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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

could i be ovulating?

19 replies

remnant · 26/07/2012 20:23

I gave my copy of Taking control of your fertility away after DS1 was born, not expecting to ttc again and now, one month in, I'm confused by my cycle and I'm hoping someone with more experience can give me some advice.

Usually have about a 26 day cycle.
Now on day 15, have been testing with clearblue OPK's for the last 6 or 7 days and haven't seen any hint of a stupid smile.
I was about to give up testing for this cycle, but saw some EWCM earlier today. I tested again this evening and no smile but I noticed a very faint second line on the test stick when I took it out.
I'll test again this evening and in the morning. If i see more of a line or a smile should we dtd tonight or tomorrow or both?

OP posts:
KickTheGuru · 27/07/2012 10:51

DTD every other day for the two week period where you would ovulate! That way, you always have sperm there for the best chance.

I never get a smiley face and I tried to get my DH to agree to let me get some new OPK's and his vehement response is "they're shit"

We just DTD as often as possible...

Good luck

KickTheGuru · 27/07/2012 10:53

Also, with the Clear Blue OPK's, do NOT take them out of the plastic casing and check the stick. The reason you see a faint line is because there are chemicals in there that make the stick react, but they aren't the correct chemicals to inspire the smiley face.

It's on the insert in their box if you read it. The stick alone is not an indicator of LH surge. You can only follow the smile or not.

onemoreforgoodmeasure · 27/07/2012 13:19

In my experience and low level research the faint lines on opks are because we naturally produce some LH regularly, it's the surge you're interested and that's what's noted by a smiley face.

I also found I didn't need to use expensive opks that smiled at me (as they never did!), and when I bought the cheapies I was freed up to test 3 x's a day during the window of likelyhood and that's when I started to find the surge.

Hope that helps!

KickTheGuru · 27/07/2012 13:22

Onemore

did you fall pregnant even though you didn't get cb smileys?

kittykatsforever · 27/07/2012 13:34

I would continue to use them for abit longer anyway, they may not work for you but I used to always get a Smile between days 17/19 and my cycle was sometimes 26 days, even 25 first time I tried I got non then next month had to use 2 lots to figure it out, it was always the same each month after that do I just adapted my start date to cd13 hth

onemoreforgoodmeasure · 27/07/2012 17:03

Hi Kick, yes. I've learned a lot since then. I used to test with one brand of opk once a day of a morning as per their instructions, never got a smiley. Then I bought the cheapies that don't want fmu and started testing 3 times a day. I now regularly get positives each month - NOT with FMU. But yes, I got pg while using opks daily with fmu and getting negatives.

KickTheGuru · 27/07/2012 17:06

Yeh I read that the LH surge can last for as little as 3 hours so testing once a day may not be enough.

My DH is just convinced that we need to humpalot - every day or every second day. I may need the turkey basting idea though - rumpy pumpy every other day gets a bit much some times.

Rather that though that rely on the OPKs. I've had two smileys in the past year. Over a year actually. I have 9 left over from when I bought ages ago so using them up this month but will leave the OPK's and other "methods" I think.

Humpalot is our new method Grin

onemoreforgoodmeasure · 27/07/2012 17:07

Ps, I should have added, that it can take 4 hours for the surge to show in your wee. And it may not last 24 hours. So if you test at 7 am your surge might have started but might not yet be detectable in wee. And testing 24 hours later might be too late so you can have ovulated between poas'ing.

KickTheGuru · 27/07/2012 17:10

Yeh I got that info as well :)

It's a bit too wishy washy though, I think. Rather just shag for three weeks than try and "catch" the eggie. Make sure the eggie is swimming in sperm by the time he appears :)

onemoreforgoodmeasure · 27/07/2012 17:44

It's a good method Kick. But all I can say is when I got pg it was a one off that month, so we totally caught the eggie, as you say!

Original poster
remnant · 27/07/2012 18:24

Well, I certainly won't be buying this brand again. The smiley face gimmick is too annoying. I did read that you're supposed to ignore anything you might see on the actual test stick, but was so excited to see any change on it I couldn't ignore. For the record I did another test this morning. No smile but faint line. Tested again just now and got an actual smiley face (and two clear lines fwiw). I'll test again in the morning.

Anyway, Yay! We dtd last night. is that enough? Should we do it again tonight, or tomorrow?

Does a LH surge mean that I have ovulated, or I will, or could it be either?

Thanks for your thoughts

OP posts:
kittykatsforever · 27/07/2012 18:31

I wouldn't bother testing again, once you've got he surge that's it, I have always tested around 5-6 and although it says can use fmu I'm dubious!! And well you proved it today
Lh surge means you should ov within the next 24 -48 hrs but ofcourse no guarentee, well timed last night as I think before is a good time to catch it but I'd do tonight and tomorrow aswell, good luck! Smile

wrighty2010 · 27/07/2012 20:27

Hi, Im not sure if this helps but read a post on another site a while ago about how to tell when your fertile, its more about recognising signs etc, I found it quite interesting. It was by a natural fertlty expert, will attach link at the end, hope it helps, may just reinforce what you already know!! Good luck xxx
forum.prideangel.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=537

KickTheGuru · 28/07/2012 15:16

CM isn't very reliable though - apart from EWCM which may or not occur in everyone and may or may not be as apparent for every women but also, if you don't see it, it doesn't mean you aren't fertile.

Especially if you're taking EPO

EG: Yesterday, I was CD8 and my CM was crazy like EWCM - yet on that forum, it says "no CM seen or felt" - my knickers were clearly all CMed. And I have a typical 29 day cycle.

:)

Original poster
remnant · 28/07/2012 19:53

Well, ftr I took another test when I went to bed, still positive, but was woken up at 2.30 by DS, had to go to the loo and thinking it was much later I did another test and that one was negative. Point being that yes, if I'd just done tests with FMU I'd have missed the surge completely. Lots more EGCM today.

I'd almost forgotten that ovulating is only the first step. Hoping to get lucky again tonight, didn't last night :(

OP posts:
KickTheGuru · 28/07/2012 20:06

Dtd for the next week every other day and you should be good :)

Original poster
remnant · 28/07/2012 20:52

really? all week? -at- -our- -age?-
the thing is that my period is due in about 9 days

OP posts:
KickTheGuru · 28/07/2012 20:57

Ah. That's not really a good thing. Monitor it because your luteal phase needs to be at least 11 days and a max of 16 i think so allow implantation

KickTheGuru · 28/07/2012 21:01

What i mean is that you will probably be late this month because you are more than likely ovulating later than you think.

Hump a lot!!

The smiley face is only the hormone spike before the egg drops so you may only drop the egg in 3 days

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