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Question: SWI every 2 or 3 days vs just around Ovulation time?

5 replies

LancyLass · 19/07/2011 00:44

All the advice on TTC says you need to SWI every two to three days throughout your cycle. Can someone please explain why they advise that when you can actually only conceive 1 day a month (OV day)? So if you're monitoring your various fertility signs and pinpointing likely OV day why bother for the rest of the month??!
Sorry to be boring, but doing it that often is just a physical impossibility in our life! Once on the weekend if we're lucky!

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farfallarocks · 19/07/2011 09:22

Hi Lancy. It is not an exact science and there are actually a few days a month you can conceive. Actually SWI BEFORE ovulation is the key as the egg survives about 12 hours and sperm up to 5 days so the little swimmers need to be there waiting IYSWIM.

They recommend every 2/3 days as that should hopefully catch the fertile period. I personally prefer to pinpoint it a little more and have been following my cycle and using the Clear Blue Fertility Monitor. I agree with hectic lives it is quite hard to SWI enough!
Do bear in mind that knowing the ideal time can make things more stressful more i.e. tonight is the night. So in some ways not knowing and just having sex regularly can be more relaxing. Good luck.

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LancyLass · 19/07/2011 11:26

I've opted for taking temp, observing CM and some cheap OPKs for now - I'm a control freak - not knowing what's going on would be more stressful for me! Plus I think I'd find the obligation of having to do it every 2 or 3 days more stressful!

Do you find the Clear Blue Monitor worth it? It's so expensive and then you have to keep buying their ov sticks to go with it and they're v expensive too.

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farfallarocks · 19/07/2011 12:31

Yes me too, total control freak!

I really like the CBFM, much cheaper if you buy it online on Amazon and the sticks too.
I found the cheapie ones too hard to read!
Temping too complicated for me and my CM varies too much to be useful!

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rogersmellyonthetelly · 20/07/2011 16:48

Seems like silly advice actually. The only time you can get pregnant is by having sex in the 3/4 days leading up to and on the day of ovulation. Any time before or after that and fun though it is, it's not going to get you knocked up.
My best advice? Buy a cbfm, ovulation kit or learn to read your fertile time (fertility friend charting) then shag like rabbits when you are actually fertile.
Then for the remainder of the month, have sex whenever or wherever you feel like it.
If you try the every 2 to 3 days through your whole cycle you will be knackered and your oh will start to feel like a stud bull.
That's just my experience, but have been ttc for around 6 years for 3 kids (3rd is still work in progress) so I have quite a few ttc miles under my belt and have tried various methods including "just relax" "have sex when you feel like it" etc etc.

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LancyLass · 20/07/2011 16:56

Thanks. Yes, that's what we've opted for. Got some cheap Ov predictor tests from Amazon and watching CM seems to be working, so will see how that goes. DH rather likes it: "Is it time yet? Are you ovulating yet?" Then if we manage to get round to it the rest of the month he calls it "practising"!