Fertility tracker (Ava/OvuSense) any recommendations?

[SnarkyGorgon]

Hi, I’ve been lurking around these boards for the past 3.5 years that I’ve been TTC. Was due to start IVF on the nhs last June, but found out I was pregnant while I was waiting to phone the clinic to get them to send the meds. Sadly that one and only pregnancy ended in a very traumatic mmc in July. We’re now waiting to hear if I’ll ever be eligible for nhs IVF now, or if there are any more tests that they can do. All tests so far have been absolutely normal, so no clue as to why I’m not getting pregnant.

In the meantime, in a bid to try and take back control, I’ve been looking into a more accessible fertility tracker. In the early days I was temping, but I sleep badly and it was making me crazy. I’ve peed on so many sticks and now find OPKs depressing. So I wondered if any of you have tried out one of the more snazzy gizmos and if they are any good? I just want to feel like I’m doing something, especially as both my dsis and best friend are about to pop with their second since we’ve been trying.

Any advice much appreciated, or just ranting about how shit all of this is.

@mussie I'm so sorry for your losses. I too have had two mcs in the past 6 months. Unfortunately if your hormones are unbalanced it's very difficult for any device to predict ovulation. I have Ovusense and it's been a godsend at confirming ovulation so I know it's definitely happened. There are some temp trends that suggest O is coming but if it's irregular, opks are your best bet for prediction. I use Ovusense to plot my temp chart. It's highly accurate as it measures core temperature. I only look at my chart once a week as I've found tracking too stressful after my two losses. We just make sure we dtd every 2-3 days and look at my chart on a Sunday to see if O has happened. I honestly think not spending too much time on tracking and just relaxing and seeing what happens gives a better chance of conceiving. My cycles have started to improve since I took this approach. The stress and trauma of mc was affecting me on so many levels. I'm still very sad but we're ready to start our family so I'm focusing on my mental well being by taking a step back. This way I get mentally stronger and therefore ready for a new pregnancy when it happens. Good luck! Xx

@Catconfusion thanks, that's really helpful. good to know that Ava is unlikely to help in my circumstance. After the last mc a couple of weeks ago, the EPU said they were sending a referral off for me to the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic, but that it could take a couple of months. So I think once the doctors take over with blood tests etc, I'll be able to take that step back as well. Best of luck to you too, and you @SnarkyGorgon !

@mussie I'm really glad you've got that referral so they can see if there's a cause. Ovusense or Ava might make you feel like you've got a bit of control so worth a look. It certainly has helped me to see what's going on but I just found it soul destroying when my ovulation started failing and I could see it happening. It sucks that pregnancy loss messes with our bodies so much when we just want to try again. If you need more support there's some really good ttc after pregnancy loss threads on here. Good luck with your referral! Xx

@SnarkyGorgon thanks for the info. I'll let you know how I get on. How are you doing with yours? Do you find it's been fairly accurate? I messaged the Ava team on Instagram and it should be with me in a few days.

@mussie I'm so sorry to hear about your losses. Seems like you've got an amazing attitude moving forwards and I'm believing there's plenty of baby dust heading your way.

Finally got my Ava and used it for the first time last night. So comfortable to wear totally forgot it was on and great insight. Can't wait to see how it progresses xx

Can I just ask the ladies using Ava what your cycle lengths are like? Mine are between 28 and 42 days though sometimes longer. Would it still track a long cycle? I'm finding Ovusense stressful if I'm honest. It's super accurate but I'm not sleeping well in anticipation of getting my data in the morning. Want something that monitors continuously. X

@Catconfusion - really like Ava but have a pretty steady cycle of 28-31 days. I think I read that if you have variations in cycles that go over 35days Ava is not ideal.
Hope this helps x

Hi @Catconfusion I got my AVA this month and I am currently in my fertile period. The Ava is fine to wear the light is a bit bright at night but you get used to it. Apparently it takes a couple of cycles to get used to your body so I am thinking of this month as more of a test run. So far it's not been accurate eg I have been doing OPK as well and the OPKs started to turn positive yesterday but Ava predicted my ovulation as four days before this. DH is happy so far as I've wanted to cover all the bases and we have been BD'ing every day since Ava predicted my fertile period and continued now with the positive OPK's. I will keep using Ava and will let you know if it gets more accurate. Did you find Ovusense uncomfortable?

Thanks @fnej01 and @mommybear1 I guess I'm wondering if it would continue measuring temps in a long cycle or going over would cause the device not to work. I'm not too worried about predictions being wrong as I can read the chart it would produce.

Ovusense is comfortable enough its just I'm waking up in the night wanting to know what my results are and uploading the data but am unable to get back to sleep. I guess I want something that measures temps without much effort. xx

Hi again @Catconfusion I promised I'd come back to you about the Ava - I'm shocked (and delighted) to say we found out I'm pregnant this morning - first month using Ava. As I said in my post below I had thought this month would be a test run to get used to my body which appeared to be the case as the Ava predicted my fertile period well before positive OPKs. I suspect as Ava told me I was ovulating early our earlier BDing everyday has been successful we were following SMEP before but it hadn't worked. Not sure this helps but I wanted to let you know how the Ava went. I should have also mentioned in my first post my cycles vary between 31/34 days.

@mommybear1 congratulations! Gosh it is even more tempting now to get an Ava. Might broach the conversation with DH again 🙈

Hi everyone, I’m really sorry to those of you who have suffered miscarriages. My fingers are crossed for everyone TTC. Congratulations to those of you with BFP, such lovely news.
It’s great to find a thread with other people who are using an Ava bracelet. So far have used it through one cycle, however that cycle was really long, 40 days. I’m hopeful that this is just my body getting used to being off the pill as my cycles are usually 28 days. Thankfully AF arrived last weds and it’s nearly done and I’m really excited to see my next fertile window coming up.
I’m wondering whether I should try using ovulation sticks as well as the Ava for this cycle or whether I just give it the time to get more familiar with my cycles. @mommybear1 I am really reassured by your positive result. I plan to basically be DTD from the commencement of the fertile window and into the days past the ovulation period just to be safe. Really really keen for my BFP and want to make the most of this cycle after waiting so long in the last one.

Congratulations @mommybear1 such lovely news. I also got my bfp on Friday. Ovusense was three days off with ovulation but I noticed EWCM so we dtd the next day. I’m glad we did because I’m now 4 weeks pregnant.

I would still say Ovusense is good for accurate temp data but I’d also say use FF to check for O along side it. Xx

@Catconfusion fantastic news many congratulations!!! Thank you @Positivity2019 and @mussie I did want to update as I know Ava is expensive and like everything it's trial and error. I liked it but did use OPKs as well. Best of luck to everyone