days after your last pill.

If you would like more info on OPKs, visit this LINK on Making Babies.

Now for N's OPKs:





Unfortunately these pics were taken when the tests had already dried... :) But you can still get the general idea of how OPKs work.

The top pic is the positive on CD19, it was by far the darkest line N got. A true positive. She did test on CD20 again, and it was a negative.

The bottom tests, are the few she took leading up to CD19. You can see she had a nice build up of lines.

This however isn't always the case, you can have no build up of lines. You can have negative/white test results and then bam a positive the next day:



OPKs can be quite expensive if bought in store or at a Pharmacy. I think I last priced them at R 150.00 - R200.00 for 5 tests. Depending on what brand you buy. At Making Babies you can buy 10 Tests for R 100.00 :) You see that is a great saving, you now have more money to buy HPTs. LOL :)

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Could I ask that you all pop over to McKMama's blog and keep Stellan in your thoughts and prayers. :)