[CyndiBear]

AF isn't due for another week, but I got a box of OPKs to use for next cycle. I'm just wondering, if you take an OPK, does it always have some form of a line? Or does the line only start showing when your LH surge is starting? If you test and you get a faint line, does that mean the surge is close? Or does it not mean anything until it's fully positive? I'm so confused....I'm overthinking this way too much. hahaha

[latestartTTC]

I am not positive and I've had the same question. Based on last month's cycle, the line would come and go. A couple of days before O, it disappeared. Then faint line came back for a couple of days. Then suddenly, really dark lines (obviously positive) for two days in a row. I thought I might not ovulate, but it finally happened. Make sure you test at least 2x a day when you are close to O or you might miss the surge. I learned that from these wonderful ladies this month, and caught it on my 2nd or 3rd test of the day the first time. Last month I missed it completely and I think that's why. I didn't buy enough tests and I think I ran out or missed it.

[Purple_cat]

I always have at least a faint line on an opk. Mine start out light and get darker until they are positive. Then they start getting lighter. Everyone is different though, so you may have to figure out what shows up for you. I bought a bunch of ICs so I could experiment a little.

[Frozenoj]

Some women will always have a line, some women won't. Just because you have a line doesn't mean you are about to ovulate, unless after doing it a while you see that's your pattern. I have PCOS so don't normally ovulate and mine start light or no line, then get darker but not positive, then lighten up again a couple times during my cycle. Once it starts to get close to positive it normally means your surge is close but even that's not a guarantee. I try not to read too much into it unless I actually see a positive, but like I said I have PCOS and have learned that the hard way.

[captivate]

I get stark white one day then positive the next, have a look at opk pictures, I have mine in the opk gallery here.

Basically unless it's a true positive don't count it, some get surges and don't o then the body surges again and oes. That's why I have been told for the first few cycles to temp too so you know your pattern.

[MaineBean]

I wasn't sure what exactly a positive would look like for me- and I'm still not 100% since I haven't seen a dramatic temp spike yet- but all the tests I started taking from CD5 on always had a faint line besides the control. Mine were getting darker and darker- though never as dark as the control- then they faded this past weekend, which I thought might have meant those almost as dark ones were my positive. Nope! Yesterday and even more so this morning I've had glaringly positive OPKs. This morning's SMU dip had a bright, dark true positive line show up almost immediately, unlike last night's that was a little slow to fade in.

It is fascinating to see the chemistry of the body, but really confusing the first month when you're just trying to understand if you're doing this right and is your body "normal" and what does it all mean.

Here's to hoping you and I don't have to keep figuring it out every month and we can just be quick studies that get pregnant this month!

[muffin]

Yes, most women will have at least a very faint line whenever they use an OPK. (Reason being that it's a hormone that's always in our system, it just depends on how much you have at the time that makes it positive or not)

It's only positive if the test line is as dark or darker than the control line. You can also gear up to ovulate (ie: have a +OPK) and still not ovulate yet. (Which is why temping in addition to OPKs is a good idea) There's also the possibility of getting random +OPKs throughout your cycle. (Again, temping is a good idea to confirm O) Unless you're temping, don't disregard a positive because you just never know!

[twoboys]

I always get a very faint line that progressively gets darker then back to ligh again! Fx'd this is your cycle!!!

[RoxanneMI]

On dollar store ones, I usually always have a faint line, once in a while it will be totally white. With answer brand ones, they are always white, until its starts getting close to O. It will start getting darker and darker. I had what I thought was positive BUT know now it wasn't since it never got as dark or darker than control line.

[ThaiSpice]

Agree with everyone else. I almost always have a faint line. It starts to get slightly darker the day before I get a true positive. I've only used them for two cycles now. Last cycle only got a true positive on the day I o'd...negative the night before, positive in the morning and afternoon, and then negative again that evening. This time, I got a positive last night and this morning, and now back to negative already.

[WorkerBeeMama]

I always have some sort of a line.