Ovulation Kits - what do you recommend?

I've been using these as I came off the pill a few months earlier in order to let my cycles settle down before we started TTC'ing. As Alohomora mentioned upthread, you do need to PIAC and let it settle to room temperature before testing but it's been a cheap way for me to work out what's happening - along with BBT using Fertility Friend.

However, if you want quicker results, the Clear Blue Fertility monitor is supposed to be very good and I actually have one waiting for me to use next month when TTC'ing officially starts! One word of warning though; I've read that although it gives you a few days of 'high' and then two days of 'peak', your most two fertile days are the last day of 'high' and your first day of 'peak'. The 2nd 'peak' day is normally the day after ovulation, which is generally too late to successfully conceive.

Ah right, that's good. Did you test everyday for around the time you believed you were ovulating or what?

I got basic ones on eBay - worked first month and also taught me that I ovulate 10 days later than I thought!

I bought Asda own brand opk (five tests for £7) and tried it today but it said I'm not ovulating. No idea whether these tests are good or not but I have no reason to disbelieve it except that I seem to have ewcm at the moment. Any experience with the Asda ones?

Your welcome :)

Thanks for the explanation :)

Cyclotest is what is called a "Sympto-Thermal" monitor. It is a small digital device with a built in thermometer.

Aside from testing your urine every day to see the LH surge before ovulation, your temperature when you wake up is an extremely reliable indicator of when you are about to ovulate. Most fertility charts use temperature, known as BBT.

In addition to BBT, cervical mucus (CM) also changes when you are about to ovulate. It becomes stretchy and sort of like egg white.

With the Cyclotest monitor, you take your temperature each morning when you wake up (there is a built in alarm) and if you notice stretchy CM you press the round button in the middle. The cyclotest displays your level of fertility for that day and the anticipated days. If no baby shows up on the screen, you are not fertile at all, one baby and you are in your fertile 'window' - about 5 days long, and two babies you are highly fertile - that usually lasts about 2 days.

It uses the basic outline of any good fertility awareness/NFP system but does the whole thing automatically. Personally, I found it to be a lifesaver because I am so busy and tired all the time, not a numbers person, and would be scared of making a mistake with imputing all my own numbers. And its not incredibly expensive like some other devices are.

Hope that was clear and helps!

What's cyclotest?

Good luck OneLiteToddleTerror. I really can really commiserate with you and was so relived when we had a clear time of when to dtd and when we could just be natural and let things happen on their own. You'd think it was a dream come true to dtd so often - but even in the best relationships - its does not really play out so wonderfully!

Do some googling around, there are a number of good options for getting more accurate ovulation days. You might also want to google fertility awareness or NFP which is the contraceptive side of figuring out when ovulation is but basically the same tools can be used for ttc. I personally love my Cyclotest because it takes the confusion out of charting (I'm not a numbers person and really was a lifesaver for us!

All the best!

Hi littlepinkpear - Clearblue Digital is amazing! Our first cycle, so the first smileys on CD 15 & 16 were super exciting! DTD on CD 14 & 15 = BFP today CD 27

A worthwhile investment. Good luck x

Clear blue fertility monitor. It's great. I now have 2 children. I didn't realise I was a late ovulater. I'm about day 17.

I tried boots own brand but have found them to be a bit crap so thinking of trying CB too...

FF also has great training modules. Really helped me.

OneLittleToddleTerror- No not heard of that one, must try goggling it, and see what thats for a thing :)

italianwiking are you using fertility friend? I'm using that to track my cycles. Easier than using pen and paper.

jaykay987 - Great idea, I will try writing my down as well and then see if I can work out an pattern :)

I've used CB this past month. I still have enough left over for next month too. I'm hoping I get a clear pattern (I might buy one more box and do two more months) then if the pattern is clear will stop the extra expense.

Clearblue have defn made it easier for me, and quiet a chock to find out that my fertile days were 2 days later than the calculater estimated, so even more pleased to pay the price for the help :D

I bought the cheapy sticks and didn't get a positive result, we tried ttc without checking but my cycles are all over the place so I ordered the CB advance - amazon has a good deal, but they were also on offer at Boots recently.

Prefer having a mod-stream holder, anyway, all this PIAR and waiting for the pee to get to room temperature was annoying me.

September better be our month..... :)

I know exactly how you feel, I have 4 close friends that are all pregnant now (I don't have many other friends lol)
It will be us in September.. (:bloody better be:)

I do try, but sometimes when all your friends get pregnant in the first hook and talk about how easy it is, I cant help but getting a visit from the green monster, which is not good, because of course I am happy for them but still, wish so bloody much that it would be me...
But yes, lets be happy and positive together..... We can do it :D

Your welcome :D.... I find it helps to be positive sometimes. (not always easy I know)

keepswimming1 Thank you :D xx, you made my day........ Only positive thinking :D