Are ovulation prediction tests reliable?

[Jenine]

My sister is ttc and has been using the ovu prediction tests from the drugstore for the last few months and has never seen the pink lines darken beyond a faint line as she approaches ovulation. Are those tests reliable? Is it a problem that the tests are pink like pregnancy tests? She bought a store brand (CVS), should she spend the money on a more expensive one. BTW, she doesn't seem to want to chart her temps.

[GaleTX]

I have used OPKs for over a year in conjunction with charting and they have been right on the money for me. If the test is positive, my temp rises within two days to confirm ovulation. I have used both the cheap ones and the digital ones. My preference is the digital ones, just because it takes the guesswork out of whether the line is, in fact, just as dark or darker than the control.

[lonegirl]

It could be that she is not actually ovulating....or she is just missing her window.

[WTHamI?]

Originally Posted by lonegirl

It could be that she is not actually ovulating....or she is just missing her window.

Yes, this is what I was going to say. If she's only taking one a day during her most fertile time she might be missing the positive - Mine have generally been darker in the afternoon, so when I'm ovulating I'll get "almost" positives in the morning and positives in the afternoon (when I'm fertile I typically test with FMU and again about 4pm). Everyone is different.

But if they aren't even getting close it would really help her to temp to confirm that she is ovulating. OPKs are pretty reliable at detecting LH surges, but an LH surge doesn't 100% guarantee you're going to ovulate. I still got an "almost" positive OPK on an anovulatory cycle but know I didn't O because I was temping. So I believe that yes, they are reliable at doing what they're supposed to do, which is anticipate when you are most likely to ovulate, but they cannot confirm you ovulated.

[vivica2]

my guess is that the is not using them correctly to determine when she ovulates. is the using them the whole cycle? is she doing both second morning urine, and 6 PM urine to test in the very fertile window?

my suggestion: have her start using 6 pm (ish) urine from CD9 untill she gets EWCM (or CD 12 if she doesnt get EWCM) and then second morning urine for one, and 6 pm urine for another test untill they turn positive.

good luck to her!

[Jenine]

As I was writing my op I actually wondered if she was in fact ovulating but I'm inclined to think she is just missing her window. Her cycle fluctuates by about 3 days every month. I wonder if she's using them correctly...hmmm?

[~Adorkable~]

There is so e women that they do not work for. In both directions, folks that get too many positives to be useful and folks that get such light or fast surges that even testing 2-3 times a day they don't catch it.

My Doc recommended testing at 11am and around 4-6 pm each day.

I'm my opinion if her cycle is not too wonky, and within 3 days is not wonky at all compared to some, then temping to confirm and just DTD every 36-48 hours from about 5days before she expects a temp rise till the rise is confirmed 3dpo is the best method.
OPKs are best when you have very long wonky cycles and O varies greatly (like by 10pr more days) and that schedule of BD can burn even the hap pies couple out. Or for folks that have to schedule an inseam or and iui and are not doing follicle checks.

[karmab]

i love opks, and the best ones in my opinion are the ics (because they are like 30 cents each, and they work!) wondfo is a reliable brand you can get on amazon and ebay. they should be taken minimum twice/day, three times is great. they say the most likely time to catch the surge is at 2 pm, so when i am expecting it to go pos, i test 11 am, 2 pm, and 6 pm until i do, then once a day until they go neg. a pos doesnt guarantee an o, but you usually will, and within 12 hours of the first pos to 48 hrs from the last.

but if this hasnt already been suggested, she really should check out 'taking charge of your fertility' and temping, that way she can figure out if she is o'ing. if her cycles are regular, she probably is, but charting can give you a lot of valuable info as to what is going on.

[JustLooking_30]

Originally Posted by Jenine

My sister is ttc and has been using the ovu prediction tests from the drugstore for the last few months and has never seen the pink lines darken beyond a faint line as she approaches ovulation. Are those tests reliable? Is it a problem that the tests are pink like pregnancy tests? She bought a store brand (CVS), should she spend the money on a more expensive one. BTW, she doesn't seem to want to chart her temps.

Well, without the charting of temps to confirm ovulation, all of this is academic, but there ARE women who get low (or no detectable) surges, maybe she is one of them. I've seen stories of plenty of women (on boards using IUI/IVF) who say that they cannot see a strong surge and just get a line that is lighter than the reference.

If she has no line one day, faint line the next day and no line 24-48 hours later then maybe that really IS her surge. Does she record a CM change to EWCM and then see the pink line after the EWCM gets there?

Of course, no way to tell anything for sure unless she is willing to do more.

Btw, a much cheaper brand than CVS is
http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/

Pretty sensitive ovulation and pregnancy detection strips, I swear by these!

[karmab]

how often does she test? a surge can easily last, say, 18 hrs, so if you are only testing once a day, it's possible to miss. if she doesnt want to chart temps, how about checking cm and cp?

[Gator-mom]

Originally Posted by JustLooking_30

Btw, a much cheaper brand than CVS is
http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/

Pretty sensitive ovulation and pregnancy detection strips, I swear by these!

Sorry to be jumping in here, I'm a newbie and don't have much advice, however I did have a question about these OPT's. I went to your link, Just Looking, and was just wondering..on the midstream tests there are different options for units..what does that indicate? What's the difference between the 1-9 unit one and the 50 + unit one?

[karmab]

how many you are buying! they give you quantity discounts.