are ovulation kits wrong??

[tinky123]

ive been trying to get pregnant for nearly a year and although the kit says im ovulating its just not happening!!! its certainly not through lack of trying,im 36 and already have 4 but want another desperatly,anyone got any tips on what i can do to increase my chances?

[NowWhatIsit]

You are at your most fertile for 5 days before & day of ovulation, so an ovulation kit may be missing many days. If you want to get serious (warning: could make you seriously obsessive) I recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, will tell you all about temp monitoring etc.

Meanwhile, if you notice when your vaginal discharge goes clear & stretchy like raw egg white, thats the time to do it. Keep doing it once a day until 2 days after your ov kit says you have ovulated. Avoid lubricants, even saliva, stick your bum/legs on a pillow/in air for 20 min (not sure if thats true or rubbish) after sex..

You would qualify for investigation by fertility specialist if you wanted to start the ball rolling & see your GP, as it may take a while to actually get seen. Does take longer >35, so dont give up! Good Luck!

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

If you are getting multiple positive results on an OPK the kit is giving you misleading results.

As you have been ttc for nearly a year and you're over 35 I would have blood tests done to see what your hormone levels are like. If these are awry then ovulation will be affected. Your man should also be tested at the same time your tests are done to see if there are any male factor problems. Generally speaking as well fertility does decline with age.

OPK's are not without their problems anyway; they work on misleading principles namely that a woman only has one rise in LH every month and that such a rise is immediately followed by ovulation. Both are not true!.

Ovulation is not an exact science - a woman can ovulate earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle.

What are your periods like - generally speaking if they are irregular in nature then ovulation is less likely to be happening.

Forget all doing temp charting, opks and such like; you are beyond that initial stage anyway. Doing this will just delay things even more for you. I would be going to the GP asap and start the ball rolling with regards to having some tests done for both of you.

BTW legs in the air post sex is a myth that gets banded about; you don't need to do that in order to become pregnant.