Ovulation Question.

[Tokyotwist]

I've only had one full cycle off the pill. It was 38 days but before I went on the pill I averaged 35/36 day cycles.

I want to know when I'm likely to ovulate. I've a box of test sticks but as they're so expensive I don't want to waste them. Do I start testing based on a 35 day cycle as normal or based on 38?

And does anyone know what the realtionship is between Luteal phase and the ovulation calculators?

luteal phase is the number of days between your ovulation and your period. In the average woman, this is 14 days. 10-16 days is considered normal, but most people are round about 14, and there is much less variation in this than there is in the first half of the cycle before ovulation.

You should probably wait one or two more cycles before using the kits as it often takes a month or two to get back to normal. But you should probably go with your shorter cycles so you don't miss ovulation if it comes early.
Don't buy the shop tests, you can save a lot of money buying ovulation tests on either ebay or amazon. Then you can even test twice a day on the two or three days when you are expecting to ovulate.

Once you've worked out when you ovulate, you can count on your luteal phase being pretty fixed to within a couple of days. So if your cycle is regular, you will probably end up pretty aware of when you ovulate.

The average woman will ovulate 14 days before her period is due, but there's a lot of variation. I ovulate on day 12 for example but have a 28 day cycle. So by day 14, I'm finished ovulating. I couldn't rely on the 'average' as remotely accurate. My friend ovulates on day 18 and has a 28 day cycle. So that's two women, same length cycle, 6 days difference between ovulation.

Is there any reason why you need to use sticks? Have you fertility issues? Any reason not to just have regular sex for a couple of months while you work out what your cycle is doing?

Thanks, I thought I might have to wait a bit. Just impatient really. I have wanted to get pregnant for a while now but DH has only just come on board.
I would like to know for sure what my ovulation dates are before we start trying, but only intend to check this once.
Last time I thought I was pregnant, I spent a fortune on both ovulation and test kits and was extremely disapointed to find out I wasn't pregnant. I had no idea of my cycle dates. This time I want to understand what my body is doing so I don't get any false hopes.
I'll look online and thanks for explaining the luteal phase. It explains a lot of why I thought I might be pregnant last time. I thought you ovulated mid periods and so when I had cramps (probably me actually ovulating) about 3.5 weeks after my period start date I thought it was implantation happening.

Like Kat says the luteal phase is pretty fixed in each woman and is normally between 10 - 16 days.

What I would do is take your shortest cycle (think you mention 35 days) and take off 16. Therefore, it's likely that the earliest you would ovulate would be day 19. If your luteal phase is 10 days and your cycle 38 days, then you'd be ovulating around day 28. So it lookes like you probably ovulate 3 - 4 weeks after AF.

I'd go with day 19 and take off 3 (as the LH surge which is what the OPKs measure can happen up to 36 hours before ovulation - normally 24 to 48) and start testing on day 16. You shouldn't need to use much more than 10 sticks in your first cycle to get a +ve OPK, and less once you know your cycle.

Agree with Kat that it might be best to wait for your cycles to regulate before testing.

Good luck

I would not use the OPKs at all if your cycles are consistently long. You'd be better off having blood tests done.

Attila Hate to disagree with you, but the OP won't be able to get blood tests done on the NHS until she's been unable to conceive for a year. I agree with this NHS policy. Blood tests are extremely expensive (about £70 per test) and 80% of couples having regular unprotected intercourse will conceive within a year.

There's nothing to suggest that OP is anovulatory; she only came off the pill one cycle ago.

I don't think there is anything wrong in wanting to pinpoint when you ovulate and educate yourself about your cycle.

A blood test would confirm that you are ovulating , but sadly it won't tell you when you have ovulated. They test for progesterone 7 days before AF due - progesterone is released from the corpus luteum (remnant of the follicle) after ov. If you don't have enough then you probably haven't ovulated.

Too early for that sort of intervention at the moment.

Good luck Tokyo. FX and hope you get a BFP soon!

About OPKs - try these - almost cheap as chips, easy to use (just dip it in a pot of pee (I used to take a small pot to work with me and do it in the toilets!) and reliable. Great if you have long-ish cycles and don't know yet when you O.

www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk/acatalog/Home_Ovulation_Tests.html

If you want a bit more info you could take your temperature every morning (basal body temperature) - which again shows ovulation. Temp is lower in the days pre-ovulation and higher post-ovulation. Maybe look at some of the charting websites - fertilityfriend.com or there's loads of others.

But sounds like your cycles might not take too long to get back to normal - my first off the pill was 70 odd days! But then it gradually got fewer and fewer until I was around regularly around 34-37 days long too. Good Luck - I can remember what it was like to be chomping at the bit inpatient!