Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs)

One of the ways to increase your chances of conceiving is to use ovulation predictor kits (aka OPKs or ovulation tests).


What do OPKs do?

• OPKs show your luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and typically 12-36 hours later your mature egg is released (ovulation). You always have LH in your system so don't be surprised if you always see two lines on your OPK. When your LH is surging you get a positive OPK. A positive is when the test line is darker or as dark as the control line. (Make sure you double check the instructions on the OPKs though). They are not the same as pregnancy tests. 2 lines of varying color do NOT equal a positive. I can't stress this enough!

When should I test?

• Anytime of day is fine but it is recommended that you don't use first morning urine (FMU). LH typically shows up later in the day so testing in the morning may give a misleading result. Just remember to take your OPKs at the same time everyday. You could miss your surge if you don't. (Or you could just do what I do and test twice a day. I'm a bit obsessive lol).

When do I start using OPKs in my cycle?

• If you have regular cycles it will be easy to figure this one out. (It'll be even easier if you've been charting and know about when you will ovulate). If you have the mythical and much sought after 28 day cycle, you should start testing on CD11 so that you don't miss your surge. This would be 3 days before you expect to ovulate. If you've been charting (and I can't recommend doing so enough) you'll know when you ovulate (if you have regular cycles). You should start taking OPKs about 3-4 days before you typically ovulate and BD when you get a positive. If you don't have regular cycles take your shortest cycle subtract 17 days and the number you get will be the day you start testing. (ex. if your shortest cycle is 50 days, start testing on CD 33 or if your shortest cyle is 32 days, start testing on CD15). 

I've gotten a positive! I will ovulate...right?

• Not always. One of the biggest misconceptions is that if you get a positive OPK, you will ovulate. I am perfect proof of that. I frequently get positive OPKs throughout my cycle and don't release an egg. My body typically attempts to ovulate at least 2-3 times before it will succeed (which makes for VERY long cycles of course). OPKs do not tell you that you ovulated. They will only tell you that your body is trying to. You could have a surge and then for some reason not release the egg. The only ways to confirm ovulation are by testing your progesterone levels (blood draw) or by charting.

Why are my OPKs positive many times throughout my cycle?

• The most common cause of frequent positive OPKs throughout a cycle is Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). In short, PCOS is an imbalance of the female sex hormones and it causes LH to remain elevated causing positive or near positive OPKs throughout a cycle. If you have extremely long or anovulatory cycles and frequently get positive or near positive OPKs it's something you might want to bring up to your doctor.

Proof Your Temps Are Unreliable For Indicating Pregnancy

I'm on CD32 and 13DPO. Pregnancy test status BFN. Chances are...I'm not pregnant. Unless I implanted REALLY late (which is unlikely), AF should be here in 2-3 days.

But that's not the point of this post. The point is chart obsessing. I LOVE analyzing my chart for every little thing (and there's nothing wrong with this. Do what makes the 2WW go faster for you). And Fertility Friend has a nifty little feature that allows you to search charts and then overlay yours on top of theirs. So that's exactly what I did. And this is what I found.

My temps are the ones in purple and the chart I compared it to is in green. That person was pregnant and got their first positive test on 10DPO. I was more and more hopeful by the day. Our temps were SO similar, especially during and right after ovulation. Looking at my chart I had what everyone wants to see. High temps that kept rising and maybe even a possible implantation dip around 10DPO. But unfortunately, I am not pregnant and it doesn't seem likely that I will get a positive in the next few days. (I would love it if it would happen though and would gladly eat my words!) If my temps stay high past 16DPO and I haven't gotten my period yet, I can start to assume that I am in fact pregnant but the timeframe they usually tell you to stick with is 18DPO. If you are 18DPO or more and still haven't gotten AF and your temps are high, you can pretty much be sure you're pregnant. I expect my temp to dive very soon.

Bottom line is, you can obsess all you want over your chart but the only thing that will tell you that you are pregnant is an HPT or a blood test.

Checking Your Cervix

One of the easiest ways to tell if you're in your fertile phase is by checking your cervix. Don't worry, it's not as difficult as you think and once you start doing it, it'll become second nature.

• Check your cervix at the same time every day. (It can be naturally lower at night which is why it is important to check at the same time every day).
• Wash your hands first! You certainly don't want to get an infection.
• Find the position that works for you. It can be sitting on the toilet, putting a leg up on the toilet or tub or even squatting.
• You'll find your cervix at the very "top" of your vagina. It's best to first start checking your cervix after your period because it will be at it's lowest and easiest to find. It may not be exactly straight up (mine is more to the left) but with a little searching and practice you'll find it right away. It will feel different from the rest of your vagina being a bit harder and smoother.
• During non fertile times, your cervix will be low, firm, and closed. As you get closer to ovulation, your cervix starts to rise and get softer. It is considered most fertile when it is high, soft, and open(HSO).  The best explanation I've heard is when it is firm, it feels like the tip of your nose. When it is soft, it feels more like pressing on your lip.
• You'll also notice more fertile cervical mucus when it is HSO. Checking  your cervical fluid while checking your cervix is like killing two birds with one stone. I always check my cervical fluid before I pee and then empty my bladder and then check my cervix. I've found that my cervix is much higher when my bladder is full and can give misleading results.
• Don't expect to start checking your cervix and have it all figured out the first month you try it. It may take a few months to get the hang of it and it's best when you check your cervix while temping or using OPKs. You can even use a ferning test (More on that later!)
• Don't be alarmed if you find your cervix always feels a bit open. Especially if you already have a child. You will still be able to tell the difference between non fertile and fertile times.
• Avoid checking your cervix during or after sex because your cervix can move around based on your level of arousal.

Signs Of Ovulation

Keep In Mind Not Every Woman Will Experience These Signs. But You Will Definitely Notice The More You Pay Attention To Your Body, The More You May Experience

• Change in cervical fluid (Most fertile being like egg whites [EWCM])
• Change in cervical position and cervical firmness (Most fertile is high, soft, open)
• Brief twinge of pain or dull ache that is felt on one side of the abdomen
• Light spotting (Not all women get this)
• Increase in sex drive
• Elevated level of the luteinizing hormone which can be detected on a test (Ovulation test aka "OPK")
• Body temperature chart that shows a consistent change (Temp rise that will occur day after ovulation but need 3 days of a sustained temp rise to confirm)
• Breast tenderness
• Abdominal bloating
• Heightened sense of vision, smell or taste

What Does This All Mean?

When you first start charting, it can all seem a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of different things you can see on a chart from when you "BD" to what kind of cervical fluid you have.

Let's start with the data input. (Click pics to enlarge)

This is where you put all your info in. You get here by clicking the day of the month you are on. On the main screen, you have a spot for your temp, what time you took your temp at, what kind of cervical fluid you have (Dry, Sticky, Creamy, Watery, Egg White), whether you have your period or spotting (with options of spotting, light, medium, and heavy) and whether or not you "BD'd" or had insemination (Yes, AM, PM, Both, No, IUI, IVF Retrieval). You also have the option to make any notes that could pertain to that specific day (ex. Had HSG today).

On the Secondary tab is the page to record what your cervix is like that day.

For position you have Low, Medium, High. For texture you have Firm, Medium, Soft and with opening you have Closed, Medium, Open.

Next is the Tests tab

On this page you can mark whether you got a postive (+) or negative (-) OPK (ovulation test), a + or - pregnancy test, if your fertility monitor is at Low, High, or Peak, if your ferning test is None, Partial, or Full and if your OV Watch is at Non Fertile (NF), Fertile Day 1,2,3,4  OV Day 1 or 2 (ovulation day) and Less Fertile Day 1or 2.

Next is the Specific tab

First off, yours will not look this long. I've added different signs as I've been charting (as you can as well by clicking the Add/Remove Signs link at the bottom) so initially, yours will be a bit shorter. This section is self explanatory. You have a symptom, you click the box. That's all. All of these signs will be color coded and numbered and put below your chart. And you can put your mood and energy levels in there too.

Up next, the Meds tab

Simply click the box of what med you are taking on what days. You can also add your own (I've added Birth Control and Soy Isoflavones).

Custom tab

This is where you can add whatever custom data you want using the Add/Remove link.

And finally, the Appointments tab

Put in any appointments you want to remember (although honestly we all use our phones for that these days!).

The 28 Day Cycle Is More Of A Myth

We're made to believe from day 1 that a woman's menstrual cycle is 28 days long with ovulation occurring on CD14. Some women do fit this but the majority don't. This could be one reason as to why you aren't conceiving. In order to conceive, you have to time intercourse properly. If you think you ovulate (or "O") on CD 14 and time intercourse accordingly and are shocked to end up "late" but not pregnant, it could be that you are wrong about your "O" date. This is why from TTC day 1 it is a good idea to keep track of your cycles (Try Fertility Friend!) Some women "O" before CD14 and some "O" much later. (When I conceived my daughter my ovulation day was CD49). You've got about 12-24 hours to fertilize that egg and if you aren't having sex at the right time, you are missing out on a chance to get pregnant. (Keep in mind a healthy couple only has a 20% chance each cycle) And once you ovulate, your chances are done. You're fertile in the 3-5 days leading up to ovulation, but not after.

So basically the time from your period to ovulation can vary. Whether it's cycle to cycle or once in a while, you may not ovulate on the same day every month. However, the time from ovulation until your period (luteal phase) should not vary much. Varying 1-2 days is not much of a concern but if your LP is jumping between 10 days and 16 days, you should bring it up to your doctor. Also if your LP is short (less than 10 days) your body isn't giving a fertilized egg enough time to implant before shedding the endometrial lining so you should bring that up to your doctor for sure.

Try Temping

One of the easiest ways to start tracking your cycle while TTC is by temping. It shows a biphasic pattern if you are ovulating. Every morning you take your temperature on a BBT thermometer. It is VERY important to remember a few things while temping.

• Take your temp at the SAME TIME EVERY MORNING (if you have a child or do shift work this won't always be a possibility but try to keep it as much around the same time as you can. When in doubt, temp when you wake no matter what time it is if it's after a significant stretch of sleep).
• Take your temp after 3 consecutive hours of sleep. Again, this is not always a possibility due to children or insomnia etc but if it's been at least 3 hours and you wake before your usual wake up time, still take your temp.
• Take your temp BEFORE getting out of bed or doing anything else for that matter. Wake up, grab your thermometer, and take your temp.
• Use a BBT thermometer. You need a temperature that reads 97.13 not 97.1. You need it to be to 1/100th of a degree. If your thermometer doesn't have 4 numbers on the screen, it's not the right one.
• Use Fertility Friend. It takes all the guesswork out of temping and it's FREE. There is an option to buy a VIP membership which has more features. If you're just starting out and it's been less than 6 months since you started TTC, I recommend the free membership (you get the first month as a free VIP anyway). If you've been trying longer than 6 months, the VIP membership could benefit you.

And that's all I can think of that you need to know about temping. It may seem difficult at first but once you get the hang of it it becomes second nature. I've been temping for almost 6 years and I love it.

If I forgot to add anything, add in the comments below!

Let's Get This Started!

WELCOME!

This is the place to soak up all the information you want/need about trying to conceive (TTC).

My facebook page on TTC wouldn't allow me any permanent documents to help with the flow of easily accessible information (guess I should have done a group maybe) so here is where you will find it!

Good luck to everyone and *~BABY DUST~*