Ovulation Corner

[EvelineUK]

Ask away, whether it's OPK's, LH, Temping (BBT), Surges, lines, DPO's, ask away, I have worked for the big boys of fertility and some of the smaller ones....

[CarolineKate]

Hello! Thank you for taking the time and offering your professional opinion on things I'm sure everyone on here really appreciates it!!

So my question is...

Is it possible I ovulated super early this cycle and didn't quite catch my peak as only taking opks once a day back then? I am still taking them expecting to see a peak but wondering if its already happening on cd7! I'm on cd12 atm and still low lh x

[Hewie30]

@Evelineuk Okay perfect that makes sense thank you ☺️ xx

[EvelineUK]

@CarolineKate
I can see what you mean, it looks pretty solid around cd7... That's going to cause problems because it is generally pre oestrogen release so although the follicle may be ready, the womb lining isn't, is this the first time you've seen this? 7-10 days isn't abnormal, but as I understand it, conception will be compromised. Would be interesting to see your FSH and oestrogen levels along side...
The good news is, there are treatments that can lengthen the Leutial phase if this is recurrent.

[EvelineUK]

Sorry, the other thing to add is the LH is still pretty low and not what I would call a strong positive, so definitely worth taking to a specialist.

[CarolineKate]

OK thank you!

This is my first month using opks so I don't have any other records of it. My cycle has been 27-30 days though so I would imagine I don't always ovulate early! Fingers crossed for another surge this month!

[EvelineUK]

@CarolineKate
Keep an eye on it, if it's not getting past 10 days, you will definitely need some help, the good news is you can see the issue, much better than spending months wondering why you're not conceiving.

[Each2TheirOwn]

Hello @EvelineUK , I was wondering if you could give me some advice please?

This is the first month I have used OPKs properly and I'm not sure how to read the results. Does this look like I ovulated today or yesterday?

TIA for any help x

[Kittykat9]

Any advice very welcome!!

I came off the pill in Jan so have been tracking with opks and Flo app, but using condoms, since Feb. We were ready to start ttc this month (August) but I haven't ovulated for some reason. There is a slight possibility that I missed it if it was really early or really late but ovulation has always been on cd14 or cd15 since Feb and I tested up to cd20. I am now 5 days late for my period and all pregnancy tests have been negative. My questions are: will I meed to have a break through bleed before I can ovulate again? Is this likely to be the result of some underlying issues? Is it worth talking to the doctor if it will affect our chanced of conceiving soon? I have googled obsessively but can only find info for people who haven't ovulated but have had a bleed. TIA! xxx

[coconuttymummy]

Help! What is going on with my chart? I got my OPK+ on CD18. I ovulated and had an ovulation dip on CD19. My BBT temps rose significantly for 2 days and today, 3DPO, I had another massive BBT dip.

I’m super worried that I have a Luteal Phase Defect and not producing enough Progesterone in the LP.

I’m already taking Vitex, Ubiquinol, Myo-Inositol, Magnesium, Zinc, Chromium, Vit C, Vit D3, B-50 Complex, pre-conception vit, Baby Aspirin and loads of Nettle Tea (I also drank Raspberry Leaf & Red Clover Teas up to Ov).

Is there anything else I can do to help raise my Progesterone in the Luteal Phase?

I’m 38 yrs old and I’ve had a big temperature drop 3DPO (significant ovulation BBT dip on CD19 followed by 2 high BBT readings on 1DPO & 2DPO). I’m really concerned about this massive temperature drop only 3DPO - it’s way too early for implantation, so the only explanation I can think of is that I have a LP Defect/not producing enough Progesterone.

This is only Cycle #2, so I can’t go to the GP for tests for another 3 cycles.

Are there any herbs or supplements I can add to my stack that MAY help my body produce more Progesterone in the LP? Xxx

[coconuttymummy]

@EvelineUK Please see my post above. Thanks so much. Xxxxx

[Mollyx3]

Can I ask a question?

So my boyfriend and I are TTC, he's in the army so I literally had 3 days with him. We had sex Thursday, Friday and Saturday numerous times. I believe I either ovulated Sunday, Monday or Tuesday as Sunday was my darkest OPK line and Monday it was lighter than the control line but now I'm second guessing myself 😂. Is there a chance I could be pregnant and how long does sperm live inside the body?


Thanks!

[EvelineUK]

Morning all...

@Each2TheirOwn It looks like you ovulated late on CD17, without times of day it's difficult to say for definite as early mornings can give false positive results.

[EvelineUK]

@coconuttymummy
OK... firstly, easy to say, but not easy to hear... relax.
You look like you ovulated cd17-18, the rise at cd19 mimics that quite nicely. So far so good.
The BBT is a bit all over the place, but again that's entirely normal, just a question of perfecting the technique. The phrase is that your body temp 'spikes' after ovulation, reading to much more into a relatively variable (depending on method)diagnostic method is pretty spurious scientifically. but BBT is not my area of expertise, I prefer hormones...
You sound like you're trying a little of everything when maybe you should go back to the basics for a cycle of two.
Keep taking the folic acid, keep measuring the BBT and LH.
Then make sure your SMEG strategy is solid and agreed, and your partner maintains a good sperm health strategy as well. At 38 it may well take a little longer, especially if your partner is older too, but switch the tea to camomile and concentrate on you. The only worry for me in your stack is the 80mg Aspirin, unless you have a clotting or heart issue, that's not generally a good idea as it can cause bleeding.
Hopefully this doesn't come across too condescending, I can read your frustration, but the stress hormones actively block conception, eat clean, take a walk and concentrate on hitting that egg when it's released. x

[EvelineUK]

@Mollyx3
Hi Molly, yes it is possible if you ovulated on the Monday, sperm can live inside the tubes for 24-48 hours, the bad news is these sneaky ninja sperms are more likely to make girl babies :)

Let me know how you get on, but please don't fret about testing until at least AF is due :)

[PerfectPear]

Hi I had blood tests for progesterone but as my cycles are so irregular the doctor wasn't sure what to make of them (wasn't sure at the time where I was in my cycle)

The first and second tests were 2nmol/L tested at day 15 and day 17 of a 46 day cycle (same cycle two days apart)

The third blood test showed 1nmol/L on day 33 of a 35 day cycle.

Does that show anything for you or is it still inconclusive based on the dates?

[Kittykat9]

@EvelineUK do you have any advice about at my post above please? Many thanks! X

[EvelineUK]

@Kittykat9

Oops sorry, missed it :)

OK, so... coming off the pill messes with your rhythms for 3- 6 months usually, so you should be through the worst of it... Are your cycles regular now, that is the first thing? Secondly you will not necessarily ovulate every month, you don't say how old you are, but it's not unheard of for kits to miss a surge if your LH is a little low, not sure which kit you are using. If you have seen clear ovulation with the OPK, I would put this down as a blip (reason unknown), wait for AF and then start the cycle again.
It sounds like you are doing all the right things, as I keep saying get your SMEP strategy down, take your follic acid and make sure your partner boosts his sperm for the right time.

Good luck X

[EvelineUK]

@PerfectPear
you don't say how old you are, bu, those levels seem a little low, but as your doctor has said, without knowing where you are in your cycle it's really difficult to say for definite. Generally you should see greater than 5 if you are in the middle of your cycle. I found these levels..

postmenopausal women, and women at the beginning of their menstrual cycle: 1 ng/mL or under
women in the middle of their menstrual cycle: 5 to 20 ng/mL
pregnant women in their first trimester: 11.2 to 90 ng/mL
pregnant women in their second trimester: 25.6 to 89.4 ng/mL
pregnant women in their third trimester: 48.4 to 42.5 ng/mL

So you can see there is a significant range depending on where you are.
Do you do any BBT or OPK testing at all, are you showing any symptoms of ovulation? Depending on your age you may also want to get an AMH test done as progesterone alone doesn't tell you a great deal.

[Kittykat9]

@EvelineUK for some reason it's not letting me tag you so hope you see this reply! I am 28 and it's our 2nd child we are TTC. Cycles regular almost straight away after stopping the pill (27-29 day cycles). Using the digital purple CB ovulation kit which shows the high and peak fertility. I'm now cd 33 with no sign of bleeding yet. Will I have a bleed before it's possible to ovulate again? Or could it happen without a bleed? Thanks 😊 x

[PerfectPear]

@EvelineUK

Thank you for that. Just to add I am 28, been off contraception now for 17months trying to conceive. I started off just seeing how it went but now trying to pin everything down properly.

Have been tracking bbt since 5-08-19 but has been up and down, Pic attached.

I've never had a positive opk. Was initially doing ICs on days we didn't have sex but now usually twice or three times a day. Highest was the reading of 0.38 on day 63 of this cycle, pic attached. Started doing clearblue advanced ovulation tests on day 63 and have now had 4 flashing smilies so hoping ovulation sometime this weekend once I get my static.

The blood tests (pic attached) were the ones I had done on day 15 of the 46 day cycle. Not sure if AMH is on there?

[PerfectPear]

One pic didn't attach

[EvelineUK]

@kittykat9
It is generally too late to ovulate now, so you may even get some good news shortly. To answer your question, yes you will need AF to clear the decks ready for the next ovulation. Maybe invest in an FRER ;)

[EvelineUK]

@EvelineUK
So there's no AMH (Egg storage level) test there, depending on where you were in your actual cycle the results for FSH, LH and Progesterone are a little low. I would guess your LH levels are consistently low which is why you're not hitting the 'peak' LH levels on OPK's. As you are only 28 I would probably be pushing my GP for a specialist referral, day 63 alone rings some alarm bells, that is an incredibly long cycle... Push to get a referal as you have great data there to back up that something is a little off I would say. Again, I'm not a doctor or specialist, but you may need some help, maybe clomid..

Let me know how you get on x

[EvelineUK]

Oops above @Perfectpair...

Why no edit button!!

[EvelineUK]

The irony... @perfectpear sorry