Ovulation predictor kits (OPK's) are a wonderful way of discovering when you are about to ovulate. But, not all doctors and health professionals advocate them. There are many factors that affect the effectiveness of OPK's. To some women, they are a Godsend, helping them to know when to have intercourse or to plan an IUI(intrauterine insemination). To others, it can be costly and misleading.
The main purpose of an OPK is to predict when ovulation should occur, within a 12-48 hour time span. An OPK detects a surge of luetenizing hormone (LH), the hormone that prompts the ovaries to release an egg. However, some women may have days of luetenizing surges, and an OPK would continually show a surge. Most kit instructions advise to test until you see the first positive surge, then to have intercourse within the next 48 hours. Some women - I am one - will have a surge for 3 full days before actually ovulating. You need to keep these things in mind when using OPK's. Of course, charting is an excellent way of confirming when ovulation has occurred. It may take a month or two to find out how your body does, and to correctly use OPK's.
The drawbacks to OPK's are that, if you are unsure when ovulation occurs, you are advised to start testing at a certain day in your cycle - for example day 12 - and to test until you see the surge. With me, according to my shortest and longest cycles, I was supposed to start testing on day 10. The first month I tried OPK's I had to buy 2 kits before I finally saw my surge on day 19d and ovulated on day 22. So the guess work can be very expensive.
Also, the many different brands of OPK's can leave a woman very frustrated. Be sure to read all the instructions. Some brands say that a positive surge is when the result line is as dark as the test line. Others say the line should be darker. OPK's are like pregnancy tests - some can be urinated on directly and others require a cup and dropper. Some kits suggest to use middle of the day urine, while still others require first morning urine.
If you plan on using an OPK, be sure to follow all instructions and to test at the same time every day. Some practitioners suggest using an OPK every 12 hours - especially if preparing for an intrauterine insemination. This is because of the fact that the egg sometimes only lives as little as 12 hours. Although OPK's are a good way to tell when ovulation occurs, charting all the fertility signs can be as accurate, or more accurate, and save you money.
Another interesting thing about OPK's is that they can be substituted for home pregnancy tests. While this has not been proven, to my knowledge, I do have a friend who tried this and it worked. It seems the hormones produced in pregnancy are similar to the luetenizing hormone--at least it prompted a positive OPK test result. When I had the chemical pregnancy in August 1999, I tried this with an OPK and had a positive result the same day I had a positive pregnancy test. I suppose in this respect, OPK's are cheaper than home pregnancy tests, in that you receive at least 5 tests.
There are also ovulation predictor monitors also known as fertility monitors, which can be used indefinitely. They predict and detect luetenizing hormone and rising estrogen. From my understanding, they cost anywhere from about 9 to 0 and you have to buy test strips every month - with varying costs- the ones I saw were 30 strips for .
My name is Lori Ramsey. My education consists of a diploma in Business Data Processing. I also successfully completed two courses with the Famous Writers School on Basic Writing and Fiction Writing. I am a mother of two children ages 4 and 2. I am currently pregnant with my third child, due to be born in early November.
Embarking on first conception then parenting, I realize how ignorant I was at the beginning. Knowledge is power and since I have literally devoured books, magazines, and online articles on the subject of conception and pregnancy. I honestly feel I know more than the average "public" about this subject. And was shocked at how little I actually didn't know before!
My hobbies, as such, revolve around being a mother and a wife. Being a writer has been a long time dream - even to the point that I have written 16 chapters in a fiction novel and numerous articles (non published). And at present, I am focused on my pregnancy, enjoying each moment and loving the expressions on my children's faces as my belly grows. I am involved in my church, working with the nursery and am one of the leaders of the worship dance ministry. And lastly, but certainly not least, I love surfing the web!
