The August Bus

[100years]

Beep Beep

The August Bus departs tomorrow....

Come and join me if you are TTC an August baby [hgrin]

This is my first bus and I think I am being brave in starting the engine.

Not sure how to do links but peeonastick.com is pretty informative. Be warned, it might turn you obsessive!

Think doing OPK is a good thing with irregular cycles.

Xx

x-post! You have a choice of sites to obsess on now [grin}

Welcome drdolly have my fingers crossed that you and GetDown have a better month

passthechocs probably many more OPK experts out there... But FWIW I have used Clearblue Digital OPKs for the last couple of months. If you buy them on Amazon 7 sticks are £13ish (packs of 20 sticks £36ish) so not cheap. Instructions with the kit but basically you POAS once a day and you get a on the digital screen of the stick when you get your hormone surge (not sure which hormone but indicates you are soon to ov). For the next 48hrs you should SWI.

Depending on the length of your cycle they recommend a day to start POAS. I have a 26-27 UCL and I think they said to start on CD9 but I started on CD7 (just in case) and got my on CD12. This month I started CD10 and got my on CD13.

If you search for Clearblue on Amazon the other 'internet cheapy' OPKs also come up. You can get 30 for around a £5 or others may know of better deals. Much, much cheaper so probably worth investigating, especially as you may need to test for lots of days to start with given the variety in your cycle length. I haven't used these but I think you get a control line and then a second line detecting your surge. The second line will get darker around your surge. Might be more difficult to use but plenty of people seem to do fine with them. At the cheaper price you could also afford to do a couple of tests a day so you definitely catch your surge.

Sorry for long post, hope it helps!

Teds77 has given a very good summary passthechocs

I got 50 opks from amazon for around £8. I started testing on CD9 ( a bit silly really) am now on CD17 and till no positive, but because they were cheap I'm not feeling guilty about using one every day.

The big downside for me is that you have to test in the day (the hormone being tested for is LH and it doesn't show up in urine until afternoon apparently).

It's a bit of a pain when you are at work TBH... the instructions also say to not wee for 4 hours beforehand and to restrict your liquid intake which is a bit annoying.

Today I met a friend for lunch, and it was a bit of a pain to have to bring my OPK with me... although they are in tiny sachets which can easily fit into a pocket, so you can be quite discreet.

**still no positive

ravelocks thanks for the website - may need to take a look too!

Just spotted your OPK query as well. I've stopped testing as soon as I've got a positive so not really sure. From other MN posts people seem to vary between their surge showing for less than a day (i.e. if they don't test twice a day they might miss it) to others saying like you that they get a positive for 2-3 days.

Even if CD14 was a positive, it might still have been 36 hours before you ov'd and if CD14 was a negative all along you definitely should be SWI-ing today!

by the way, does anyone know if you do OPKs... do you get EWCM before a positive OPK or do you get it afterwards?

Just wondering what to look out for first? I don't even know how early before ov EWCM normally starts? Any ideas?

My CM is definitely creamy at the moment and not clear or stretchy Is it a waste of OPKs to keep doing them every day? I don't want to miss the surge though.

GetDown based on this month I'd say no or at least not so I would notice. At the risk of providing TMI (sorry ) I haven't done any prodding around but I noticed a bit of dampness (ugh, sorry again..) from about CD9. I didn't really know what I was looking for in terms on EWCM but it was certainly not stretchy.

I got a positive opk on CD13 (Weds) and still didn't notice anything until I wiped yesterday evening (late/bedtime on CD14) when there was suddenly a lot of what was clearly EWCM

Very little left this morning (CD15) and all nice and tidy and ahem dry (!) by lunchtime.

So for me it would be 'no' but as I guess the stuff starts up on your cervix it may well have been there I just didn't notice it.

Gah, don't want to take over the thread but didn't want to not respond to your query. Honest answer on using OPKs GetDown is that I don't know.

There is clearly something to be said for relaxing, not stressing about when you are ov'ing and just enjoying DTD. However, would you be more stressed out if you dropped the OPKs but kept wondering whether you had missed your best opportunity this month? Don't really know what to advise

I followed the opk instructions to a dot last month and got a BFN. Generations of women never had the option of using them and produced children aplenty.

As it's so close to your mc I'd say spoil yourself a little bit this month. If you'll feel better and less worried using the opks everyday then do that and maybe have a re-think next month?

Thanks for the info guys - was rather shocked at how irregular my cycle was. Think I may investigate fertility friend and the peeonastick one (do you think they lurked on MN to get the idea for the name?). Was a little wary of FF (not heard of the other one before), as I thought it meant taking my, ahem, temperature, and have never been too sure about that one. Will start by logging dates properly and will seek out the Amazon OPKs - think dh would have a fit if he knew was spending more money on wee sticks though.

Another dim question - and please excuse much ignorance - but can I use a normal thermometer, or do you have to get special 'lady' thermometers? Obviously have slight concerns about using the family thermometer, when at some point will be required to be in somebodies mouth...

Oh, and this may be TTMI, but I didn't notice the EWCM until TTC this time around. Not sure if this is because the first two caught very quickly and this time its taking a while, making me more aware of things like that this time, or if its one of those lovely post pregnancy things they don't tell you about before. Because I definitely get it now, and it is very obvious and very different to the usual.

passthechcs you defo need a BBT thermometer which goes to 2 decimal places. I just put it in my mouth under my tongue and it works fine - does go anywhere near the ladybits!!

thanks Teds77 that's really helpful. I guess you can get a positive OPK before any other signs of fertility then.

That is kind of what I wanted to hear because I thought "am I wasting loads of OPKs if I've not started having the EWCM yet?"

It's so frustrating not knowing what my body is doing this cycle. Last cycle I ov'd on day 16 and the cycle before that on day 13. I am on day 17 now and not a twinge.

You're right about previous generations and not needing OPks. I wonder though, how many women remained childless and it just wasn't acceptable to talk about it. There is definitely something to be said for relaxing and enjoying the love-making though. I just can't seem to help myself getting obsessed though.

passthechocs - temp taking is really not that scary. As ravenlocks says, you need a special BBT one that takes it to two decimal places. You can log them on FF to spot patterns. And you definitely don't need to take your temp vaginally - uurgh!

Meant "doesn't go anywhere near"

Evening ladies. I'm going to the doctor in the morning to discuss the weird cycles I've been having (last cycle was 42 days, previous one was shorter but had bleeding for nearly 3 weeks). I feel a bit of a fraud really because I made the appointment last Friday, before AF showed up, this was the earliest I could get. Of course AF showed up the next day and so I feel a bit silly going along to say I had a late period. (It's not just that, the last few cycles have been rather dodgy, and I always get bleeding mid-cycle, which probably ought to be checked out). Any last minute advice for what I need to be saying/ what info I should go armed with? I'm fully expecting to be told it's more than likely all fine, after effects of coming off the pill (10 months ago) and to wait and see, keep a note of anything unusual, etc etc, but I'll be glad to have a note "in the system" as it were, in case in another few months we're still TTC.
Wish me luck

hi eskarina a few mmonths back my periods were all over the place (usually about 28days between, lasting 7days) e.g. on for 3 days, 1 week off then on for a week, a few days off then on for 2 more days etc. all gone back to normal now, so i dont know if perhaps it may have been down to stress or something.
BUT you're right to get checked out just to be on teh safe side, and also to put your mind at rest
best of luck (tho im sure u dont need it)

Hope you get on ok today Eskarina... what did the dr. say?

CD18 for me. Not a drop of EWCM, no twinges, temps are down, used my 10th OPK now with no positive.

Waiting, waiting, waiting....................

Morning all. No time to catch up properly as tons of work and swi to do this weekend. Just adding my congrats to 100years!

Damn it! Meant to take temp this morning and forgot until it was too late. Slept for 12hrs straight coz of jet lag. Teds thanks for your post, I did SWI last night, but SOOOOO annoyed at all the timings this cycle. Also FF is telling me that next cycle AF is due on Xmas day, great (!).

Eskarina didn't see your post til this morning so sorry couldn't give you any input before your apt. How did it go?

Getdown horrible waiting game isn't it. U will get your positive soon I bet.

DH making me breakfast in bed, yeah! I never sleep this late, but then it isn't even 5am where I spent this week.

thanks ravenlocks hope so!

Annoying you missed your temp this morning but don't worry, the odd missed one won't make a difference to the overall shape of the chart.

What CD are you on?

Breakfast in bed, eh? Lucky girl. Also a bit at your 12 hours sleep!
I woke up at 3am and then again at 6am

Morning all.
Rather surprisingly my trip to the GP was ramarkably successful. I'm glad I held out to see this particular doctor as she took me seriously, read my little notebook I've been keeping about my cycles and symptoms, did lots of reassuring and, most importantly referred me for a scan at the local hospital. She is fairly sure that it's poly-cystic ovaries (not PCOS - I didn't realise you could have the cycts without the syndrome) and the scan is to confirm this.
Depending on the results of the scan I'll have blood tests to follow up and if still nothing happens DH may have to have a sperm test (you should have seen his face when I told him that!), and clomid may be the answer. But that's a long way off.

Her biggest recommendation was to get a Persona monitor. Has anyone used one? I'd been toying with getting a CBFM - does anyone know if either is better? Dr was quite adamant that persona is the one to go for, but reading their site I'm not so sure. I've got plenty of time to make a decision - you have to do the first test on CD6 and I'm now on CD8 so I have to wait until next cycle anyway, so I can use up my stash of OPK's this month.

I feel OK about all this, wanted to cry whilst I was in there, but apparently it's really common and there's no reason I won't get pregnant eventually, but it could take longer than average. I bought a big chocolate brownie from the bakers in the farmers market and feel rather better now .

Getdown sorry for lack of sleep and ovulation. I hope everything settles down soon. You're not wasting OPK's, they're there to tell you if and when you're ovulation, and when you're not. Knowing it hasn't happened yet this month, whilst annoying, is valuable information in itself.

Raven I'm sure missing doing your temp for a day won't matter, especially if you're jetlagged - you may have got a wonky result anyway until your body works out what time zone you're in.

Am really glad the dr. took you seriously eskarina it can be a shock hearing "scans" "sperm tests" "cysts" etc. but at least you are getting somewhere, and you are getting nearer your goal.

Nothing worse than a dismissive GP who just says, go away and keep trying.

It's great she was reassuring, and she was totally right that there is still every chance you can get pregnant.

Oh Sorry Eskarina that you have to wait so long. What a crappy thing they can't do it now. Just enjoy the shagging this month!! Fingers crossed everything is OK and it won't take too long.

Well I'm supposed to be OVing this weekend. No sign of any EWCM, and none really since I came off the pill end of August so not sure if this means I'm not Oving???

Am having regular periods (35 days post pill, 28 days next one) so very confused.

Thanks Klou and *Getdown.
Klou it's not so much that they can't do anything now - I can go for my scan, more that the fertility monitors need to build up a picture of your hormones over a full cycle, so you need to start at the beginning of the cycle to get a full picture IYSWIM.
Have you used OPKs or temp charting to see if you're getting signs of ovulation? Not everyone gets EWCM apparently although I understand it's supposed to be important in conceiving. I've been taking evening primrose oil capsules and drinking copious amounts of grapefruit juice this month. So far I seem to have more discharge than usual, although it's too early for EWCM (sorry if TMI )