1 year ttc, advice please?

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Hi girls

My husband and I have been ttc for one year now. This was my first month using OPK strips that I bought online but to be honest I'm not very clued up, please can you help?

My cycles are quite irregular and initially I didn't think the OPK strips were working for me until I got two dark lines on Wednesday, CD27. I have been having regular sex throughout the month and had sex that night after getting a positive. Am I right that two lines mean you are ovulating now?

I took another strip last night, CD28, just to check and it was only the control line. Does this mean my fertile window ia now over?

Any help apprecoated, getting so disheartened now.

Thanks!x

I found OPKs were hard to interpret.
Have you tried temping? It gave me a better understanding of my cycle.
Also, now it's been a year the Dr might offer you some blood tests to make sure you are ovulating as a first step.

I understand being disheartened. I'm only at 8m and so fed up even though in the grand scheme of things it's such a short time.

Thank you PosterEh, it's so frustrating isn't it? 8 months seems like forever when you are going through the motions each month. Each month I tell myself I'm going to try to be laid back but on the other hand it would seem that getting pregnant requires such an enormous amount of hard work! I agree the strips are hard to interpret don't think I would use them again. Had considered the doctors but told myself 'one last try' though if the strips are at all accurate, ovulating on CD27 doesn't sound too hopeful I'm not at all familiar with temping, sorry. Can I ask how that works, please?

Will keep my fingers crossed for you. Hoping this is our month x

It took a long time to conceive my first (18 months) because my cycles were so irregular. I'd have a 28, 30 then 42 or just miss the period in one month completely.
Eventually I tried internet cheapy opk and we just had sex every night from when the two lines started showing up until it was back to 1. Exhausting !! I also cut sugar and most carbs out of my diet as I'd read it could help regulate cycles. After a month of eating better, I had 3 regular cycles (ov day 15-17 period 28-32) in a row then got pregnant on the 4th try. He's 2 now!

I tried opk again with the second and got pregnant the second month. I'm 26 weeks now. As before, we just had sex every night there were 2 lines.

Good luck

I also resolved never to poas until I had some sort of symptom other than 'late' period as I drove myself crazy and spent a fortune!

I downloaded the fertilityfriend app. You take your temperature every morning with an accurate thermometer (accurate to 2 decimal places) and record it on the app. Because your temp rises after ovulation it can help you tell if/when you've ovulated. It's no good for timing sex each month because it can only tell you after your fertile period but it helped me gain a better idea of when I was ovulating (and confirmed I was).

I also have issues with insulin resistance and found that my cycles got shorter when I was "treating" it with diet and metformin. I except if I pushed it I might get a diagnosis of pcos but because my GP (I'm abroad) is happy to prescribe metformin for my insulin resistance I haven't bothered.

It's worth going to the GP because I expect the first step would just be tests (hormone levels, thyroid, blood sugars) rather than actual treatment and I expect things move slowly.

Thanks, Rosie! Your cycles sound very similar to mine. Very interesting about diet helping to regulate them...all the more reason to eat healthier! Like you, we have been having sex every night, only missed a couple this cycle. Definitely exhausting! Think it makes the month seem even longer somehow. Trying anything in the hope it pays off!

Lovely to hear you are expecting baby number 2. Hope you are keeping well and that your little boy is looking forward to becoming a big brother!

Ps. I dread to think how much money I've wasted POAS! It's desperately addictive! Hope I can have your willpower.

Thanks PosterEh, I think I will download that app for next month. As you say, it would be good know if and when Ov takes place. Think I will also call the docs and see what they say. Don't fancy endless more months of bfn.

Sorry to hear youbare having a difficult time but glad they have been able to prescribe something for you. Good luck and thanks for the advice!

Hopefully, my post gives you hope that irregular cycles are not always a no go baby wise. On the plus side, after my DS was born, my cycles seemed to even out. It's like pregnancy was a bit of a reset.

I agree that it is worth mentioning to the doctor. Any fertility treatment can be a long slog so best get the ball rolling whilst you keep trying.

Also, if you really can't avoid buying pregnancy tests, you can buy the internet cheapie dipsticks on Amazon too.

Good luck with it. I hope you get your positive soon

A positive opk detects the surge, dtd the day of and the day after as ovulation might be 24-36 hours after the positive opk.