Tracking Ovulation

[ellotherr]

Hello,

Looking for advice and know you lovely ladies are very knowledgable. I'd like to start tracking my ovulation and have no idea where to start!

Can anyone recommend an app/website to log symptoms? I currently use Flo to log my period which estimates ovulation but I know temperature taking is a more effective way?

I've started trying to follow the CM method but struggling! I currently have white, milky 'moisturiser' type discharge however my app says I ovulated yesterday? First day of period was 23rd April, last day 27th.

I'm a complete newbie at tracking cycles and have been on contraception for the past 6 years. If anyone has any pointers to website/YouTube videos etc I would really appreciate it!

Thank you and good luck all x

I usally use the clearblue advanced ovulation tests but have also started using the easy@home strips + free Premom app this cycle.

The advanced clearblue flash for several days when your oestrogen starts to rise in the days ahead of ovulation. So you know it's time to get racy. A static smiling face shows when it's the start of your two days of peak fertility.

The easy@home ones are cheap and you can do a few a day around the time of peak to narrow it down. I'm finding the app very easy to use and I like to have the record. You take photos and the results are uploaded into a graph for you. You can also log dates of sex, CM and cervix height if into all that. I don't do temperature but I'm sure someone else who does will show up!

I used the easy@home ones too, couldn't get the hang of temperature stuff! Tbh in the end we just DTD every 2 days from CD10 - around CD22 and that did the trick!

I used OPK strips and the ClearBlue digital ovulation tests as well - the strips were good because they were cheap so I could do multiple tests a day and then just use the digital ones when I was approaching peak (the digital ones are expensive so doing it this way meant that I didn't have to use many of them per cycle). I found it helpful to have a double confirmation of my peak, as every cycle I used them I got my peak on the strip on the same day as the static smiley face on the digital test, so I knew I was timing things right. I also logged the strip results into the Premom app to help with reading the results.

This method worked for me - I started tracking ovulation after a miscarriage last year and got pregnant again on the 3rd cycle trying. I actually ovulated early that cycle so if I hadn't been doing the tests I might well have missed my chance! Good luck.

I track using bbt. I found tracking vaginally most accurate no matter when I wake up. It clearly shows when I ovulated and when my period will arrive. I use the app fertility friend.

@emmatcc1 Did you ever also track LH alongside? How long after the surge ovulation actually happens remains guesswork for me.

For tracking with CM mine is watery before ovulation and turns to creamy white straight after ovulation.

@sirensong Yes I did twice. My low reading is below 0.15
1st time
cd11-0.20
cd12-0.88
ovulated cd14

2nd time
cd11-0.68
cd12-1.04
ovulated cd13

Thank you all! X will take a look into the OPKs & test strips.

@CluelessInLondon I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriage x I hope you are doing okay ❤️

@ellotherr Thank you, that's so kind of you. ❤️ I'm 19 weeks pregnant now and all going okay so far. Good luck with the tracking. 😊

Hello all, so I've been trying to track using the CM method and not had the egg white consistency? I've also started using the OPKs. Could anyone help me estimate when ovulation if I attach the photos?

My cycle is between 23-25 days, currently on day 9. My Flo app predicts day of ovulation to be day 11.

The test line on cycle day 7 was stronger than todays but not at all dark. Will I have missed it for this month? So confusing!!

I understand that LH surges 24-48 hours prior to ovulation so have I missed the surge?

These are the OPKs for day 7 and evening of day 9

Hi @ellotherr I use the OvuSense ovucore device, it claims to be over 98% accurate at detecting ovulation based on taking bbt readings at 5 minute intervals throughout the night (when you wear it) and then the algorithm gives you a temperature when you download data in the morning. I've found it brilliant, I hate the opk tests and cm isn't enough alone to know when I'm ovulating.

Thank you @browneyedgirl626 I really appreciate your response. I'll take a look into this as it seems more accurate

I'd highly recommend the Tempdrop wearable tracker. It's a band which you pop on your arm before bed and it monitors you basal body temp while you sleep so you don't have to remember to take your temp in the morning. The data goes straight to the app on your phone so you can clearly see when you are ovulating and when your fertility window is. It really takes the hard work out of BBT tracking!

I use the Ovia app which seems to be pretty accurate for me - good luck

I conceived the following following cycle and my DD is now 4 months baby dust to all xx

Fertility friend for tracking temps! The layout looks a little weird at first but its full of really useful information. It will guide you as you go. Its worth buying the yearly membership too, they often have offers where it's only a couple of pounds.
Premom is also really good when used alongside the ovulation strips, probably not worth buying membership though as the most useful parts are free. They will advise you when to start using the ovulation strips, but I think its really useful to use them every day for your first month or so, especially since coming off contraception can mess with your cycles for a while.
It can feel daunting when you first start tracking ovulation. Give yourself a couple of months to familiarise yourself with the apps and your cycle, you'll soon get the hang of it

Ah brilliant! Lovely news