TTC!!!! Clear blue fertility monitor

[Roxyjade]

Hi All,
Im new to the site and wondered if I could have a little advise please.
we have been TTC for over a year now, Doctor has sent me for progestrone blood tests and also i am due to have a internal ultrasound soon. My partner has had a sperm analysis and he was told he is fine, in fact above average!

I decided to purchase a CBFM and my first test was on wednesday (day 6) I got a High reading on day 6 and day 7. today I have done another test (day 8) and that also says High! is it normal to get high reading so early in testing, I only finished AF on day Tuesday.

Any advise I owuld really appriciate,

Thank you xxxxxx

TBH, at over 12 months at TTC without success you are well beyond the stage of using such things. It may not prove at all helpful and it is already not because you are confused by such repeated high readings. I would avoid using such things altogether.

What are your periods like anyway?. If they are irregular in nature then such kits can be doubly unhelpful as they can give inaccurate and repeated positive readings. These kits measure LH; if the level of LH is too high to start with the kit measures that high level and thus gives a false positive result.

You should also have a day 2 test done to check and compare your LH level against that of your FSH level. Progesterone is only part of the story. Presumably they will do an internal ultrasound to see if your ovaries are polycystic.

Has the GP not referred you as yet as a couple to the subfertility unit?. At this stage you should now receive a referral. GP should stop messing about and refer you onto the specialists now. You need a diagnosis first and foremost and to date you have been inadequately investigated by the GP.

It is all too easy to be fobbed off and you will need to be persistant in order to get answers.

Roxyjade that does seem very early to be getting the high, though everyone's cycle is different. It probably won't do any harm to continue to use the monitor while taking on some of the advice below. It might also be worth calling the helpline incase it is a common user error? Do you think if it is correct that you have been missing your window of opportunity?

Following it for a couple of months will give you a better pattern though. I found out from the monitor that my cycle alternated. 28 days, 32 days and had different ovulation times. Knowing when I ovulated stopped me testing too early.

Let us know how you get on.

Hi Attila

My periods were fine until feb this year. I was sure I was preganant as i had totally missed one but i wasnt, my body just didnt give me one. Then I came on the following month, and then i came on again after that and the doctors did start to pull there finger out and check me out.

I had my fist lot of prog test last month as when i had 2 periods in one month the did check my FSH and LH and they were fine, but my prog was 4.9!!!!, One readying was N/A as i had just come off, the second week it read 29 and the third it read 26. Doctor said they could of just missed it so i have to go for 2 more, one 24 days after period and one 26 days after period.

Yes ultrasound is to check my ovaries out (im a little scared) Me and partner actually paid for his test ourself as we were getting frustrated with docotrs and now I think they are taking us a little more serious and they no we want it so bad.

So shall i not use the CBFM

Hi Curiosity cola

I agree, it does seem strange to have 3 high readings on the first 3 days of using. I might call them. Im just so annoyed with all this testing. I used cheap ovluation test before the CBFM and I never got a positive reading! so i thought it would be different with the CBFM. I might just right this month off and wait until next cycle when it gets to know my body a bit better. May I aks how long you have been using the CBFM for?

Hi roxy, I agree with attila, but just to say that lots of people get lots of highs the first month, maybe no peak, as the cbfm gets to know you.

I've been trying similar time to you and am having investigations but still using cbfm as I find it helpful.

Hi Roxyjade

With a prog level of 4.9 it is actually likely that your LH and FSH levels that month were not right either. LH and FSH are two very important hormones that kickstart the ovulation process; if these are awry then ovulation will be affected.
Also it is likely that they did not test your hormone levels on the correct days.

re this comment:-
"Doctor said they could of just missed it so i have to go for 2 more, one 24 days after period and one 26 days after period".

That will show them nothing of any use or real benefit. They can and should do tests according to calendar days; you need a day 2 one to check and compare your LH against your FSH level.

Would not use the monitor in such circs as it could well still prove unhelpful to you. If your periods are still irregular this is yet another reason not to use such things.

Have had more internal scans to have a look at my ovaries and uterus than I care to mention but the fear of same is far worse than the reality. Its really not that awful a procedure.

Hi Attila,

they said that my cycle seems to be adjusting itself again, as it was 30 days last month which is why she then said to test on cycle dsay 24 & 26.

She didnt say anythign about my LH or FSH so I might mention when I next go back.

Im really worried Im infertile now, all these test are really stressful and I no stress plays a big part in getting pregnant. Atleast the internal test isnt that bad as you say. are your LH and FSH levels ok, has your doctor recommended any medication such as clomid? I have read this is really good to kick start ovulation?

Hey Keepitgoing

How was your first month of using the CBFM, did you get any highs straight away?

Maybe your right, maybe i just need the CBFM to get to know me a little better. How long have you been using the CBFM may I ask?

Hi Roxyjade,

re your comment:-
"they said that my cycle seems to be adjusting itself again, as it was 30 days last month which is why she then said to test on cycle dsay 24 & 26".

Many GPs are not that great tbh when it comes to such potential subfertility issues. Also it seems that this person has not referred you as yet which should be now happening given the amount of time you have been trying to conceive.

They'd be better off sticking to calendar days i.e doing a day 21 test as this is a standard test. Also a day 2 test is a must as well as this will see what your LH and FSH levels are like.

My LH/FSH were well out of sync due to PCOS so my progesterone levels were also low.

You need a diagnosis first and foremost. That's what I'd be aiming at for the time being along with a referral.

Stress itself would not cause such issues to arise; it would not have such an effect.

Clomid is actually quite powerful stuff and should be ideally only given under gynae supervision. You should be monitored whilst on it as well as no monitoring means you have no idea whether its doing what its supposed to or not. Clomid's main job is to make the ovaries work harder. BTW I was not deemed suitable to take clomid due to my already too high LH levels; clomid can cause such levels to further rise.

You will need to be persistant in order to get answers.

Yes you right I do need to be persistant. I changed doctors as I had moved and (which was about 3 months ago) and the new doctors are giving em the tests. ,y old doctors done nothing, said I was fine because I was young (i was 25 at the time, now 26 ) the firsts et of blood test I had was the 21 test (so she said) and then she said it seems my cycles are adjusting back to normal (60 days, 34 days, 17 days then 30days x2) I iwll have these 2 blood tests i have forms for and then get results and then persist them a bit more.

She said once I have the examination they will no a bit more????

Yes I have heard that with clomid to, but i wont go on it unless doctor perscribes.

Its very frustrating im not pregenant as yet. May I ask how long you have been trying for as you have PCOS and wondering if I have that to?

Roxyjade

I would insist to your GP now that the subfertility unit that you are referred to carries out further tests. Many GPs are not up to speed or have all that much knowledge when it comes to problems with fertility; you need a referral now. Your former GP practice certainly fobbed you off and displayed a sheer lack of knowledge.

A "normal" cycle is a cycle length of between 21 and 35 days OR with less than 4 days of variation from month to month. Your cycle would certainly be seen as irregular, also it is quite possible to have periods without ovulating.

Gynae should only prescribe clomid, certainly not the GP as they cannot monitor you properly.

I have PCOS and became pg after a year's fertility treatment (I ended up having ovarian diathermy surgery).

roxy I'm on month 13 ttc, month 2 cbfm. First month u got highs until my peak, this month a couple of lies first. I have cycles that vary by 5 days, so its useful, but I don't entirely trust it... We are also being tested, I have had an hsg yesterday and have an ultrasound next week. So far mild male factor has been found

I would carry on with the monitor as it takes a while to learn your cycles, it must be detecting an oestrogen surge for it to have a high. Just to let you know if you have a peak day it is programmed to give you two peak days as after the first one it goes into auto pilot.

I would suggest that you read toni weschler's book taking charge of your fertility. Have you thought about charting, that will give you a good idea if you are ovulating and which day you are ovulating. You have to take your temperature first thing in the morning before you get out of bed or do anything at all. You have to do this at the same time every day even at the weekends. If you are ovulating you will see a pattern emerge of lows before ovulation moving to highs are ovulation. Do you have lots of cm? Cm is a really good indicator of fertility as well as the closer you get to ovulation the more cm you have ( eggwhite is the most fertile ) after ovulation cm dries up and you have a temperature rise. The day of ovuation can move from cycle to cycle and can be affected by stress etc... so you could ovulate on day 12 and have a twelve day luteal phase which would give you a 24 day cycle and the next month ovulate on day 18 and have a 12 day lp which would give you a 30 day cycle. The number of days after ovulation does not vary much by a day or so for each woman. The most accurate way to take your temperature is internally, you need to buy a thermeter that is specifically for charting as they are more accurate and have two decimal places. They are not expensive to buy. If you are not ovulating there will be no temperature shift at all from low to high.

Toni weschler has an internet site which you might find interesting to look at , here is the link www.tcoyf.com, there are examples of non ovulatory cycles . I do know people who took over a year to get pregnant but thought that they were ovulating later in the cycle than they were so missed the window. Charting gives you lots of information about what your body is doing.

Sorry i have written a tome :) but hope this helps you .

Just wanted to add in my experience of using a CBFM - for the first 3 months I got high readings for several days of my cycle but no peak readings. I was starting to panic thinking I wasnt ovulating
But then for the last 3 months ive had peak readings, twice on days 19/20 and once day 9/10 so pretty much straight after my period. So dont panic for the first couple of months using it as it might not show a peak reading... keep going !

Attila,
You can have a normal cycle that varies of more than four days! As long as you are ovulating and have a long enough lp you can get pregnant on a 25 day cycle or a 33 day cycle. Every cycle is different but your lp will normally be consistent to within a day or two.

Roxyjade I used the monitor for about nine months before becoming pregnant. I was keeping a very close eye on ovulation due to a previous ectopic pregnancy. It made me feel more in control by knowing what my body was doing. I hope you get the answers you need. I think Atilla makes a good point about being persistent. Also, the tests and exams will be worth it. Good luck.

Hi All

So i done another test this morning and that was also a high, so I am going to wait until next month and see if it has started to no my body

I have tried check my CM, but the scary thing is....I dont really get iot :)

The only time I can say I have had it is when i cam off the pill and now I havent seen it :(

Thanks homeaway I will look at the link now :)

Not having much cm could be part of the reason that you are not having much luck. The sperm can only survive for a little while in the ejaculate and will soon die if they are not nourished by your cm. The good news is that you can do lots of things to improve your cm. You might have to try different things as somethings work better for some women than others.

hi roxy, I have been using a CBFM and I get high (oestrogen surge) quite early on, often around day 9, but I have quite short cycles, about 24 days. It will be just getting to know you to start with.

I would second the Toni Wechsler book, it really helps to get to know your cycle.

I would also second pushing your doc for more tests.

homeaway, what can you do to boost your egg white cm?

Hi tasmaniandevilchaser

yes it prob is still getting to know my cycle, Bad thing is though, i missed the testing window this morning. I am gutted! inever sleep in and i did (i got a bad cold) will this now effect the cbfm getting to know me.

yes any ideas on how to boost cm would be reallt helpful :)

hey folks, I have used the CBFM for 10 months now. I did get pg during that time but sadly it was ectopic. Now TTC again and using it.

everything you're saying sounds normal OP... it just takes a while to learn your cycle.

I have started using pre-seed. It doesn't boost CM but it does give some extra lube for the spermies to live in - and it makes all the shagging more enjoyable!

Good luck (hiya tas)

Hi iloveberries

Pre-seed, yes I have heeared of this so great I will try as you have used. Sorry to be a bit personal but what one have you used as I have seen the normal lub (which I assume your put on the eilly) and a another one that you have to insert in vagina (is that right) :)