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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

Clearblue Ovulation Test - Flashing Smily Face

116 replies

HackneyGirl2022 · 06/04/2022 23:42

Hi

Please can someone help/explain how these tests work, this is the first month we are ttc (we already have a 3 year old) the calendar stated my ovulation was suppose to be on 4th April, I have been taking the tests since 31st March, the first day showed low fertility and since 1st April it's been showing flashing smiley face (6 days) I thought the fertile window was only 6 days including ovulation, does this mean I'm not going to ovulate this month... any help would be great... thank you Smile

OP posts:
Hiddenvoice · 07/04/2022 05:37

The flashing smileys are still okay tk get pregnant but it’s stating you’ve not hit your peak yet. A solid smiley will appear on the stick and stay there for up to 48 hours. If you are testing daily then you won’t miss this, if you forget to take a day then you can run the chance of testing on day 2 of your peak.
Just be careful of calendars and apps that say you should ovulate on certain days because our bodies don’t really work like that and we can ovulate earlier or later in the month.
I used clear blue for a year when ttc and it was making me feel stressed.
The gp suggested dtd every few days and basing it on how I was feeling. They pointed out thag around ovulation time j would feel a rise in my temperature and would feel more naturally in the mood. After one month I was able to spot this straight away

Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 07/04/2022 07:33

@Hiddenvoice thank you for the info Smile I've just tested again this morning and another flashing face (7th day) I'm losing all hope now, it's so deflating and also expensive.

Has anyone else had 7 or more days of flashing smiley face and did it peak after? Hmm

OP posts:
Hiddenvoice · 07/04/2022 08:13

I have had flashing faces for almost 10 days then at a peak so it is possible!

Moosh18 · 07/04/2022 10:01

I've had 15 before!!! Currently on 10! X

Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 07/04/2022 16:21

@Hiddenvoice @Moosh18 oh wow 10 and 15.... I will have to carry on testing through the week.

I just thought it was quite unusual to be ovulating so late in my cycle. As it's day 7, do you think I should test twice a day? xx

OP posts:
Moosh18 · 07/04/2022 16:22

@HackneyGirl2022 I sometimes do, but they are expensive!! I'm currently cd21 still no ovulation 😩😩

Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 07/04/2022 20:23

@Moosh18 I really hope you reach your peak soon, I understand how frustrating it can be.. are you also using the clearblue tests and are you testing twice a day? xx

OP posts:
Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 07/04/2022 20:25

@Hiddenvoice thank you for the reassurance, hopefully I will peak tomorrow xx

OP posts:
Moosh18 · 07/04/2022 20:53

@HackneyGirl2022 yeah o use clear blue advance, I also test later in the day on the cheap opk strips, if I get what i think is a positive on those I'd test again on the clear blue x

Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 10/04/2022 09:06

@Hiddenvoice @Moosh18 just an update, I've tested again this morning and it's still flashing on day 10... shall I stop testing Hmm

OP posts:
Hiddenvoice · 10/04/2022 09:27

If you’ve still got tests then keep going! It’s annoying to still have the flashing smileys but might give you a little heads up if you ovulate slightly later in the month!

Moosh18 · 10/04/2022 09:31

I'm still flashing day 14!!

Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 10/04/2022 11:07

@Hiddenvoice I might as well use the whole box, I also think I started to test very early.

My period started on 22/23 March I can't remember exact date and only lasted until 25 March, although I was spotting from 19 March and this period was very light, I think my cycles are between 30-33 days maybe longer some months Hmm

OP posts:
Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 10/04/2022 11:12

@Moosh18 please let me know if u peak.... I really hope u do soon xx

How many boxes have u gone through? I'm on my third box this month lol the first box I think I wasted about 4 or 5 as I didn't use them properly and the second box is when I started to test twice a day. I brought both boxes from boots and Superdrug for £27 each and the Thursday box I brought from a chemist website for about £15 which is quite reasonable xx

OP posts:
Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 10/04/2022 11:13

Third box** not Thursday lol

OP posts:
123walrus · 10/04/2022 11:26

I wouldn’t test twice a day with the Clear Blue ones. They’re designed to be once a day with FMU. Plus it’s really expensive.

Moosh18 · 10/04/2022 11:38

@HackneyGirl2022 I'm onto my second box now, only testing once a day! I really hope I'm close I'm on CD24!!!! X

Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 10/04/2022 11:53

@123walrus on the leaflet it says u can test more then once when u show high fertility but I totally get what u mean it being so expensive xx

I'm glad I did in a way cause if I went according to the apps/calendar I would have totally missed my fertility period and it shows my ovulation as being on the 4th April lol

OP posts:
Original poster
HackneyGirl2022 · 10/04/2022 11:56

@Moosh18 I've read somewhere on another feed that if u miss your LH surge that you might miss your ovulation peak... how true is this?

If you miss your LH surge will you still show peak (static smiley face) the next time u do a test? This is the bit I don't understand xx @Hiddenvoice @123walrus

OP posts:
Hiddenvoice · 10/04/2022 12:44

So I’d test once in the morning and then leave it till the next day. Once you hit the peak the static smiley stays on the screen for up to 48 hours. That way you know you don’t need to keep testing. If you decide to test a few days later then you would just get the plain circle showing it’s low.
They are so incredibly expensive and can make you worry so try not stress too much with it. I used apps and the tests and I must say the app was useless. It goes off of an algorithm based on your previous period cycle but it’s not always correct. Like you said, you said it can give you the wrong date and then you work towards the wrong date.

I was becoming stressed with the tests and my dh was getting fed up with the amount of money I spent on them.
I spoke to my doctor and they suggested trying to listen to my body and dtd every few days. After the first month I noticed that when j ovulated my gosh temperature was raised. I would wake up at night jusg feeling really hot. I also felt like I had more energy and felt just in the mood (sorry if tmi 😂)
After a couple months of ditching the tests, the apps and just focussing on me and having fun, I fell pregnant. Could be a massive coincidence but I felt like I was relying too much on the tests and thag was putting stress on myself and my dh.

Hiddenvoice · 10/04/2022 12:46

Meant body instead of gosh 🤦‍♀️

Newbiemg · 10/04/2022 14:08

@HackneyGirl2022 Hello!

The clear blue tests track two different hormones. The flashing face picks up estrogen and the static face picks up LH.

Some women only get a couple of days of flashing and some get multiple depending on your estrogen levels and also how soon in your cycle you start using the tests. It really can vary person to person and month to month.

I personally always get atleast 10 days of flashing face before getting my static but the static always comes so deffo keep testing the static will come.

It’s also very normal for ovulation day to vary month to month as well. I’ve had my LH peak as early at CD12 and as late as CD16 and today I am CD15 and no sign of being close to peak yet so likely will be later than CD16 (last month it was CD12).

If your cycles are 30-33 days it would be very normal for your ovulation to not be until CD19/20 meaning peak would be around CD18/19. This is on average but everyone is different. What cycle day are you on today?

What I do is use the clear blue and some cheapie opks as well. Cuts down the cost and gives me extra confirmation. I use the CB in the morning FMU and then use the easy@home strips afternoon/evening. Maybe worth doing this?

Lots of luck for this cycle Smile

Newbiemg · 10/04/2022 14:16

[quote HackneyGirl2022]@Moosh18 I've read somewhere on another feed that if u miss your LH surge that you might miss your ovulation peak... how true is this?

If you miss your LH surge will you still show peak (static smiley face) the next time u do a test? This is the bit I don't understand xx @Hiddenvoice @123walrus [/quote]
Not quite sure what you mean by your your question above but trying to answer what I think you meant….

Your LH peak usually occurs 12-24 hours before you ovulate (for some people it can be as much as 72 hours before but 12-24 hours is more common).

So once you get a positive LH test DTD this day and 2/3 days after and these should be the best days to conceive in theory.

Your CB won’t detect your ovulation. No ovulation tests can do this. The ovulation tests detect LH which surges just before you ovulate as I’ve said above so by tracking LH you should be able to predict that you will ovulate in the days following the positive test.

(The flashing faces are not detecting LH at all. They’re detecting estrogen).

Hope this helps!

Newbiemg · 10/04/2022 14:29

So the static face is your positive test this is when your LH surge is happening.

Sorry for my essays! Lol

PeachesToday · 10/04/2022 20:57

[quote HackneyGirl2022]@Hiddenvoice thank you for the info Smile I've just tested again this morning and another flashing face (7th day) I'm losing all hope now, it's so deflating and also expensive.

Has anyone else had 7 or more days of flashing smiley face and did it peak after? Hmm[/quote]
Yep! Mine would flash 6~7 days before the static smilie.

I’ve gone back to the 2 day ones now because they’re cheaper & make me less baby crazy :)