TTC - Any Ideas on Fertility Monitors

[LJKing1983]

I have been looking for a reasonably priced Fertility monitor but the only think that keeps popping up in search engines is the Clear Blue Advanced Fertility monitor! Is this worth the £85 to buy on amazon plus the £30 every month to 2 months for the sticks or can anyone recommend to me a cheaper option that seems to be as easy to use?

Cheers

LJ

Can I ask why you're thinking of trying this? Do you have problems pin pointing when you ovulate? Have you tried temping?

It just seemed like the easiest way to chart. I had been using the Ovia app for the last couple of months but am rubbish at remembering to take my temp when i wake up as i am usually half asleep and don't remember until after i have had a shower. I have also been using the one step ovulation tests with it but i don't seem to be getting much joy with reading the results. I know i have been ovulating as i have had a full round of fertility tests at Calderdale Royal Hospital under Mr DeBono as my husband (39) has just had a vasectomy reversal and they wanted to check my fertility before they did it as apparently i am a mature mother (i will turn 34 on sunday ) and we may have been better going for icsi if i had issues too. I just want to keep an eye on things and be given a definitive answer as to whether i have or am due to ovulate. I know i sound like a total control freak but i need to plan things properly or i cant cope! its a symptom of my anxiety which has ramped up since i came of my medication in preparation for T.T.C.

I am also a control freak and have been using a combination of temping (which I'm rubbish at), that CB monitor, and cheap ov sticks, and monitoring of physical signs. I'm cracking on a bit so wanted reassurance that everything was looking okay, and also wanted to time sex optimally as OH isn't that into sex!
The monitor seems easy to use and I like the fact it's first thing in the morning. I've only been using it for a month though so can't give much feedback. It didn't seem like a massive outlay of cash for the peace of mind and structure it confers, but depends what you consider expensive yourself. I'd happily live out my days in hand-me-down clothes, but equally think nothing of spending £4 on a loaf of bread, so it's whatever you think is worth spending money on...

Think i may end up investing as there don't seem to be any other similar options on the table! i like the idea that its first thing on a morning too but unlike temping you can actually do it when you are awake! good luck with your T.T.C.

Thanks, you too!

Mature mother at 34?! God help us... Good luck OP!

Tell me about it! You should have seen my face when my husbands urologist said that to me prior to him agreeing to do the op on my OH. The consultant i was referred too gave him a bit of a bollocking for wasting his time with me when i was too young to be considered mature! lol!

Jeeze well I'm 33, 34 in November and this 'mature mother' sure ain't mature 🙈😇

Personally I would give the clearblue OPK a go for a few cycles. I will manage two cycles out of a £30 pack. If you're having regular cycles honestly the easiest way to cover your bases is sex every other day of your cycle. I know that's a mammoth task but if you focus your efforts for the middle two weeks it will give you a much better chance of pregnancy than only having sex around what you think maybe ovulation via an app.

However, if you're long term TTC 12+ months I would say nothing can hurt. I personally wouldn't purchase one in the first 6 months of TTC if your cycles are regular. X

If you do go for a monitor, look on ebay, as there are some available for around £50 - still expensive to buy the sticks though and I found the cheap One Step OPKs far more reliable at pinpointing ovulation because you can test multiple times per day (the monitor only asks for a stick in a set window so it's easy to miss the start of your LH surge). Cheap thermometer and cheap OPKs aren't that much effort and provide more of a reassurance that ovulation has actually happened (only temping can provide this) than the monitor itself, which takes quite a few cycles to get to know you...

LJ, how did you find mr debono? I've got an appointment Monday with him. I've waited about 10 weeks (since my initial appointment) and they've messed me about a bit with appointments so I'm not feeling encouraged when the admin hasn't been great.... did testing go quickly? Slowly? Any tips or info on your experience might help my anxiety as I feel really let down with medical interest/ testing so far. (Long story).

I really really wouldn't bother with one of these for so many reasons.

1. they are really expensive and it's the same test as the cheap ones but the monitor reads them instead of you

2. once it detects a "high" then it won't drop even if the sticks indicate a drop, it will only register a change when it detects a "peak". This is bonkers if you really want a true view of your cycle.

3. it only allows you to test once a day. An LH surge can be only 12 hours or even less and so you'd stand a chance of missing it. You'll almost certainly supplement with cheapies at other times of the day anyway.

4. have you asked your consultant what they think of fertility monitors?! From what I understand most fertility experts think these devices offer little to no benefit.

I think there should be some regulation on these monitors and most fertility products. The evidence they help is really shakey (I know a bunch of people will come on and say they got pregnant first month of using one but they would probably have got pregnant that month anyway)

I used one for one of my pregnancies and it just increased my anxiety. When I eventually did get pregnant the scan dates suggested the monitor was wrong by 4 days. For my next pregnancy we binned it and just had a shag every other day from the end of my period. Was much less stressful and I got pregnant much quicker - probably cause we were having sex at the right time rather than the time the bastards monitor said we should.