TTC & opk vs apps

[PabloEscobarlo]

Hello, I'm new here!
We've just started ttc, we stopped non hormonal contraception a week ago and according to both the ovia and flo apps I'm due to ovulate tomorrow.
My cycle is a standard 28 days, and my lmp was 8/8.
I saw on here everyone talking about opk so we decided to get some so we got off to a good start even though we said we would be casual about it!
I got the clear blue opk and I've just had a blank result so now I don't quite know what to think?

Does anyone have any advice to get us off to a good start as I have no idea how to interpret any of it!

It is very very very common for your cycle to take awhile to regulate after hormonal bc. Some women take up to a year for regular cycles. It might take you a lot less time than that. I wouldn't expect you to this soon after you implant is removed though...

Apologies, I was on non hormonal contraception. I had a copper coil for 18 months which had been removed and we used conforms for a few months. It's only now I've started charting properly although I did enter my periods into flo

Apps base themselves on an average so they usually assume every woman has a 28 day cycle and ovulates on day 14. There are a few apps that will learn your body and then start to predict when you will ovulate but none that are 100% reliable.

From using opks and taking my temperature I know that my LP lasts 10 days whereas if I had believed my app, I would be expecting it 14 days beforehand and those four days are a huge difference if you are relying on only having sex in your fertile period. Equally, some women have a longer LP than 14 days. Sometimes as well your LH surge doesn't last very long. I think the recommendation is start using OPKs from around day eight to make sure you don't miss your surge.

I use the OPK internet cheapies from Amazon and tested afternoon and evening. Usually my surge lasts three days and I ovulate on the last day but I only know this from having really followed my cycle for ages.

So I need to go the opk route really using the apps to log data and be patient really?
That's the hard bit isn't it

I had my copper coil removed nearly two years ago. My cycle did change a bit afterwards... got longer :(

Be prepared for a roller coaster!

Yes and yes. I can recommend Fertility Friend as it learns your cycle and is able to predict when you will ovulate. However, it could be that you are really regular but just need to know which day you ovulate and a couple of cycles using OPKs and looking out for ewcm etc will let you know.

Good luck.

I had the same experience as Fuzzy. Once I started using OPKs I realised that i had been focusing our dtd efforts around a week early. My cycle was 32-34 days and i ovulated around day 20 ish, not day 14/16 as the app suggested. Once i followed the OPKs we were able to concieve straight away.

To learn my cycle I used an OPK every day from day 8 until the day after ovulation (geek streak!). I thought i might see a pattern e.g the line gradually getting darker as i approached ovulation. In reality, this didn't happen; the line was simply varying degrees of faint, then suddenly unmistakeably dark for around 2 days, then faint again.

I've been due to ovulate possibly sometime this week. I've been using clear blue but have had no smiley faces despite having my normal ovulation symptoms.
Today I did the one with the pictures attached, I think I can see a line but I'm not sure.
Does this mean is coming or I'm wondering if I've missed it tbh I don't really know what I'm doing!

Thank you

Only when the test line is as dark as the control is it positive.

LH surges are often short - mine has been a few hours so unless you're testing twice a day it's easy to miss. Internet cheapie Ines from amazon are cheap enough to allow this. Use a combination of opks and temping (if that works for you) and cervical mucus to work out when you're fertile.

If you just have sex every other day from the end of your period on you'll be covered ;) literally and metaphorically...

Your cycles could change after the copper coil - technically fertility returns immediately but it's common to have a settling down period before everything is regular again.

Thank you so much for your help.
I didn't know if it was over kill almost doing it twice a day and doing the temp etc.

I think hubby thinks it's just sex and tada! I am
Trying to not kill the romance I guess

For the first couple of months just shag lots and have a go at the opks and temping and mucus - it takes a while to get used to it all, don't fret in the early days. :)

If things aren't working after a few months you can get more serious about it. Take folic acid now and vitamin d/decent pregnancy friendly multivitamin if your diet isn't great.

Thank you I'll give it a go

If you're using clearblue OPKs is it the digital ones, with the flashy smileys? Or just a smiley face?

You need to read the instructions with them, as they're to be done differently to the internet cheapies. I use the CB digital and start using them on day 10, you have to use it a few days before (instruction book advises roughly when dependent on the length of your cycle) so it can detect the change!

Good luck!

I used the Clue app to track cycles but only put my AF dates into it for estimating due dates etc. It estimated a fertile window but I didn't pay it too much attention. I think you can add ovulation data from opks to the app, but DP and I agreed no temping or opks for the first 6 months of ttc, just lots of shagging! Got a bfp on cycle 5 So it is perfectly possible for it to be 'sex and tada', but sadly not for everyone, and of course patience is needed! Good luck