The Bumsnet Bus: All aboard for destination BFP!

[MagpieCursedTea]

Hope it's not too presumptuous but the last thread was nearly full so thought I'd get a new one ready!

Opk is an ovulation predictor kit (test) tells you when the relevant hormones are rising 24 hours or so before ovulation. You really need the spermz in place just before ovulation. So it can help you understand your cycle and when to focus on having sex. Disadvantages they can't tell you if you actually ovulate only that your hornones are preparing you to ovulate. You also need to be having sex before you get a possitive test as well as the time you actually get a possitive. You can buy cheap ones from ebay or Amazon for a few pence a test. The nhs advise you to have sex everyother day through your cycle not focus your energy (and stress) on the days before ovulation. I use them, they are cheap and they help me to understand my cycle. You may find them helpful. Other women also temp as a way of finding out if ovulation actually happened and when. Hope this helps

I use cheap OPKs but mostly drive myself mad with them as I don't ovulate very often if at all. I also chart my temps. It helps me feel a bit more in control as not knowing what my body is doing is the most stressful part of TTC for me. I buy my OPKs in bulk from eBay. I find charting my temps most helpful though. I really struggle with DTD every other day during a long cycle, so OPKs are a good way of keeping an eye on the happenings (or lack of) in my ovaries. I also track other signs like CM and cervical position, I enjoy the science!

Sorry for AF kellz
*
Sammy* any chance you just missed the surge and the cramps are ovulation pains? Fx for you!

Maybe magpie, but I usually get a three day surge!
My temp wasn't high this morning, so ov definitely hadn't happened before today. Xx

*sammy I'm so sorry hope AF stays away and you get the possitive opk. Our bodies can be so cruel to us

Do you think one day in the distant future, women will have little handheld scanners that they can just wave over their abdomen and it'll tell them what's happening? None of this peeling on sticks business, just straight answers.

Haha Magpie that sounds good!

magpie that would be great!!

Thanks magpie hopefully this cycle xx

Sorry for at kellz and the confusion sammy

blueberry if you don't want to waste money on opks you could always try a saliva microscope? I started using one last cycle so I'm still getting used to it myself, but you only have to buy it once and it means you'll never run out of tests! If you google it you can find out how to use them and you can buy one on Amazon.

It's scan day today! But I'm not sure whether my appointment will be affected by the junior doctor strike . I haven't had a letter to cancel it so I assume all is fine......

All the best for the scan DizzyN, hoping the strikes won't effect it! Did you need to chug loads of water for it? That was the worst part for me, I was so happy when they said I could go to the loo!

I had some more spotting this morning, every time I think it's stopping it just comes back
I phoned the doctors for an update and am waiting to hear back.

Thanks Dizzy this cycle hopefully xx

Goodluck dizzyn for your scan. X

Yes I have to drink 2 pints of water.

I've got polycystic ovaries

Hello everyone,

How did the scan go dizzyn? Were they able to tell you anything then or will you have to wait a while for results?

magpie, how frustrating on the spotting. Did you manage to find an acupuncturist near you? I'd be interested to know how you find it if you go along.

Sorry AF arrived kellz and boris and hope your body starts behaving sammy!

Thanks for offer of FB group night. I'm not actually on FB (technophobe). Am also too scared currently to jinx anything by moving on to grads or going on to antenatal threads!

waves to everyone else

Oh sorry dizzyn cross post. I'm really sorry to hear that. I'm afraid I don't know much about that, have they given you treatment / tips / a plan of action that can be done etc? Xx

dizzyn I'm Sorry. How do you feel? Do you know what happens next? X

DizzyN I'm really sorry to hear that have they given you any idea of what the next steps are? It must have been hard to have been given the diagnosis but at least they know what the issue is and they can treat you. We're all here for you

Soda I contacted the only Zita West acupuncturist in my area and got an email back from her DH saying she had died, I felt awful! I looked up another acupuncturist in my area who deals with fertility issues and have an appointment on 22nd. I'm quite excited about it!

DizzyN - sorry that your feeling sad about your diagnosis, but don't lose hope. There is so much that can be done to treat pcos, and if you haven't been ovulating regularly then that totally explains the lack of pregnancy. I have high hopes for a 2016 pregnancy for you :). When do you see the consultant again?

Magpie - sorry about the spotting, any news from the doctor?
Re the ovulation scanner, one of our grads was meant to be inventing that for us.... But nothing yet

As for me, I've finally got a positive opk, the one closest to the ring was last night, then this morning then this evening. Fx for ov so at least I can know when to expect af, and start to think about dates for the end of February IVF. 1.5 more cycles to get through!

Dizzy sorry about the diagnosis but as sammy says there's so much that can be done to treat this. Have they explained what happens next?

Yay for positive opk sammy. Fx you catch that egg.

Magpie that must be so frustrating for you. Have you heard anything from your GP? Good luck with your accupuncture appointment.

Welcome newbies

The receptionist phoned me back earlier and said my doctor is still waiting to hear about the appeal. Keeping my fingers firmly crossed!

Nice looking OPKs sammy! Glad to hear the ovulation scanner is in progress, maybe we should get it crowd funded

Well af arrived on Friday in a meeting with work this work and over the fertile period which is really annoying the following weekend!!!
Feeling really sad as dd keeps asking if she can have a sister and why not?????? Hard to explain to a toddler that life isn't that simple.
Congratulations to those that's have received a bfp and hugs to those that haven't X xx

Morning!

Still feeling a bit bewildered. I have no idea why as this was the obvious explanation for the irregular-ness of my cycles and I had suspected I might have it, but also kept dismissing the idea because I didn't think I had any other symptoms. At least I know now though and can stop worrying about it and start doing something about it!

I'll call my GP this morning for an appointment to discuss what happens next. The lady who did the scan said something about having a blood test to confirm or that they'd look at my cd21 results to check hormone levels......not sure what she said tbh as I was a mixed bag of emotions at the time!

DP's immediate reaction was to go on google and then he got stressy about it. He thinks if I'm given metformin I'll put on lots of weight which would make me miserable (it would lol), and was scaring himself with stories about gestational diabetes etc. Think he's calmed down a bit now though.

Good luck sammy!

magpie did you hear back from GP?

dizzym how's things with you?

Sorry for af crusading

Hello everyone, sorry I have been away for a while.

DizzyN sorry to hear your diagnosis although at least now you know and something can be done. A really good friend of mine tried unsuccessfully for years before being diagnosed with psos. She now has two children after each taking just two cycles on clomid to conceive.

Would anyone recommend the salvia test for ovulation? I am getting a bit despondent as I don't think I am actually ovulating at the moment. I tried BBT last month and it didn't look like I did (although I admit that my nights were sometimes disturbed so hard to get a true temperature every morning) and I am now on CD20 without anything on a opk. My OPKs will run out this week, so I need to buy more of something. I know OPKs don't confirm if you do actually ovulate but they at least give me hope - and since I have random length cycles and endometriosis, plus my age is starting to be against me, I want to look at other things. I am also aware that each cycle I don't get pregnant means endometriosis is doing more damage and making it harder for subsequent cycles but I just don't have it in me to keep on dtd eod.

I can understand your DP's reaction dizzy. It must be hard for him as you immediately want to know the ins and outs when it concerns a loved one and I think it's lovely that he did that. I don't think my DH would even think to do that!

Fuzzy I haven't tried the salvia opk but I know pug used it with great results and I think she posted some info on this or the other thread. I'm sure she or someone will be along with more info though.