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/topic3277.htm
http://forums.obgyn.net/pregnancy-birth/P-B.0001/0403.html
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