Advice needed on ovulation test

[sophied1983]

Hiya

So I've got one of these: Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test with Dual Hormone Indicator

I thought it might help me as I'm really struggling with long / irregular cycles.

I came off mini-Pill on 5th May. My first AF arrived after 6 weeks. My next cycle was then 45 days long. I was expecting my third AF to arrive on Sunday (if another 45 day cycle), but nothing yet.

I've been taking agnus castus to try and regulate my cycles and encourage ovulation.

I'm not really sure when to start using the ovulation test. Should I be patient and wait until AF finally arrives and then start testing 20 days before next AF is due (although not sure how I'll know when that is if cycles aren't the same length each month)... or would you just start now and test every day until something changes?

If your cycle is really irregular then I'd buy a big bunch of cheap ovulation tests from Amazon and test twice a day. You can have more than one LH surge a month which Clearblue testing doesn't allow for and with cheap ones you can just keep shagging whenever you get a positive.

Clearblue tests are a massive rip off, they really don't tell you anything more than the cheap ones do anyway and with an irregular cycle you're going to be spending a lot of money...

Were your cycles regular before you went on the pill? Mine took a year after coming off the pill to settle down to a 28 day cycle.

So far it has been at my best friend's expense - she thought it'd be a funny birthday present?!

Unfortunately not. I went on the Pill at 15 to regulate them as they were all over the place. Irregular and so heavy, would come through onto clothes all the time - mortifying at school!

Luckily the heaviness seems under control - both the ones I've had lasted 5 days and were manageable... but the frequency is the main issue.

If you are having irregular periods, can it mean you might not be ovulating? Or does have a period mean you have definitely ovulated?

I really should have listened more at school :)

I think irregular periods can mean you're not ovulating regularly but I'm really not sure. That's worth checking with your GP.

I'd also be really wary about self medicating with Agnus Castus when you're trying to conceive, it can play havoc with your hormones and it's not recommended at all if you do get pregnant...

In your case I'd really recommend letting your body adjust to no artificial hormones and keep peeing on sticks till you work out your cycle. So in answer to your original question, yes, if start peeing on sticks straight away!!

Have you peed on a pregnancy test by the way? If you were expecting your period on Sunday and it's not here yet....

I did one yesterday as I must admit, I'd thought that very thing, but it came back negative :(

I've started plotting my cycles into an app, well the two I've had... and that is quite good for mapping out when you should be more fertile... but think I will take your advice and start with the pee-sticks and see how that goes.

It's just so frustrating. When I saw the doc before coming off the Pill, he said because I was on the mini-Pill, I'll just be 'back to normal' right away... yeah right!!!

Having a period doesnt mean you have ovulated. OPK's detect a surge in LH which is the hormone that causes you to ovulate. This suggests you will ovulate in the next 12-36 hours, however, you can get a positive OPK and still not ovulate. This is what has happened to me the last few months. I am tracking my temperature which is the only to be sure you did ovulate, the OPK only says you might.

OPKs are next to being useless when cycles are consistently irregular in nature. They are really not worth using in your particular circumstances (as you may get multiple false positive results which can happen with polycystic ovaries).

I would not self medicate with AC because in some cases it can make any underlying hormonal imbalance worse. Long cycles can be caused by a condition called polycystic ovaries. Another possible cause is problems with the thyroid gland. Both need to be looked for.

If your cycles were consistently irregular when younger they are more likely to revert back to that pattern as well. With consistently irregular periods it is likely that you are not ovulating regularly. It is also possible to have periods without ovulating.

I would ask the GP to have blood tests done; what you need initially is a Day 2 test to check and compare your LH level against that of your FSH level. Blood tests will give you a far more accurate picture overall as to what is happening.

Seek a proper diagnosis via the GP and gynae and do not self medicate.

You will need to be persistent in order to get answers.

AF must have heard us talking as it arrived yesterday evening!