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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.

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Original poster

Reassurance/info needed from anyone who tracks their ovulation using opks

17 replies

jaykay987 · 23/08/2013 06:05

I was like a kid leading upto Christmas this week. But when I awoke today(Christmas day) I was disappointed to see there are no decorations and no presents!

I used CB advanced opks last cycle. I got high fertility cd12 and cd13. I got peak cd14 which stayed for the standard two days. My temps then peaked on cd17 which FF believes was my ov day.

Today is cd12. I was so excited to see my flashing smiley, but got a low reading instead. We dtd last night and I was convinced it would "count" as my smiley was due today!

I know it's prob silly to be disappointed. But I had lots of symptoms start yesterday (backache, stabbing stomach pains) so was convinced I had started to build up for ovulation. Can you tell me how different your high LH days are each month? One day different? Several days different? I just want to reset my expectations as I clearly need to prepare myself in case I don't see smiley tomorrow morning either!

Thanks!

OP posts:

RaRaZ · 23/08/2013 10:52

Well, I'm on my 6th High day so far.... First month I used them, I got the 'standard' two, and the next month three. This month, six. Bit baffled, but I got the Peak in the end both times before. I think this month my ovulation may be slightly delayed as I've been exercising extremely hard this week.

eurochick · 23/08/2013 11:05

I haven't used the CB OPKs since they changed them to distinguish between high and peak fertility, but over several months of OPKS and temping I worked out that I ovulated on different days on different sides - day 14 on the right side and day 16 on the left.

Original poster

jaykay987 · 23/08/2013 13:23

Ahh - how odd (re the left and right!). This month is definitely left (last was right) so we will have to see if there's a pattern.

Thanks for the comments! This is all so confusing - I feel we learnt nothing at school!

OP posts:

blueamber · 23/08/2013 14:27

It an naturally vary by a few days or so. Ov can get delayed as well for instance due to stress or taking ibuprofen.

Original poster

jaykay987 · 27/08/2013 06:00

Still no fixed smiley (now on cd16). Still flashing.

IC OPKs are not even showing a line yet - yet alone the right shade of colour! Glad I started using CB OPKs first. I like that I can see something is happening. I see from here, some people always get a faint line. I have no line at all, and Im expecting CB OPKs to confirm ovulation any day now.

I'm amazed cycles seem to vary month to month (though I guess it's not really a surprise).

I'm fairly convinced its the IC opk's playing up, not my cycle. As I have other ovulation pains, so Im not too worried at this point that I won't ovulate this month. It did cross my mind that having monitored my cycle for the past cycle and a half (and reassured myself I was regularly ovulating) that maybe I had jumped the gun and there wasn't anything reliable or regular about my cycle!

Wow - ttc messes with your head!

OP posts:

CatsCantFlyFast · 27/08/2013 06:22

Jaykay have you recently come off hormonal contraception as that can cause irregular cycles for a while too

Original poster

jaykay987 · 27/08/2013 06:47

No. Not for a few years.

Ive had backache and cramps the past few days, so pretty sure Ill ovulate soon. I'm also tracking temps, so will know regardless of OPK results!

OP posts:

CatsCantFlyFast · 27/08/2013 08:52

In all my OPK monitored cycles my ICs were never wrong. I would suspect you're just going to O later than usual hence the ICs not showing anything yet. Remember your flashing smiley indicates a rise in oestrogen (which precedes the LH surge which happens before O). The fixed smiley indicates the LH surge. Internet cheapies only measure the LH surge hence you shouldn't expect a line of any kind on an IC during a flashing smiley.
Also, remember its normal to have occasional cycles without ovulation...

Original poster

jaykay987 · 27/08/2013 10:41

It's my first month using IC opks. I wanted to run them parallel to CB so I understand them. So hopefully won't have to buy cd any more (so expensive).

Hopefully they'll show a line when I get my fixed smiley. I was just expecting a line already (albeit not darker than the control line) and so thought Id me spending my time trying to analyse the shade of the line, rather than just not having a line at all.

I'll keep at it, with the cramps I've had, I can imagine this will go on many more days. My temperature has dropped again too, which happened right before ov last month.

OP posts:

CatsCantFlyFast · 27/08/2013 10:48

Some people (like me) have a few days of their ICs getting gradually darker before the positive whereas some people just go from nothing to a positive. As its your first month using them I would recommend testing three times a day as an LH surge can be very short and easy to miss if you only test once a day. Good luck

KedenTTC1Cycle2 · 27/08/2013 16:56

Hi JayKay, I've only just started using OPKs so I'm no help I'm afraid. I am however curious about this;

From Eurochick: worked out that I ovulated on different days on different sides

How can you tell which side you ovulate from?! I've just ovulated myself (positive on Wondfo strip) and I didn't even know you could figure out which side. Is there some way to find out?

Thanks.

Original poster

jaykay987 · 27/08/2013 17:03

I (think) I can tell due to which side the pain is. Last month the pain started on my left (back) side. It then moved to left (front) and ended up central on the front.

This week it has started on my left(back) too. I are been googling today, as I thought it would be right this time. But apparently "alternate" is a myth.

I'm not sure if there are other ways to tell which side.

OP posts:

CatsCantFlyFast · 27/08/2013 17:16

Pain is normally the indicator. If you have a scan during fertility investigations or an internal early pregnancy scan they will be able to tell you which side you ovulated from

blueamber · 27/08/2013 19:47

Yes, the pain is always on the side that you ovulate from, but not everyone gets pain. Jaykay you're right as well that it doesn't always alternate. In my case, the pains are different for each side as well. Right side is just side and front pains, left side is side back and front pains.

Are you tracking you cm and cervical position? These signs also help to determine when you ovulate.

babyrose · 27/08/2013 21:04

From what I remember I only get pain on my right hand side does that mean I don't ovulate from my left at all?

KedenTTC1Cycle2 · 27/08/2013 21:24

Thanks everyone! Very interesting.

I didn't know about that, so was focused on OPK results and EWCM only. I had some pangs here and there (somewhat similar to the ones I get just before AF comes), but I didn't pay enough attention to what side.

If I don't get a BFP on this cycle, I'll definitely pay attention to that.

Original poster

jaykay987 · 28/08/2013 06:52

5th day of flashing smileys/negative IC OPKs

I ovulated today (cd17) last month. Looks like it'll be at least 3 days later this month. Very odd!

OP posts:

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