anyone who's new to the Clearblue fertility monitor?

[iloveberries]

Hello - after a while of TTC with nothing but a chemical pregnancy I have purchased myself a shiny new CBFM in the hope it will make things a bit less stressful. I was an advocate of just having SWI everyother day but in reality that it quite a lot for me and DH and the poor thing works very long hours so not always possible.

I'm starting this thread for anyone else who's started TTC using the CBFM in the hope we can give eachother a little support etc.....

I'm on day 5 today so think i have to start POAS tomorrow......

Anyone out there who wants to join the journey?!!

(well obviously not every morning unless I was buying shares in clearblue.. now there's an idea....)

yep - that's right.... so if you set you 'm' button at 7.30am it will let you test from 4.30 - 10.30 :)

Hi just joined :)

a quick question AF arrived yesterday so I switched the machine on today and pressed the 'm' button and a number 1 appeared (so far so good). Trouble is I work full time (and here's the stupid question) it says you need a 6 hour window to test, can I just switch it on in the morning, if it doesn't ask me to test before switching itself off then I leave it until the next day? I don't have to keep looking at it for 6 hours do i? (told you it was a daft question'

Hi All been so quiet as I've been travelling and POAS happily each month waiting to see if I get a high and ovulation this month so fingers crossed - only on day 7! Man does it make it seem long when you are watching it wach day
iloveberries any sign of AF yet - fingers still crossed for you!

x

lettingitallgo nice name BTW! You don't have to keep looking at it!!! :)

You turn it on once, look at it, if it asks for your POAS then do it, then 5 mins later the result will show.... but you can leave and it'll turn itself off then just turn back to see the result then bingo all done. Did that make sense??

1st time no AF yet but i did POAS yesterday and got a BFN. AF not due till sun or mon though. I so thought this was our month but after BFN got VERY sobby... like properly, climbed back into bed and sobbed and snotted over poor DH!! Feeling better about it now though, it's just that day you get the BFN and the day AF comes, then i feel more positive.

On the plus side I had a friend crying at a toddler group today as her DS2 (3 months) doesn't sleep well at all and has terrible colic and cries a LOT, plus the breastfeeding is torturing her.... so maybe the BFN isn't that bad ;)

Hi everyone! Still testing on first cycle, up to day 12 but still nothing. Have realised that my sticks are nearly 7 months out of date? Do you think that matters?

Iloveberries, sorry to hear about the bfn ( btw what does that actually stand for?! I know what it is...).

iloveberries so sorry you were so upset, there is still hope though - unless hope will make you feel worse?? Def good thinking of the positives though, no newborn keeping you up all night and lots of wine this weekend!
Not doing v good on the SWI intent here, we all have stinking colds and it's the last thing I feel like doing However needs must and all that. Ah the things we have to do!

mrsherculepoirot BFN is big fat negative. I always think that use by dates on things like that are just to get you to buy more, but I don't actually know for sure. Do you think you would have ovulated by now? Do you have long cycles?

another BFN this morning and temps have crashed :( I am out.....

I'm sorry iloveberries so disappointed for you : (

iloveberries so sorry to hear that! I wish there was something I could say to make it better but will be thinking of you and fingers crossed for a BFP in your christmas sticking

Well I remembered to turn the monitor on and set it as day 3 of my cycle - and also realised I don't need to POAOS till day 6 so all good so far!

berries - posted a message to you on the plane :)

Aw, berries! That stinks. I'm sorry. I was hopeful that you might get your BFP this month after all. I agree, temps crashing is not a good sign. How many days post O are you?

mrsherculepoirot were they outdated when you bought them? If so, call the help line - they've sent replacement sticks to other ladies that has happened to. Might not help you for this cycle (and in my opinion, I would not use outdated sticks), but will help offset the cost of buying another set.

Hello to everyone else!

Question for you all... so every month that goes by and I'm not knocked up, I keep adding something new to my TTC regimen. First it I just tried to SWI nearly every day in the middle of the cycle, around the time I thought I might be ovulating. For cycles 2 and 3 I used OPKs. For this cycle, I started temping/charting, using preseed and the CBFM, and still did the OPKs, just in case the CBFM missed my surge (which it didn't, but it was late by 1 day, compared to the OPK). As of a couple of days ago, I just also started taking a B-50 complex (in addition to my multivitamin) because I've read that it can lengthen the luteal phase, and I feel that mine is on the short side (~11 days). Not too optimistic it will help this cycle, but am hopeful it will help in future cycles - assuming there are future cycles! Next month I may also try evening primrose oil. I know this all sounds like a lot, and I guess it is, but I am really eager for this to happen. (Aren't we all.) Are any of the rest of you doing anything else aside from CBFM? Just curious.

Have a great weekend lovely ladies! Anyone testing soon?

I'm out too, just got a BFN, again. I said to myself I wouldn't test unless AF was late but couldn't resist and bought the first response thing, AF due on Tuesday so is pretty clear it's not going to happen this month again. Feel so useless, SWI all the week it was on 2 bars, but missed the peak days as was worn out from SWI 5 days in a row previous! Just feel like it only takes everyone else 3 months or less around me. Sorry know you're all going through similar, just have to whinge to someone!!

pupcake I have given up all caffeine except my one cup of tea in the morning as read this makes it harder to conceive. Have only just started it, miss my 10 cups of tea a day though!!

crystal that's a bummer - I'm sorry. How many days post O are you? Could it be too early to test? Also, apparently the most important 2 days to SWI are the two days immediately preceeding O. Some ladies seem to O on their first peak, others on their second peak. So don't feel bad about not SWI on the peaks, because you still had pretty good timing, if you ask me. How long have you been trying?

I've also given up caffeine - mostly. I will have the occasionally cup of tea, coffee (with lots of milk to water it down), or diet coke, but it's not a daily thing. Maybe 4 times a week? I've also pretty much cut out alcohol, but will occasionally have a glass of wine (one only), if we are out to dinner. Lately though I've been really scaling back on this.

Anyone know what the deal is with baby aspirin? Why people take it/what it's supposed to do? And how much you are supposed to take? I know - I'm obessessing. I can't help it.

I'm sorry crystal could still be a bit early to test though, you never know!
pupcake no advice I'm afraid, I think the main thing I need to do is lose weight but that might have to wait until after Christmas, I'm not doing anything other than SWI and CBFM right now. Give it a couple more months though! Is your partner making any changes?

Hi Chocchip, I know, I know - patience is not my virtue. My DH isn't really making any changes, but he is in tip top shape, very fit, nonsmoker, doesn't drink very much or very often, and eats really healthy (huge # of fruit and veg every day and avoids a lot of processed foods). He normally takes too many vitamins (he is a little excessive) and recently stopped all vitamin supplements, so now I'm trying to get him to go back to taking just his multi. I'm also trying to get him to wear different underwear (he likes the boxer briefs, but they seem pretty tight) but he's not really open to that. He has 2 kids from his first marriage, so I think his swimmers are OK, or at least they were. He's 42 now, so we'll probably get him rechecked out if another few months go by with no BFP.

Well sounds like he's in pretty good shape pupcake!
I'm on day 14 and the 6th 'high' day. How many high days did other people have before they got their peak?

Woohoo - day 16 and first high day, thought I wasn't going to get any!!!

He is, chocchip, and he's really smug about it! Makes it hard to eat sweets in front of him!

I had 2 high days before my peak. My first high day was on CD 15, and my first peak was on CD 17. I was worried I wasn't going to get any highs too, since they seemed to arrive so late in my ~29 day cycle. Chocchip, I think occasionally the monitor can miss your surge (peak) and will then give you a ton of high days and no peak. If you are using OPKs in the afternoon and temping, you can cross-check the CBFM for LH surge and ovulation, respectively. That's my only advice. Otherwise just keep SWI!

Hope all the rest of you are well!

Hooray mrsHerculePoirot!
I have long cycles and am not expecting to ovulate until the end of next week, but I guess that's why I got the CBFM as I don't really know. Am thinking maybe the CBFM just helps you get pregnant because it persuades you to SWI for 3 weeks! Ha!

Hi all, well I was very pleased to read the updates today as am on CD12 and no highs yet. Mrsherculepoirot do you have long cycles? since stopping BF'ing DS in March I've had 33, 37, 38, 39 and 38 day cycles so far, so am guessing I don't OV til about CD 20 ish, its reassuring to see that highs do finally appear though! it does get a bit worrying. Has anyone never had a high reading at all? That is my worry!!

meant to ask also, do you all just SWI on when you get to the high and peak readings or do you SWI during the low readings as well just to be on the safe side?

Maisie55 were you cycles regular before? I was always 28 days but my cycles have been all over the place since they've come back, I'm still breastfeeding and not sure if this is the reason.
I'd say if you have the inclination then SWI during your low days! We are currently aiming for EOD during high days (have had 6 and expecting about 4 more) and on both peak days if they ever appear!

pupcake, chochip, blondie - thanks for joining me in the BFN comiserations. AF arriving at the mo (won't give you TMI but i know) so back onto my CBFM tomorrow....

They call it trying for a reason don't they......

Anyone else ttesting soon? x