Reddit reviews PREGMATE 100 Ovulation Test Strips Predictor Kit (100 Count)

\> So it seems we’re both healthy and doing all the standard stuff, to have sex every other day, with the key day being 14 days after the first day of your cycle etc etc.

*note - skip to the last paragraph if you only want a response to your direct question*

I would strongly recommend tracking ovulation. 14 days after the first day of your period might be an accurate date for some women to ovulate, but it may very well not be for you. Also, you're most likely to get pregnant on the 2nd and 1st days prior to ovulation (because sperm needs to be in the fallopian tubes ready to meet the egg which takes time, the egg only spends 12-24 hours in your fallopian tubes, and sperm can last up to 5 days inside you), so its important to try and have sex before ovulation.

I track using a combo of tempting and using OPKs (ovulation predictor kits). I use [this](https://www.amazon.com/Basal-Body-Thermometer-BBT-113Ai-Temperature/dp/B07KB2QFDY/ref=sr_1_14?crid=2W5KN789ZPDMU&keywords=bbt+thermometer&qid=1569518618&sprefix=bbt%2Caps%2C768&sr=8-14) thermometer to take my temperature upon first waking up each morning and I use [these](https://www.amazon.com/PREGMATE-Ovulation-Strips-Predictor-Pregnancy/dp/B01G5WGNVQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pregmate+opk&qid=1569518667&sr=8-1) to detect ovulation. Tracking your temperature can only confirm ovulation after the fact, so if you're only going to use one method, I'd suggest the OPKs. The temperature tracking though for me is nice because it lets me see averages across my cycles and also gives me comfort knowing that I did actually ovulate (OPKs detect your lutenizing hormone surge, but you can have a surge and not ovulate). The OPK instructions will tell you what day to begin testing, but personally I'd recommend starting 2-3 days earlier than they recommend. The general advice is that once you get a positive, have sex every day for the next 3-4 days. However, if 3-4 days days in a row is a lot, do it the day you get a positive, take a day off, then do it again the next day.

Another option is to use what they call an "advanced" OPK. The ones I linked are only considered positive if the test line is as dark as or darker than the control line. So theoretically they are only detecting your "peak" LH surge. An advanced OPK is designed to detect both "high" and "peak" LH surges, and this can give you another day or two of "advance notice". Also, since your peak LH surge might be anywhere from 12-36 hours in advance of ovulation (this is another reason why tracking your temperature can be useful, you can narrow down about how much time passes between peak LH surge and ovulation), it may turn out that you have a bigger or smaller window to have sex after you get that peak OPK.

That said, even with the basic OPKs you can see the test line getting darker over time if you start testing early enough. So when I first notice the line getting darker, I let DH know and we have sex that day, then when the test line is most dark, and then depending on how my temps look and the time between the first and second sex, we might do it again the day after the super positive OPK or two days after (knowing that this last session is a "just in case" I ovulate late, and probably doesn't increase chances of getting pregnant).

Now for your actual question - I really, really feel you on the sex scheduling thing. Neither me nor my DH like it, and it does make sex feel like a chore. Especially for him because honestly I don't have to orgasm to make this happen. When we're not TTC, we're 1x per week people, which is just not going to work to make a baby. As of right now, I put on our shared calendar when I estimate my fertile window is going to be when I start the first day of my cycle. As we get close to the opening of the fertile window I remind him to refrain from having "personal time" and we also don't have sex in order to increase our motivation during the fertile window. Then when we need to have sex I am blunt and tell him that we're going to need to have sex that day (I do my best to tell him in the morning). Then later in the day (we're SUPER not morning sex people, plus we both work so daytime sex usually doesn't happen) I go out of my way to be as nice as possible and try to put him in the mood, which usually involves squashing the rage I feel when he complains about TTC not being very romantic (really? as if I don't know that? as if I don't put effort every single day into TTC while you only have to do it 3x a month, let along the effort I'll be putting in for the 9 months of pregnancy and the 12+ months of breastfeeding after, ohhhhhkkkkayyyy).

I get these OPKs: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G5WGNVQ and these pregnancy tests: https://www.amazon.com/ClinicalGuard®-Pregnancy-Test-Strips-Individually-Sealed/dp/B007VT3BUE
The pregnancy tests are a little more expensive for the 50 pack right now, but the prices vary. It looks like the 100 pack is less than 0.20/test!

I've been using pregmate and the reviews say they work well. I haven't gotten a positive yet but I suspect it was due to mistimed tests on my part. One a day is not enough.

I use Fertility Friend to track everything. They have a section where you can upload pictures and compare them to see if the lines are getting darker or not. Ime, Fertility Friend will not give you cross hairs to indicate ovulation unless you're temping. I dont temp because my sleep pattern is highly irregular, so I just us fertility friend as a place to input all my symptoms so I can try to notice patterns on my own.