A thread for anyone TTC with a ClearBlue Fertility Monitor!

[ChandlersFarang]

Morning ladies!! I was hunting around for a recent thread for anyone TTC with a CBFM but couldn't find any - please let me know if one is ongoing that I didn't find!! But otherwise I wanted a place to share experiences with other ladies using this rather interesting gadget. It makes big claims for success!!

About me - I'm TTC baby #1, cycle #3, expecting AF or BFP on 2-12 June.

I'm still having slightly long cycles after stopping the pill - this is my first cycle using the monitor properly, because my last cycle went on for 40 days, and the machine got bored and stopped asking for sticks after 25 days!!

I'm currently on CD09 and had my first day of a high reading today, although I know the machine gives out high readings like they're going out of fashion so not reading much into that! Will be kicking off the SMEP (sperm meets egg plan!) from today though anyway just to be sure.

Would love to hear from you!!

[ChandlersFarang]

Did it still say 'low' Hed even though you could see two lines? Usually I can only see one line until the LH starts being picked up! Although have never seen what a peak stick looks like yet as it got bored and stopped asking to be fed last month on CD28!

Love the idea of us all feeding the greedy machine with pee sticks by the way. Odd diet.

[ChandlersFarang]

Just as an update from me, I'm now on CD16 of what I expect will be another long cycle - not expecting a peak for another 9 or so days!!

I've been getting high readings since CD9, so that's 7 days already. I learned my lesson last month with this though so haven't shagged ourselves to death yet!! We have been following the SMEP and just DTDing every other day, which is perfectly doable for us luckily... Roll on the peak!!

[guineapig1]

Hed, yes both the tests I've done so far have been "low" but have had two lines one, one strong and one fainter! I must admit that the first one in particular did look like a bfp though clearly not!!

[hedwiggity]

Chandler it said low yh but just seeing that evap line made me go all warm and fuzzy like a taste of what to come it was fantastic super happy today and actually enjoying TTC again BFP due july cant wait !!

[hedwiggity]

Having a CBFM is like having a pet that needs feeding each morning i should OV on the 1st and surge should start on 27th ish till 2nd IF my ovulation app is right good thing about the monitor is it can tell if we are bang on or way off the mark will be good to finally tell

[Sighing]

A money saving tip. After you've got a peak reading switch to a low reading stick. Yes this means keeping a low reading stick about the place ... But it saves a few sticks a cycle.

[hedwiggity]

sighing um that doesn't make sense the monitor wants a test every day for 10 days it kind of defeats the object putting used tests back in it there only £24 for 20 on amazon which is a reasonable price for them for the technology you get. plus used stick go in the bin urgh.

[guineapig1]

Hedwiggity, I agree with you about it being nice to know when ov actually happens. Based on the usual 28 day cycle we've been concentrating our efforts round day 14 but I'll be interested to know if ov actually takes place then or a bit before or a bit after. Got to admit I'm a big scared that there'll be no evidence of ovulation at all which is completely daft as I've had regular 28-30 day cycles for the past year and no suggestion at all of non-ovulation!!!

On a separate note, surely to reuse sticks defeats the whole object of the monitor? It is supposed to detect changes in hormone levels so if you reuse, even if it's when you know you're going to get a peak, that will skew the results?

[hedwiggity]

yh it would probably upset the monitor and confuse it if you reused sticks i dont really want to handle my pee sticks more than once or have a smelly one lingering around the bathroom i know i'm terrified of not OV !! paranoid but ive always been on the small side and i didn't start AF till i was 15 !! i still get ID'd in shops because i'm so small im sure i'll OV though no reason i should AF has evened out in past few years so that should be a good sign

[Bohemond]

Thanks all.
Chandlers, the appointment was really helpful. I am nearly 42 and, being a practical girl and having agreed that we would try for a year before getting on with our lives, I wanted to check that my body was actually capable of getting pregnant. If it wasn't, we would have stopped as we also agreed that we didn't want to go down any invasive routes (just not for me).
The doc was v nice - we had a chat about general health and then he did an internal ultrasound - he showed me everything on the monitor. He then did a blood test. We did talk about other things we could do - which was not much apart from immediately starting IVF. DH was offered a sperm test as well. He was able to tell me immediately that I had the usual number of eggs for someone of my age and that he could see no reason why I would not get pg. Confirmed a few days later by the blood test.
For those of you using the monitors:

• I didn't get an egg on a couple of cycles (which is why I went to the doc)
  
• Just follow the instructions, while it should work immediately it does need to learn your cycle so don't confuse it by second guessing, using old sticks etc
  

Good luck to you all

[hedwiggity]

CD7 and another low reading and an evap line. should be picking up on the 25th and staying high until the 30th where i should get a peak ! if all goes to plan that is. good luck with your monitors everyone

[hedwiggity]

argh cant sleep getting bloaty feelings in my tummy ! must not start symptom spotting promised i wouldnt this month lol

[ChandlersFarang]

Bohemond - how reassuring!! I find the whole thing fascinating, must have been really interesting as well as helpful. Will see how I do this cycle and maybe will consider doing the same - here in Thailand it's not very expensive to go to the top private hospitals!

Hed - go to sleep!! I got a little shock when I saw someone posting at that time, it's usually just me up now due to the time difference!

Not sure if you've seen the news but there's a big military coup going on over here at the moment... My DH is really busy at work as a result of it so will be home much later and more stressed for the next few days - right in the run up to ovulation. Bloody army could have waited until next week!! have already decided it will make a very good conception story though if we do manage it this cycle..!!

[hedwiggity]

off to sleep now chandler up at 11am to do the test then back to bed lol i have insomnia btw its rather hectic for me too sleep

[Bohemond]

Hope all is ok Chandlers. I thought of you when I heard the news yesterday.
Still - I guess you are pretty used to it over there!
Hed - step away from the sticks! I can't think that I ever looked at one of mine; just stuck it straight into the monitor. Although symptom spotting I can identify with

[hedwiggity]

i love my sticks. i love my monitor. i love feeding my monitor. my monitor is my precious ooookk bedtime for me lol the sleep deprivation is making my weird sense of humor appear and i'm usually the only one that laughs at my weird sense of humor

[guineapig1]

Ha He'd! It is the first thing I think of every morning too! CD9 today and got my first High! Ridiculously pleased about it but going to have to pace myself as have read about people getting loads of Highs before the Peak, especially in the first cycle using the monitor.

[hedwiggity]

Ok just got up so my weird sense of humour has gone I'm on CD8 today 3rd test and its still low I'm not expecting highs or peaks yet though my uterine lining will still be recovering from hurricane AF

[blankfornames]

Hi Ladies, I hope you doing mind me joining?! I had a m/c 5 weeks ago at 6 wks. Had to have a d&c. Devastated but we want to ttc again so am using a CBFM for the first time. I was lucky that AF came 4 weeks after so didn't have long to wait. I'm on cd9 but still no highs yet. I didn't ov at all last month so really hoping that things have corrected themselves this month.
Kaymondo & Joosie, lovely to hear your positive stories! Congrats to you both!
I've been taking Clonfolic acid for a while now but anyone know if I need to be taking anything else or is that enough?
Thanks and best of luck to you all!

[tattyteddy]

Hi everyone,

I'm using the cbfm for no:2. Had great success with using my cbfm last time. Got bfp after first month of trying, sadly it ended in MC. Luckily, when trying again after MC got bfp first time again using cbfm.

I'm on my third cycle this time around, hopefully it will work soon! Currently on day 24 of cycle, do will know either way next week.

[guineapig1]

Welcome blankfornames and tattytaddy, lovely to have you join, the more the merrier I say! Sorry both for your losses, not that words can make it any easier.

How are you both finding the monitors? I am a complete novice using it, bought it on a bit of a whim last month when AF arrived, but finding it quite reassuring in that I feel more proactive about the whole thing! Best of luck for us all this month. Here's to a lot of positivity all round

[ChandlersFarang]

Morning everyone!! 08:50 here in Bangkok, got up and fed the hungry CBFMonster!! Am on my 10th day of high readings now... CD19. Getting a fainter second line starting to appear on the peesticks now though which is cool!! LH surge hopefully coming soon... Will be following up this afternoon with an OPK I think...

Blank and tatty you're very welcome!! Good luck to you both trying again after such sad experiences. I wonder where our first BFP will come from..?! Fx ladies, happy weekends!! X x x

[hedwiggity]

Hey chandler its 4Am here in the UK its OHs fault im awake this time he suggested staying up late lol now i cant sleep ah well its sunday im catholic on sundays purely for the day of rest thing rest of the week religion ? What religion ? Lol

[TheGrandHighWitch]

Hi all, i'm a bit late to this thread as I had forgotten all about the conception boards til this morning when I had a lightbulb moment. I am currently on my first official cycle to TTC number 3. I am a bit nervous about it as both my children were clomid pregnancies but this time I am trying on my own so to speak. I had great success with the CBFM for DC2 and conceived on my first cycle (DC1 was conceived without). I tend to go in all guns blazing though and also use the fertility friend app on my phone, a ovulation microscope and I am also charting my basal body temperature.
I am currently on CD15 and have been getting a high reading on my monitor since CD8. The lines on the test sticks are more or less equal now compared to how they were on previous days so am hoping that means that ovulation is due soon.

Glad to see how many others have had success with the CBFM. I can see why they advertise that it increases conception odds to 89%, this thread is at least proof enough that it works extremely well.

[blankfornames]

Thanks Chandlers and Guineapig.
Guineapig, I'm on CD10 and I had my first high today so I'm feeling good about the week ahead. My sister had her DD from one cycle of her CBFM! As I don't tend to experience ov symptoms, I like the fact that it does the thinking for you! As it is my first cycle using it, from what I've read, I'm expecting a lot of high days before the peak. It's going to be a busy week! FX for us all!