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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

Ovulation sticks - what am I doing wrong?!

29 replies

Hessy · 18/12/2013 21:09

Hi, hope you can help.

My periods have always been irregular/long cycle. I miscarried in October and am desperate to conceive again so am using ovulation sticks. Using the One Step Ovulation Test sticks from Amazon.

Because periods are irregular and uncharted since my miscarriage, I took first test six days after first day of period (one day after end of period). I assumed this was safely early as previously had long cycle. Peed in a pot around 6pm, allowed ten mins for pee to reach room temp. Held stick vertically into pot, up to Mark Line, for ten secs. Laid it horizontal and waited five minutes. Test line much darker than Control line = 'positive' which I took to mean I was ovulating. Fantastic. DtD.

All good except I've repeated exactly this process for four nights now and each time the Test Line has been darker than the Control Line?

Have I done something wrong?!

Or have I been randomly ovulating for four days? And the exact four days I happen to be doing these tests??

V confused... But hopeful Smile

Any ideas?

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barkingtreefrog · 25/12/2013 09:38

Very glad you're safely back home but so sorry to hear what you had to go through Thanks .
You may or may not want to hear this but a close friend of mine had a mc and an ectopic (with surgery) and now has a gorgeous little boy. Fx crossed for you next Christmas will be very different - either a bump or a baby!

ladybunnikins · 25/12/2013 08:24

Sorry to hear what happened Hessy, glad you're at home and I hope you can spend Christmas with your feet up relaxing.

Original poster
Hessy · 25/12/2013 06:28

Thank you all. Surgery went well and I'm home now. All pretty horrific though. And awful timing. They've removed part of the Fallopian tube. Although they say my fertility isn't reduced by 50% as such.

If you all hadn't confirmed that those ovulation results were weird, that I should take pregnancy test, and that I should see GP, I would not have ended up in EPAU and had the ectopic detected. If it had ruptured it would have been life-threatening. So thank you all so much xxxx

Merry Christmas xx

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barkingtreefrog · 23/12/2013 22:42

So sorry to hear that Thanks . Hope you've got lots of support around you .

LIG1979 · 23/12/2013 15:08

Oh no! So sorry - that is horrible news but good that you got it checked out. Hope surgery goes well and you recover quickly.

kittykatsforever · 23/12/2013 12:29

So sorry to hear that Hmm Thanks

toots123 · 23/12/2013 12:23

Oh no :( sorry to hear that.
Big hugs and Thanks for you x

Original poster
Hessy · 23/12/2013 12:09

It's an ectopic pregnancy. I'm going in for surgery. I'm in shock. I thought the worst case scenario would have been a confirmed mc.

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LIG1979 · 23/12/2013 10:20

Yes - good luck. Hopefully, you see this before you go but if they do an internal scan ask them to check the ovaries to see if they are polycystic. (I got this done after a mc and it helped get me onto the route of fertility testing immediately not having to wait a year of TTC/3 mcs before they would do anything. My blood tests were also all fine and I didn't have typical PCOS symptoms so I imagine I would have been dismissed fairly quickly if i hadn't had a scan of the ovaries showing all the cysts. )

I know this sounds negative and I really hope that it is good news. (But thought if it isn't good news, if you can at least get something good out of it, in being a step nearer to a diagnosis that will help.)

barkingtreefrog · 23/12/2013 08:26

Thinking of you Thanks

kittykatsforever · 23/12/2013 07:13

Good luck today Hessy

barkingtreefrog · 20/12/2013 22:54

I'll be thinking of you on Monday, fx for a happy ending. You do hear of women who bleed and go on to have a successful pg.

I've only ever had one bfp and that was the mc at the beginning of September. We've now hit two years of trying but I still haven't got my cycles back. After waiting 9 weeks I was given provera to bring on a withdrawal bleed, but no AF since.

Original poster
Hessy · 20/12/2013 22:39

Thank you both for your replies and advice. I had wondered about pcos in the past. I'll ask at the EPAU about it. I'll do a pregnancy test in the morning too. Fingers crossed.

Will update on Monday x

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LIG1979 · 20/12/2013 22:17

But fingers crossed it is pregnancy since ovulation sticks also detect hcg and so would go dark if pregnant.

LIG1979 · 20/12/2013 22:15

If it isn't pregnancy then it could be pcos. This would explain the irregular cycles and the hormone imbalance is causing high lh (which the ovulation sticks test for) hence the high readings. This will prevent ovulation causing the long cycles. High lh can also cause miscarriage too.

I hope it isn't pcos but if you do have it then at least you can get it under control to sort it. (I have/had pcos and whilst it was a horrible shock at least knowing meant that I could take the right action - low gi diet, acupuncture etc and I now have dd 16 months, clearer skin and 31 day cycles.)

kittykatsforever · 20/12/2013 22:14

Hessy that does sound heavy for implantation but some people have periods all the way through their pregnancys and stranger things have happened, I still feel that you can't just presume this will end badly, if it were me I'd take another pregnancy test of the same type as the one you did before and compare line strength first thing tomorrow if you can, if the line has got darker then it would indicate a progressing pregnancy, a fainter line obviously the worst but it definatly won't be from the mc 3 months ago as it's been far too long, big hugs to you it's a horrible position to be in, I've had 2 mc in sucsession but thankfully no 3 stuck and my little girls is fast asleep Now in her cot xx

Original poster
Hessy · 20/12/2013 22:00

Thank you Barking. I think I'm going to be in for a whole world of pain come Monday. One mc is unlucky but two..... I'd do anything not to sit in that awful waiting room again, with all those happy couples waiting for their scans.

Was your BFP positive since you mc? Congratulations if it was Thanks I bet it goes some way towards healing the pain xxx

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barkingtreefrog · 20/12/2013 21:36

I'm so sorry, as I read through the thread I was really hopeful for you (I also mc in September and remember your name on thr mc boards) but that's too much for an implantation bleed Sad . When I got my bfp it was after 5 days of spotting that I'd assumed was AF. I hope you can get some answers soon Thanks .

Original poster
Hessy · 20/12/2013 21:27

Kitty, it was four days of dark blood, medium heaviness, filling a towel over a few hours. Just like my usual period. Nothing like the mc I had at twelve weeks; no cramps, no clots.

What I've read about implantation bleeds is that they're lighter than AF, more like spotting?

The ovulation sticks have been getting darker....

I'm all over the place. This is going to be a long weekend's wait til the EPAU appointment. Dreading going back there.

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kittykatsforever · 20/12/2013 21:14

Hessy was last "af" heavy? I still don't think you can rule out an implantation bleed, I had one thought it was af and only found out I was pregnant as ovulation tests came up positive really early too
Have the ovulation test lines got stronger or fainter?

ladybunnikins · 20/12/2013 19:00

I'm really sorry to hear that Hessy.

Original poster
Hessy · 20/12/2013 18:10

Thank you both. I saw my GP today. He thinks what I thought was AF was probably a mc. I've got a referral to the Early Pregnancy Unit on Monday. Suddenly not feeling very festive anymore Hmm

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ladybunnikins · 20/12/2013 16:17

Three months does seem too long to be testing positive from the miscarriage. Could you have conceived in your last cycle and AF wasn't actually AF but an implantation bleed?
I agree, a visit to your GP or maybe a phone call to your EPU is needed.

Mummyinpink1289 · 20/12/2013 16:01

i would definately go and see your GP, get a blood test or scan done so you can find out, you will go out of you mind with worry if you dont..

Original poster
Hessy · 19/12/2013 19:45

Thank you Imaginary. I've just taken a pregnancy test and it says positive. Ovulation test just now also positive.

I've just looked up to confirm my miscarriage date and it was 21st September. Could I really still have the pregnancy hormone from the miscarriage pregnancy? Three months later?

I can't be pregnant because I had AF from ten days ago, only DtD five days ago so wouldn't show up yet surely from current cycle?

I'm feeling really stupidly distressed by all this. My mc was relatively quick (natural, managed at home) and I had thought that I might be able to conceive quickly. I'm really upset at the thought of still being 'pregnant' with the baby that died.

Do I see my GP? Do I need a blood test? Any advice really welcomed.

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