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Can anyone help me please?

10 replies

monkeykeeper · 03/05/2006 14:11

I am currently trying for a third baby and after not much success in the last eight months have decided to try ovulation sticks. I have done one today and there are two lines one fainter than the other. I know this means i am not ovulating but as there is a faint line does it mean that i am either about to or have recently ovulated? I would appreciate any help as an older mum i'm running out of ideas and time

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AttilaTheMeerkat · 04/05/2006 07:06

Monkeykeeper,

TBH I would not bother with OPK's as these can be beset with problems (quite apart from the expense of the product). They work on two misleading principles; namely that a LH surge is immediately followed by ovulation and that women have only one rise in LH every month. Both of these statements are not correct.

They are also not worth using if your periods are irregular as women with irregular cycles often have LH surges which are not followed by ovulation at all. Irregular periods are often caused by hormonal imbalances (an excess of LH is often the result so the stick reads this excess instead) and this should be checked out further if this is the case with your good self. They are certainly not worth using if clomid is taken (clomid if often given to women with ovulation problems, in this regard PCO is a common culprit).

You do not say how old you are but if you're over 35 I would seek further guidance from your GP sooner rather than later. A blood test can be done to properly assess whether you are ovulating or not.

Do not be fobbed off; it is in your interests to seek answers.

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naditude · 03/05/2006 16:52

MoneyKeeper - I use them every month and have never failed to get a pos result. The only pos you want to take seriously is when the 2 lines are of equal shading. They must be as dark as eachother. You have the 'control' line and the 'test' line. Of course it depends on your cycle length but if you are like me and irregular, then you could be testing forever! Test every day and the best time to test is between 3pm and 8pm.

I'm currently on CD26 and am still waiting for my dark line! If you are a regular 28 day though, you should expect to see a pos around the 13th or 14th day as it detects the hormone that is released about a day BEFORE the egg is released.

Like gemmaseascout says, there are other ways of testing for ov, like charting your waking temp and checking your CM. I do all 3! But have always found the test strips reliable.

Hope this helps! Good luck,

Naditude x
CD26 2nd cyc clomid

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trace2 · 03/05/2006 15:16

it also depends if the test line is darker or same as

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monkeykeeper · 03/05/2006 14:27

thank you very much

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gemmaseascout · 03/05/2006 14:27

it doesnt mean anything like that, sorry.
OV tests dont work for all women. You may miss the surge. Try checking your Cm (loads of links on here) or temping. Are you a normal 28 person? Cos you should ov day 14. But aagin this is different for every woman. HTH
G

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Wisp · 03/05/2006 14:24

Hi I've only used the sticks a couple of times 2 years ago. I'd say yes its tracing a small amount either before or after ovulation.
Sorry not much help at all...someone with experience will come soon ! :)
Good Luck with TTC !