ovulation test kits & "holding it"

[Anonymous]

So I am using an ovulation test kit to try the old fashioned way before going the fertility clinic route, and the directions say not to use the first morning urine, but instead to try it 4 hours later after holding it that entire time. It also says not to drink much liquid so that the concentration of hormone is high. Even if I don't drink much, holding it for 4 hours seems nearly impossible! Does anyone know if the test would be invalidated if you did it after like 2-3 hours? I want the test to be effective, but seriously, 4 hours is a long time... Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I think 2-3 hrs is ok, but the longer you can hold it, the better.

I don't use OPKs for precisely that reason. I was so miserable trying to "hold it" that long! And I don't think it's good to restrict liquids for 4 hrs during the day. I drink a LOT of water, and when I was trying to do OPKs, I ended up feeling dehydrated. I was able to use OPKs successfully when I was younger, but I guess my old bladder isn't what it used to be. In addition, OPKs can be a pain to read, trying to figure out if the line is dark enough. I haven't tried the digitals but they might be easier (though they cost more).

If you are not temping/charting your BBT, I'd recommend trying that in addition to or instead of OPKs. It's really easy once you get the hang of it. It won't tell you when you are about to ovulate; it will confirm ovulation has occurred. But if your cycles are pretty regular and you chart for a couple of months, it will give you a pretty good idea of your fertile window. You can also chart cervical mucous along with your temps, and that does give you an indication of when you are about to ovulate. You can chart online; there are a couple of website like fertility friend and ovusoft where you just input your temp every morning and the software does it all for you. Or you can even use the paper chart that comes with the basal body temperature thermometer (they're about $10 in any drugstore).

[Anonymous]

My OPKS say just to try to hold for about 2 hours. And I am using them, and don't really worry about holding urine and I am noticing that they are working very well.

[Anonymous]

I have always used first morning urine and they seem to work fine (I am also monitoring using BBT and I get a surge on the OPKs a day or two before my temperature rises. I also recommend using BBT since it's free (those OPKs can add up!). I just started using OPKs again since my IVF protocol requires me to use them.

[Anonymous]

I've been using OPKs - the cheap test strip kind, and they work very well. I've never been "holding", you don't need to do that. The trick is to use them very often throughout the day, esp once around noonish and a second time about 6 hours later. The LH surge is very brief. Honestly, for the first cycle I used them, I went through about 25 of these test strips. You won't miss it then, and you'll clearly see when it gets very dark.
I just started to use the OV Watch and confirmed with the OPK - and yes, they pointed to the the same O-day! (only the OV watch tells you several days in advance). For me the BBT didn't work at all.