Anyone used OPKs or CBFM and subsequently find out they're not ovulating?

[PandaSam]

I used OPKs for a couple of months and then ClearBlue Fertility Monitor for six months or so and it looked like I had regular 30 day cycles - ovulating around day 15-16.

But on another thread someone said that just because they show you are ovulating doesn't mean you actually are - all they are measuing is an increase in LH.

So has anyone else been merrily using them thinking all is OK only to subsequently find out they were not ovulating at all?

And if these tests are not accurate, how can you actually find out whether you ovulate or not?

Thanks

Hi there

Do you also plot your temperature? I think OPKs detect the LH, but the temp increase detects progesterone i.e. shows you have actually ovulated.

The two used together are very helpful in giving you an overall picture of your cycle.

The best way to confirm ovulation is to have a "Day 21 progesterone blood test".

If you have been TTC for 1 year (or 6 months if you are over 35) without success then your GP can arrange this.

Although it is called a "day 21 test" it is actually carried out 7 days before AF is due. This means if you have a 35 day cycle it would be undertaken on day 28.

When you ovulate the ruptured follicle becomes the corpus luteum. It then secretes progesterone to maintain the lining of the womb allowing implantation to occur if the egg has been fertilised. As ovulation occurs on average 14 days before AF, then a progesterone test 7 days before AF should capture the peak in this hormone. It's rare to find elevated progesterone levels in an anovulatory woman so this test is more indicative of ovulation than looking at LH levels. LH levels can be raised in anovulatory women, often seen with PCO.

However, given that you have regular cycles (that is key) AND you regularly get the LH surge around day 15 - 16 I really don't think you have anything to worry about.

I use the CBFM too (and have used OPKs). I have a regular 28 day cycle and get an LH surge on day 15 without fail. I've been TTC for over a year. My GP has just run the day 21 test and it was fine. DH has been referred for SA now.

Thanks both.

KnackeredCow - did your GP do your blood test? I went to see mine a month ago (a rather unsympathetic female locum) who has referred me to a subfertility clinic but my appointment isn't until the end of November - should they have done the blood tests themselves?

Panda . Yes, my GP did the blood test. It does depend on your location. In some areas blood tests are undertaken by GP. Mine did FSH / LH; progesterone; chlamydia & ghonnorhea swabs(to indicate whether there's a risk of blocked tubes); checked I was immune to Rubella through blood test and also did blood tests to check I'm not diabetic (increased risk of PCO) and my thyroid is functioning OK (this can cause problems with fertility, but wouldn't be treated by a FC).

Where I live the FC won't take referrals until all the baseline tests are done. This is different in some areas. If this is the case, they will refuse the referral and send a letter back to the GP stipulating what tests she will need to do. It could delay the process, but you will still get them done eventually. My NHS FC has a website that sets out what is requred for referral - maybe yours does in which case it might be worth taking a look?

Hopefully your GP has got it right, but I am always a bit wary of locums; if they have recently arrived from another PCT, they might not be aware of the protocol in your area.

On the up side, she may have been unsympathetic but at least she has referred you. It's easy to be unlucky and catch a GP on a bad day. They are only human after all.