CBFM v. CB OPK stix - which is to be believed?

[Boos75]

Hi ladies,

Call me obsessive, but after using Clear Blue sticks for a while I splashed out this month and bought a Clear Blue Fertility Monitor. As I was paranoid about the CBFM not working properly I've still used the CB stix as well this month (lots of POAS and lots of money!). The CB OPK stix gave me the smiley face yesterday morning but my CBFM just moved up to 'high fertility' where it also was this morning (the CB OPK stix gave me a 'nothing' this morning). So, from your experience which one is likely to be more reliable? I test using both with FMU (though also use the CB stix in the evening).

Bit of background: I'm 35, been ttc #1 for a year - fell pregnant really quickly after coming off the Pill but sadly had a mmc in January.

In May my DH and I had tests done privately -I had a scan all good bar cysts on my ovaries and his sample was good. My GP is sending me for Day 3 and Day 21 blood tests when this cycle finishes and my DH will give another sample. I know if I have PCOS then I should throw all the sticks out of the window but am pretty certain that I ovulate as tend to get the smiley face and then pain the next day and then AF 14 days later - have no other typical PCOS symptoms. Not managed to do the BBT method yet but really should..

Thanks very much x

Hi Boos

Am very sorry to read of your mmc in January.

What did they say exactly about the cysts on the ovaries at the time?. Did they decsribe them as polycystic?. If your ovaries are indeed polycystic then the CB monitor and OPKs are not worth using at all as these can give false readings. If you have PCO the surest way to see if you are ovulating or not is to have blood tests done (not through use of these kits) and done regularly.

Levels of LH rise and fall throughout the month and many women with PCO have an excess level of this hormone; this is what the kit could well be reading here. It is also quite possible to have periods without ovulating (this could well be happening as well). BBT method is also not worth doing in your case, you're monitoring yourself more than enough already and it could just add more to your overall stress levels.

The GP should refer you to a gynae for further evaluation and diagnosis asap bearing in mind your gynae history and previously seen cysts on the ovaries. These tests he is sending you both for could also be done at hospital under the care of a gynae. I would be insisting nicely to your GP that he makes the referral now because you'll likely end up being referred anyway.

The general consensus seems to be that if you are 35 or over and have been ttc for six months without success, you should be referred.

Thanks very much for your reply Attila.

When I had the scan in May she said both ovaries are polycystic but that I may not have the syndrome as would need another symptom for that. I did fall pregnant within a month of trying when I came off the Pill and something that's been playing on my mind is if I have a slight hormone imbalance i.e. the Pill gave me the level of hormones I needed to conceive and they were obv. still in my system when I conceived the month after stopping taking it.

Am pleased that I'm having the blood tests soon (there was a delay as I suffer from depression so GP was sorting out my medication and getting me on something that would minimise risks in pregnancy and wanted that to be sorted first). If the day 3 and 21 tests come back in the normal range should I just continue as we are or do you think I should continue to have more blood tests? If so, what would they be? Would Clomid be another route to take?

Thanks very much, I've seen your replies to other posts and I know you have lots of knowledge about ttc!