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let me know if the address doesn't work, i will post the article.

It didn't work. Can you post it?

I've heard it works in some cases. My friend had ordered a lot of OPK strips online & "just for fun" she used one 12 DPO & it was positive. She didn't put a lot of stock into it at first though, until a few days later she took a HPT & had a BFP. So, I'd say it can be used as an early indicator, but if the OPK is - & it's still a few days before AF I wouldn't totally give up all hope. I'll be interested in reading the article though when you post it Sherry. Thanks! HTH!

sorry gals..here it is:
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Using OPK's as HPT's

Now if you are anything like me the 'two week wait' seems like a million years. Those two weeks after ovulation twirling your thumbs. Repeating in your head, "Am I Pregnant?" or "I'm Pregnant, I'm Not Pregnant, I'm Pregnant, I'm Not Pregnant". For me it is the hardest part of the cycle and takes a ton of patience.

I have heard many issues regarding OPK's used as HPT's. So the question is… Do they work? Well let me give you a little background on OPK's and HPT's before I go into opinion on this subject.



OPK's also called Ovulation Predictor Kits… Ya know those lovely urine strips that predict ovulation. They detect a hormone called LH or Luteinizing Hormone. Your LH surges during ovulation, which then cause the OPK to show a positive result. So what's in the LH that makes the OPK turn positive? Keep on reading…



HPT's also called Home Pregnancy Tests detect HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in your urine. The more HCG you have in your body the darker a positive line will show up. Now I'm sure you've heard of getting a beta test done. They take a beta test to determine if you are pregnant. That said, HPT's look for HCG's unique beta chain.



Now lets get into a simple make up of HCG. The 2 unique beta chains are only part of it's make up. HCG is also made up of 2 alpha chains. Okay so you know that beta is a big part in predicting weather or not you are pregnant, so what do the alpha chains do? They are also a predictor of pregnancy. What happens is when you conceive the alpha chains are being made along with the beta chains but the alpha chains are easier to detect in the early part of pregnancy. As the pregnancy progresses the beta chains will become stronger. So why bring up the alpha chains if HPT's detect mostly the beta chains of HCG? Because alpha and beta chains are also present in your LH. That's right, in fact the 2 alpha chains in LH are the exact same 2 alpha chains present in HCG. The OPK's detect those alpha chains.



So in conclusion most individuals will get a positive OPK before a positive HPT. It is easer to detect the alpha chain than it is the beta chain.



In my opinion I believe in this theory. I once took an OPK the same day my menses was due to arrive and it came up positive, the next day I took an HPT and it also came up positive. It may or may not work for every individual because some may carry a stronger beta chain than alpha chain. Also if you suffer from PCOS or other syndromes that cause high levels of LH the OPK's will not be accurate. It doesn't hurt to give it a try… They are cheaper than HPT's :).







A Few Links for you to check out:

http://www.emedicine.com/med/top
ic3277.htm

http://forums.obgyn.ne
t/pregnancy-birth/P-B.0001/0403.html

Interesting article. Thank you for posting it!

I've read on another site, that it indeed can be used as a HPT, but more so for fun...you are not likely to get a positive on the OPK until after you get one on the HPT. They do not check for HCG, only LH - so it wont' show until maybe a day or two after your HPT shows positive. I did use one of my opk's after I'd already test positive on my HPT, and it indeed was a positive OPK, the darkest I'd ever seen in, even when I was Surging. So I wouldn't rely on it as an only means. If you go to peeonastick.com it will give you some info on that. Good luck.

Thank you for posting that.I am gonna try it.I'll let ya know!

Actually the OPK can detect the pregnancy hormone, it's just a lot harder to detect an actual postitive on them., They are a lot cheaper, so if you want to save money, and you have extra and you haven't had af yet, try it!

Hi ladies, Hope all is well. I am really wondering about the opk's may detect pg before a pg test. Last week i got my positive around 8 days ago. now a week later. there is a surge line. it is not real dark but it is dark and clearly visible. as if it were the 10 day of my cycle. any suggestions?

also to add. would it have to be a real dark line as if ovulation were to occur? I ovulated last week i should not have a surge line, i am not sure but i think nothing should have been in the test line just the re line. any thoughts?

Hi D. I'd think that either you'd get a very faint line in the other window or as you said no line, so the fact that there is a dark line on your OPK could be a good sign. But it's a little early to tell right now. Also, did you trigger Ovulation? If you used Ovidrel or something like that it could also give you a false pos. on your OPK. It takes at least 10 days to get out of your system, from what I've read. Good luck! Keep us posted...

Hi mega, nope nothing has been used to trigger. last week wed when i got my + on the opk (which was a few days earlier than i expected). i thought maybe it wasn't dark enough so of course just to be sure i wouldn't miss it i went and got more just in case . a few days later it was real light just barley there. now today it is darker than sunday. (the day it was barely there). if this makes any sense at all. who knows maybe for some weird reason i am o'ing twice this month. thanks for you input. How long have you been ttc? i have lost count. it is over 8 months now.