A thread for anyone TTC with a ClearBlue Fertility Monitor!

ChandlersFarang, I didn't know that the more prominent line fades the closer you get to ovulation? I'm on CD11, monitor gave me a high reading this morning but the line is still quite dark and second line is barely visible. Hope you get your peak soon!

Ooh, I thought I had everything ttc related but hadn't come across the ovulation microscope, have added it to my Amazon wish list - thanks HighWitch
Hope your CBFMonsters start giving out peak readings soon ladies!

Hi ChandlersFarang.
The ovulation microscope I have is this one: www.amazon.co.uk/Babystart-BSF-FertilFocus-Ovulation-Microscope/dp/B001CQJPS4. Now I must say that it is quite a lot of money for what it is (I was extremely lucky and bought mine for about £3 at Tesco a few years back). However, it is completely re-usable and so that does help make the cost a bit easier to cope with. To use, you add a drop of saliva to the lens first thing in the morning (or anytime as long as you have had nothing to eat or drink for at least 3 hours so first thing is easier I find). You then wait for it to dry, pop the lens back into the case and use the built in light to view the sample. The idea is that the estrogen causes the saliva to take on a 'ferning' pattern which looks like ferns on a plant or frost on a window. The more ferns you get, the closer to ovulation you are.

It is very discreet as it is about the size of a lipstick and I do it in the morning as part of a routine. Basal body temperature via thermometer, drop of saliva on the microscope lens, CBFM test stick (where applicable). All the data from that gets added to my fertility friend app on my phone.

My monitor has showed nothing but high readings for the last 9 days (and one low reading the day before that) so I am getting a bit disheartened by it now. The only thing which is helping is that I did get some cramping yesterday and again this morning which I am hoping are ovulation pains and that the high readings on the monitor is simply because this is the first proper cycle the monitor has done for me since TTC with my last child. I am on CD16 so should have ovulated by now assuming I have a 28 day cycle.

For yours though, I thought the monitor only asks for 10-20 sticks so sounds a bit worrying if this morning was your 20th test. Hopefully you have already ovulated and the monitor simply didn't recognise it.

Im on CD9 today still a low reading and these stomach cramps wont do one looked at my ovulation app and tomorrow should be a high FX please be a high and put my PCOS theories to and end !

Thanks Chandlers and Guineapig.
Guineapig, I'm on CD10 and I had my first high today so I'm feeling good about the week ahead. My sister had her DD from one cycle of her CBFM! As I don't tend to experience ov symptoms, I like the fact that it does the thinking for you! As it is my first cycle using it, from what I've read, I'm expecting a lot of high days before the peak. It's going to be a busy week! FX for us all!

Hi all, i'm a bit late to this thread as I had forgotten all about the conception boards til this morning when I had a lightbulb moment. I am currently on my first official cycle to TTC number 3. I am a bit nervous about it as both my children were clomid pregnancies but this time I am trying on my own so to speak. I had great success with the CBFM for DC2 and conceived on my first cycle (DC1 was conceived without). I tend to go in all guns blazing though and also use the fertility friend app on my phone, a ovulation microscope and I am also charting my basal body temperature.
I am currently on CD15 and have been getting a high reading on my monitor since CD8. The lines on the test sticks are more or less equal now compared to how they were on previous days so am hoping that means that ovulation is due soon.

Glad to see how many others have had success with the CBFM. I can see why they advertise that it increases conception odds to 89%, this thread is at least proof enough that it works extremely well.

Hey chandler its 4Am here in the UK its OHs fault im awake this time he suggested staying up late lol now i cant sleep ah well its sunday im catholic on sundays purely for the day of rest thing rest of the week religion ? What religion ? Lol

Welcome blankfornames and tattytaddy, lovely to have you join, the more the merrier I say! Sorry both for your losses, not that words can make it any easier.

How are you both finding the monitors? I am a complete novice using it, bought it on a bit of a whim last month when AF arrived, but finding it quite reassuring in that I feel more proactive about the whole thing! Best of luck for us all this month. Here's to a lot of positivity all round

Hi everyone,

I'm using the cbfm for no:2. Had great success with using my cbfm last time. Got bfp after first month of trying, sadly it ended in MC. Luckily, when trying again after MC got bfp first time again using cbfm.

I'm on my third cycle this time around, hopefully it will work soon! Currently on day 24 of cycle, do will know either way next week.

Hi Ladies, I hope you doing mind me joining?! I had a m/c 5 weeks ago at 6 wks. Had to have a d&c. Devastated but we want to ttc again so am using a CBFM for the first time. I was lucky that AF came 4 weeks after so didn't have long to wait. I'm on cd9 but still no highs yet. I didn't ov at all last month so really hoping that things have corrected themselves this month.
Kaymondo & Joosie, lovely to hear your positive stories! Congrats to you both!
I've been taking Clonfolic acid for a while now but anyone know if I need to be taking anything else or is that enough?
Thanks and best of luck to you all!

Ok just got up so my weird sense of humour has gone I'm on CD8 today 3rd test and its still low I'm not expecting highs or peaks yet though my uterine lining will still be recovering from hurricane AF

Ha He'd! It is the first thing I think of every morning too! CD9 today and got my first High! Ridiculously pleased about it but going to have to pace myself as have read about people getting loads of Highs before the Peak, especially in the first cycle using the monitor.

i love my sticks. i love my monitor. i love feeding my monitor. my monitor is my precious ooookk bedtime for me lol the sleep deprivation is making my weird sense of humor appear and i'm usually the only one that laughs at my weird sense of humor

Hope all is ok Chandlers. I thought of you when I heard the news yesterday.
Still - I guess you are pretty used to it over there!
Hed - step away from the sticks! I can't think that I ever looked at one of mine; just stuck it straight into the monitor. Although symptom spotting I can identify with

off to sleep now chandler up at 11am to do the test then back to bed lol i have insomnia btw its rather hectic for me too sleep

argh cant sleep getting bloaty feelings in my tummy ! must not start symptom spotting promised i wouldnt this month lol

CD7 and another low reading and an evap line. should be picking up on the 25th and staying high until the 30th where i should get a peak ! if all goes to plan that is. good luck with your monitors everyone

Thanks all.
Chandlers, the appointment was really helpful. I am nearly 42 and, being a practical girl and having agreed that we would try for a year before getting on with our lives, I wanted to check that my body was actually capable of getting pregnant. If it wasn't, we would have stopped as we also agreed that we didn't want to go down any invasive routes (just not for me).
The doc was v nice - we had a chat about general health and then he did an internal ultrasound - he showed me everything on the monitor. He then did a blood test. We did talk about other things we could do - which was not much apart from immediately starting IVF. DH was offered a sperm test as well. He was able to tell me immediately that I had the usual number of eggs for someone of my age and that he could see no reason why I would not get pg. Confirmed a few days later by the blood test.
For those of you using the monitors:

• I didn't get an egg on a couple of cycles (which is why I went to the doc)
• Just follow the instructions, while it should work immediately it does need to learn your cycle so don't confuse it by second guessing, using old sticks etc

yh it would probably upset the monitor and confuse it if you reused sticks i dont really want to handle my pee sticks more than once or have a smelly one lingering around the bathroom i know i'm terrified of not OV !! paranoid but ive always been on the small side and i didn't start AF till i was 15 !! i still get ID'd in shops because i'm so small im sure i'll OV though no reason i should AF has evened out in past few years so that should be a good sign

Hedwiggity, I agree with you about it being nice to know when ov actually happens. Based on the usual 28 day cycle we've been concentrating our efforts round day 14 but I'll be interested to know if ov actually takes place then or a bit before or a bit after. Got to admit I'm a big scared that there'll be no evidence of ovulation at all which is completely daft as I've had regular 28-30 day cycles for the past year and no suggestion at all of non-ovulation!!!

On a separate note, surely to reuse sticks defeats the whole object of the monitor? It is supposed to detect changes in hormone levels so if you reuse, even if it's when you know you're going to get a peak, that will skew the results?

sighing um that doesn't make sense the monitor wants a test every day for 10 days it kind of defeats the object putting used tests back in it there only £24 for 20 on amazon which is a reasonable price for them for the technology you get. plus used stick go in the bin urgh.

A money saving tip. After you've got a peak reading switch to a low reading stick. Yes this means keeping a low reading stick about the place ... But it saves a few sticks a cycle.