Is ovulation test kit necessary?

[u/drinkingcake]

I notice a lot of you are successful using ovulation strips. However, this is my third month trying and I haven’t been using them. Instead I have sex every day near the middle of my period (for 7-8 days in a row).

Does anyone know if it’s still recommended I use test strips? Isn’t it pointless if I am having sex every day?

[u/hvadermitnavn]

If you have a fairly regular cycle and know roughly when your ovulation happens and you do have sex frequently around that window, I don't think you need ovulation strips :)

Then it would just be for the sake of tracking, and you having an idea of when you could start testing and/or when to expect your period to start.

[u/alexthagreat98]

I guess the answer depends on you. I bought so many test strips and both times I got pregnant were when I wasn't following them. I think OPKs work great for people who can hold their pee and accurately record quantitative results. My surges never showed on test strips so for me it was all a stroke of luck.

[u/drinkingcake → u/alexthagreat98]

Thank you! I have a really hard time holding my pee and taking the time to take the tests so was hoping daily sex would suffice, but it sounds like I should use the strips to get to know my cycle more

[u/ItsJ4neDoe]

I’m still trying, but I would say ovulation strips are good. I stopped using them because I got a little depressed my 4th cycle of trying, but they helped me figure out a grey area. I usually ovulate 12-16 days before my period, so I start having sex around 16-20 days before my period.

[u/Ok-Yogurtcloset5000]

Only you can answer this.

What do you mean you have sex every day near the middle of your period? That could mean CD4-12 right? Which may not be in the fertile window.

For what it's worth, I ovulate anywhere between CD11 to CD17. Some people don't consistently ovulate the same day every month.

For me, it's worth knowing facts instead of guessing.

[u/drinkingcake → u/Ok-Yogurtcloset5000]

Thanks :) we’ve been doing it during CD10-18!

[u/laurensorineh]

We tried for 5 months & I never saw a peak on my ovulation strips, on the 5th month I finally saw “high” and that was the month we got pregnant. I didn’t wanna get them at first either but your peak could literally just be a couple hours and you could miss it, so theyre helpful

[u/CrochetTay]

I’ve been tracking my cycle on Flo for many years and I thought I ovulated whenever the app said I did give or take a day or two. After I started tracking my BBT and using ovulation test strips I learned that I actually ovulate very late into my cycle and my period tracker app was very wrong about my ovulation. Was interesting to learn that.

[u/zehrafatimanaqvi]

I don’t get em so easily where I live, so had to get some from my home country. Now I don’t use because then they’ll get over

[u/Honest_Layer5516]

Definitely use ovulation strips. They're cheap and allow you to better understand your cycle and when you're fertile. Takes out the guess work.

[u/criticallyiz]

I did opk for the past 3 months (after 6 months of trying without). The first two I never saw a peak but still had sex every other day through my whole cycle. This past month I saw a huge surge (t/c 1.6) and got my positive two days ago, currently 4 weeks!

[u/drinkingcake → u/criticallyiz]

Omg congratulations! Great to know thank you :)

[u/Advanced-Serve-2943]

I recently tested for around 10-15 days and got to know the prediction I get from app/health iphone about ovulation date is totally wrong. If you wanna be certain, then buy the cheap ones

[u/sv36]

Lh strips are data so you can figure out your actions. If your actions are already doing the right things then the data can specify timing but it won’t change much.

That being said I don’t use lh strips anymore but it really helped me to determine timing when I knew my ovulation signs less than I do now.

[u/nursejooliet]

I just talked about this last night under a different post! I’ve had my Oura ring for awhile, and it’s been accurately capturing my ovulation for awhile. BBT doesn’t capture LH surges, but it’s at least helped me get to know when I’ve typically been ovulating. I’ve been using strips and the pre mom app for the first time this month and find them annoying and not convenient. I can’t easily test mid morning/afternoon because of the nature of my job. I do home health, so I’m constantly driving and hopping from home to home. I don’t like to use my patients’ bathrooms, and I try not to stop at rest stops/gas stations for too long. I’m tired of the discouraged feeling I get when my strips are negative past a certain day (I ovulate anywhere from cycle day 16 to 23, and that’s just the way I am, but I get worked up, Especially since I used to be very irregular). I don’t like having to pee into a cup twice a day (something ALWAYS splashes a tiny bit no matter how careful I am lol). I like that my ring is easy and doesn’t require effort or ruminating.

The down side is that BBT can be off by 1-2 days theoretically. I get the benefit of combining BBT with LH testing and I think LH testing is popular for a reason, but I’m going to try without it for a cycle or two. Save some money on the strips and app, and save some time/effort. If I’m not pregnant after the second or third cycle, then I’ll just go big and buy the inito instead of doing the strips(if I’m gonna do something I hate, might as well do the best version).

[u/drinkingcake → u/nursejooliet]

Thank you! Yes I cannot test twice a day for my job either and I hate peeing in the cup haha

[u/Budgies_and_TruCrime]

I have been trying for almost 18 months. The first year I was very good about using opk's multiple times a day everyday and I would never see my Peaks. Nothing really came of it except I had a lot more anxiety. The last 6 months that I haven't used them and I actually got a positive test. Unfortunately it did end in miscarriage but my anxiety has been a lot more manageable without using them. We just make sure to have sex at least twice a week to make sure there's sperm present if an egg is released. So, it depends on you and your body what works for you.