Ovulation Corner

[EvelineUK]

Ask away, whether it's OPK's, LH, Temping (BBT), Surges, lines, DPO's, ask away, I have worked for the big boys of fertility and some of the smaller ones....

[poptypingchef]

I’ve a question actually.

I use clearblue OPK’s - I had one smiley face yesterday and it was negative today - my BBT look like they correspond with ovulation too. I’ve never had a one day result before. I know some people have more than one surge is it worth me continuing to test or is that likely me for this month?

[EvelineUK]

@poptypingchef I would guess that you smiley was the back end of your ovulation surge, the BBT usually follows the surge, so if your temp rises today, you will know you've missed it this month.

[poptypingchef]

Thanks @evelineuk

[TD18]

Hello! Do you think temping is the best way of keeping track of ovulation? I have always used OPK's but often find them unreliable xxx

[EvelineUK]

Of course the other possibility is you had a faulty test today if you don't see a temp rise. Do you test first of the day or midday?

[EvelineUK]

@TD18

If it suits and you are incredibly regular you can map your cycle with temp alone. Adding OPK's will a) give you a heads up rather than a conformation, and b) will give you twice the assurance you are seeing a surge. Belts and braces kind of thing

[Bumpingalong84]

Hi I got a static on my clearblue today and this on a cheapie. My EE ewcm doesn’t seem to be as stretchy today so could they have caught it late 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Liverbird77]

I have some pretty basic questions, but I'd appreciate the expertise of someone who really knows what they are talking about, so thanks in advance!
When is the best time to DTD? Is it on the day of ovulation or before? Is there any truth in the idea that the time you do it influences the gender of the child?
When am I most likely to ovulate on a 26 day cycle? When we first ttc I tested every day but it only said I was ovulating on one occasion. I went on to conceive ds some months later, so I must have been!
Are the cheapie sticks as reliable as more expensive brands, and can they also be used as pregnancy tests.
Thanks again, and sorry if any of these questions are stupid. We really want to conceive our second child asap, as I am 42, so any knowledge is power as far as I am concerned!

[EvelineUK]

@Bumpingalong84 Are you using the pink or blue clearblue, I'm assuming purple, in which case the static smiley is a peak day, the cheapie is more difficult, it looks to me like the test line was overloaded and therefore would again suggest this was a high LH day. EWCM isn't exact, if you found it was less stretchy today that could just be the way your body goes, I would be tempted to go with the LH results to be on the safe side. If you find this happens regularly, aim to DTD a day or so before the peak, when you have both a 'high' LH and EWCM, if that makes sense?

[EvelineUK]

@Liverbird77 Awesome questions, including some of my faves....

So... DTD is all about SME (Sperm meeting Egg) at exactly the right time, there is a widely used plan called, you guessed it SMEP, google it, it seems pretty bang on with what we know about the science of baby making, remembering of course that as you get older you may well not ovulate every month, despite all the signs, so think of this as a 12 month process and if it happens sooner, then great.
Gender is a cool one, so in the US now you can pay to have your partners sperm centrifuged and only the gender rich part used for fertilisation... what we 'know' is that girls are made with 'lazy sperm' and boys are made of good swimmers. This is a gross generalisation but you can tip the scales in your favour. Girl sperm is best sent on its way ahead of ovulation, where it sits around the base of the tubes ninja style waiting for the egg to pass. Boy sperm is best introduced on the day of ovulation so it can swim up and meet the egg on its way down the tubes. Hope this makes sense?
Most likely time to ovulate is Day 10 after the start of your last period and for 5 days after that, best way to be sure is to temp, which will tell you when you have ovulated, but not before it's too late for that month, or LH testing which will pinpoint the surge and peak.
Cheapie vs. Known reliable, well it's up to you, but with all we spend in time and money on trying to get pregnant, I personally wouldn't skimp on the only thing that can accurately tell you 99% of the time if you're ovulating.

Hope this helps!
spermmeetseggplan.com SMEP plan ;)

[EvelineUK]

Oooh and at 42 it may be worth asking for an AMH test at your doctors to see how healthy your reserves are..

[Liverbird77]

@EvelineUK thank you so, so much!
I will have a Google now.
I would love to go to the GP, but they are very unsupportive so I fear I'd be wasting my time!
We paid for a private Serenity test with ds, so we will do that again if I am lucky enough to conceive.
Thanks again. Very clear answers. I appreciate you taking the time to respond x

[EvelineUK]

No problem, I saved you the effort and added the link at the bottom :)

[Bumpingalong84]

Thank you @EvelineUK. Yeah I got my static on the purple yesterday after 7days of flashing smileys, had a missed miscarriage in May, I conceived first time using the clearblue previously, so hoping we are lucky this time.

We dtd Saturday, Sunday and this morning. So hoping we aren’t out of the window 😬

[EvelineUK]

Sounds hopeful, sorry to hear about your miscarriage, we had the same 3 times, but as you know it's the body's way of saying something was wrong, we just have to trust the process. Baby dust included :)

[Bumpingalong84]

Sorry to hear about your losses too @EvelineUK. Completely agree that it just wasn’t right so I’ve Found peace in that. I’ll update on here after my tww 🤞

[EvelineUK]

Look forward to it, its a shame it's not commonly explained why and how MC happens, when you understand how clever the human body is there is definitely peace to be found. Fingers crossed and don't waste tests till AF is due... Patience :)

[Bumpingalong84]

haha I will try my best 🙈 tho I’m guilty of early. Testing last time. But I shall try and keep distracted with the thought that things are probably still settling after the miscarriage.

[GoodCow]

DH and I are TTC our 2nd and I just wanted to clarify if this OPK was a negative? We got pregnant straight away with our first so this is all new to me! thanks!

[SunnySunshine1990]

Hey @EvelineUK would you recommend taking daily vitamins before conception? And if so which ones?

I have suffered a MMC and a chemical pregnancy and we are really hoping to successfully get pregnant this cycle.

I have been taking folic acid for months and also co enzyme q10, vitamin c and omega 3 - I worry that I am overdoing it! Would a simple multi vitamin be okay?

It's so frustrating and heartbreaking the things you do to give your body the best possible chance of conceiving and yet still fail :( x

[EvelineUK]

@SunnySunshine1990
I'm not an expert on the vitamin side outside of Folic Acid which is a given. More important is your general health and fitness, if you are not healthy yo may well struggle, know your resting calories, take a daily walk, keep the blood flowing. There are no guarantees, but there are a lot of people trying to sell conception golden bullets out there.. Whatever you want to call it an MC is because there is something not right, either with the implantation or the embryo. Outside of the usual immune system testing you just need to stick to the basics of knowing your cycle and dtd accordingly, and with luck you will conceive successfully. If not the NFS has a host of people and advice you can access for free outside your GP. X

[SunnySunshine1990]

Thanks @EvelineUK xx

[AllHopeAndNoResults]

Hey @EvelineUK perhaps you could advise me? Been ttc for about 6/7 years, we already have a ds but just haven’t been able to conceive since. I have low progesterone but this cycle I’ve started taking Agnus Castus. My question is, when am I likely to ovulate? I have long irregular cycles. My last cycle was 41 days! I’ve been testing ovulation with the cheapies and I’m getting very slow progress, I had glue like Cm yesterday and probably ovulation cramps (can’t be sure because didn’t realise I had them before) on my last blood test day 28 I didn’t ovulate. What do you suggest? We’ve also been following the SMEP and I have a thread running at the minute with a few of us ladies but it’s hard for me to pinpoint when I’m actually ovulating?

Will dtd every other day be just as effective? I know we are supposed to be doing it 3 days in a row according to the plan at time of ovulation but as I say it’s difficult for me. It’s so frustrating but I feel hopeful on this plan. Any ideas? Sorry that was a long post

[EvelineUK]

@AllHopeAndNoResults
Thanks for the question, it's a tough one, but some things stand out...
I had to google Agnus Castus, not heard of that before, from what I can see it holds no benefits for conception at all and is more for period issues. Not sure how old you are so I can't make any assumptions on your progesterone levels, I assume this was tested by your GP, did he test anything else?
If you have long cycles, you absolutely need to use a reputable LH (OPK) test to pinpoint ovulation or you are shooting in the dark, add in Temping if you can to confirm that ovulation has occurred. EWCM is a good sign, but can be more random as you get older.
Any SMEP system relies on pinpointing that LH surge, spend your money there, rather than products that may not be scientifically backed up. Beyond Folic Acid the benefits of most supplements is anecdotal.
Also remember it takes two to make a baby, it's not all on you, make sure your partner maintains good sperm health too, after so long, you may want to get him checked out too, just cos it did work, doesn't mean it still does, men get less fertile with age too...

Hope this helps x

[AllHopeAndNoResults]

@EvelineUk thank you for your speedy response. Ahh really that’s disappointing as I’ve read so many success stories using the Agnus. I think it still might be helpful for me though to use for my periods as they are long and irregular. I do take folic acid twice a day and have done for months now so hopefully that is helping.
I am 29 this month so not sure if that does affect it? Yep the GP tested and also tested for vit d which I was low on and have been taking tablets prescribed twice a day for a while now. DP has been tested and he is all good. Today I had a pelvic exam, swabs and smear so it’s all moving in the right direction.
I am temping every morning but it just feels like a faff! So from what you’ve said I feel like I’m doing all I can. I guess it’s just a matter of catching the right time and waiting?