Almost-positive OPK?

[Anonymous]

I'm hoping someone here can give me an answer about this. DH and I have been TTC for a few months. I temp/chart and use OPKs, which is what I did when we were TTC a couple of years ago. This time around, my charts seem the same as last time, so I'm pretty sure about when I'm ovulating. The OPKs, however, are not showing positive. The line gets darker at the correct time, but not dark enough to say it's positive. Does this mean I'm not really ovulating? I'm 39, so I don't have time to waste, but I'm still getting the temperature shift, so I'm just not sure what to think.

[Anonymous]

i took my OPK, with a lighter line to my RE once, and he said that a positive is a positive. when it gets close to ovulation time, I tested every four hours and limited my liquid intake. what is your schedule for testing? are you only testing twice a day?

[Anonymous]

I've only been testing once a day, didn't know it should be more often. When I used them before, I would get a very dark line, so that's what I was expecting, but it sounds like any "darkish" line counts?

[Anonymous]

I second what the 13:22 poster said. I asked my OB about it, and she seemed to brush me off when I said i didn't think it was "dark enough." So I think a darkish line does count.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor? (I think that's what it is called.) More of an investment ($$$) but it also gives you more information that the regular OPKs.

[Anonymous]

If you don't want to go all out with a fertility monitor, maybe try the digital OPKs (the smiley face ones). I hate those Answer test strips - if that's what you're using, then yes, a dark-ish line may be the best you are going to get so you should read that as positive.

I'm 39 too so I know where you're coming from. I am also a long-time BBT charter and have used it successfully to conceive in the past, both with and without OPKs.

I have about a 4-day window for when I normally ovulate so I just try to time things that way, along with charting my temps and CM. I just couldn't stand doing OPKs anymore, trying to "hold it" for several hours, not drink too much, etc. If your cycles are fairly regular and not too long, you probably can do without OPKs.

Unfortunately, this time around, we've been TTC long enough to warrant moving on to fertility treatments, so I've just stopped temping altogether since I'm being monitored by an RE now.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the responses! Someone else recommended the fertility monitor, too, but I don't see how that would really help, since I have regular cycles and am pretty sure about when I ovulate. I'll have to try the digital OPKs.

We are actually past the six month mark for when to consult an RE, so we may be going that route soon, but it's such a hard decision since we were able to conceive naturally before and I just keep thinking "one more month. . ."

[Anonymous]

I test with OPKs twice/day during the week I am expected to ovulate. I test with the cheapies until I get a positive, and then I use a CBE digital to confirm (so that way I only have to use one expensive test every month).

The reason I test twice a day is because you actually can miss the LH surge. I discovered this during my last cycle when I got a very negative test in the morning and then a positive test in the evening. So if you only test once per day, you may miss it.

Also, "a line is a line" only applies to HPTs. OPKs work differently. For it to be considered positive, an OPK's test line has to be *as dark* or *dakrer* than the control line. No two ways about it.

You can find OPK progression pics on this handy blog:
http://stickpix.blogspot.com

You can see how they clearly go from light to dark, with positive tests eventually showing up. I would not consider a faint line a positive by any means. Please keep that in mind.