What the OPK ratio levels really tell you: peaks vs. positives

[line]

@prelude4ws Thank you for this, it answers all the questions I had last cycle!

 

[jeffr0x]

@prelude4ws This is amazing and timely stuff!!!

 

[gettingtalents]

@prelude4ws This is awesome. Thank you!

 

[roger5599]

@prelude4ws This is all super helpful! What if you have a super short surge? I usually have very low readings on Easy@Home OPKS (from 0.12-0.22) then yesterday it went to 0.82 at around 6.00pm, and now this morning it’s at 1.29. So if the surge is 1-2days before, but the peak is 1-2days after, what happens when it’s a short surge like mine?

Also sorry if I’ve computed this wrong, my brain gets super fuzzy with numbers haha

 

[ljw]

@prelude4ws Thanks! Do you have numbers on those whose LH surges are not enough to beat the control line? Without a positive LH test, does that mean a) the period that happens that cycle is not a “real” period because you didn’t ovulate or b) the LH levels even when surging are too low (and could this be normal?)

 

[prelude4ws]

@ljw I haven't seen a paper with a histogram of peak or surge LH ranges to give a percentage, but there are definitely plenty of reports that include LH "peak" at lower than what would trigger a positive OPK (I've seen as low as 6.5 mIU/mL). There could be a number of reasons: 1) Your peak that could trigger a positive OPK is short and you're missing the right testing window, 2) The LH levels at peak are too low to trigger an OPK (and this is totally fine - especially if you're still seeing a temp shift; all that needs to happen is a fold increase of at least 2.5 above basal levels), or 3) you're not getting a high enough LH surge to trigger ovulation. The best thing you can do is pair OPK testing with temping - if you're getting a temperature shift and confirming ovulation, then option 1 or 2 are likely and you have nothing to worry about. If you don't get a detectable positive OPK AND you're not getting a BBT shift AND you get your period, that could indicate an anovulatory cycle. It's normal for women to have about one anovulatory cycle a year, but multiple anovulatory cycles could be a symptom of an underlying issue like PCOS and you should have a chat with your OB.

 

[marieb3]

@prelude4ws Coming in late, but thanks for this! Love the part about the sensitivity of different brands of OPKs — it explains why my easy@home peaks aren’t quite as dazzling as my Natalist ones were

 

[yearningforspirit]

@prelude4ws Just want to say thank you! This was totally eye-opening.

 

[mozzer]

@prelude4ws This is so extremely helpful, thank you!
I had a negative OPK result early afternoon on CD 15, then had what I think is a positive result (control and test were about the same color) in the late evening of CD 15 and then today on CD 16 in the early afternoon, I got my peak test, where my test line was drastically darker than the control line. Can anyone make sense of what this would mean in terms of Ovulation and when to BD? I know there’s no real way to know when O occurs since I’m not tempting or going to the doc, but just curious?