ovulation dates

[eth37]

This month I have started using ovulation sticks to work out exactly when I ovulate and I am really confused and a bit upset. I though generally people ovulated around day 12. I am now on day 16 and the stick is still not showing that I have had the LH surge. The test line is there, so I think the test is working properly. Anyone else had this? Does it mean I am not ovulating?

bump

We tried for ages around the days they say and then we used ov sticks after 0 success and found sometimes i ov as late as 17-day 19 then conceived pretty much within a few months. Bare with it and good luck x....

eth37

Ovulation is not an exact science and a person can ovulate earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle.

These opk's are problematic at best to use anyway; they work on the misleading principles that women only have one rise in LH every month and that such a rise is immediately followed by ovulation. Both of these statements are not true.

I would save yourself more heartache and stop using them forthwith. They aren't all that helpful really.

If your periods happen to be irregular in nature as well they are also not worth using.

Thanks everyone. Think I'll try them for another month and then give up - they are driving me mad and costing quite a lot of money! Thanks for your advice.

AAAGH, just done another ovulation stick, CD18, and still no line - bot even a faint one.... Surely there is something wrong?

Hi eth37,

I did OPKs for several months and was temping at the same time. A couple of months the kits worked fine but the rest of the time I didn't get a line at all, even though my temperatures (and all the other signs) indicated I ovulated when I expected I would. In addition to the points Attila made, the tests also depend on the strength of the hormone in your wee, and I can tell you it is just not possible to get the same strenght wee every day!!!

Please don't worry about the lack of a line, it doesn't mean you're not ovulating. Oh and CD18 isn't 'late' for ov anyway, especially if your cycles tend to be over 28 days.

Good luck!

Hi Eth, On my last cycle I got a positive from my OPK on CD17 of a 30/31 day cycle and this month I didn't get one until CD21! I use cheap ones from ebay and then confirm the result with the Clearblue ones. Lots of people apprently don't ever get a positive reading with them at all. Keep a close watch on your CM as well as it's a good indication of when you are OVing.
Hope it gets a bit less frustrating for you soon!

Eth - how long is your cycle normally?

It has ranged in the past 6 months from 25 - 31 days, but usually around 27 or 28. Last one was 25. Have been monitoring CM, but worried that this doesn't mean anything if LH levels not raised? The sticks I have bought are from a website, they weren't v expensive. I am getting obsessed!! We are not actively ttc just yet, but planning to start in the nest couple of months, so trying to get to grips with all the exact dates etc. Did BD last night (CD17) and apparently sperm (eeeew, hate that word!! sorry) can live for up to 4 or 5 days? It's all new to me and v confusing!! Thanks for everybody's help!

Hm okay, lots of info there.

Firstly for the reasons Attila has mentioned OPKs are not great for everyone. If you have pretty regular periods and have no reason to suspect any fertility issues then I guess they are pretty good for making sure that you have sex the ideal time. But in addition to the reservations that Attila has I would add that I understand it to be quite possible if you have a short LH surge and test once a day to miss it altogether, so not having a positive OPK is not necessarily an issue.

Also, I once used those internet OPKs and never got a positive, whereas Clearblue gave me a positive exactly when I was expecting it, so I question the accuracy of some cheapies.

The second point is that for many women, while the time it takes for them to ovulate might vary, the length of time after ov (the luteal phase) is usually a fairly constant length for that woman. An average range of luteal phase is 12-16 days, but it is not exactly unheard of to fall outside of that range. So if your cycle is 28 days this month, then it is possible that you might not ovulate until day 18, for example, if you have a 10 day luteal phase.

Yes, you are right to say that sperm can live a number of days. Some people reckon up to 7 days although I have read that after 3 days or so most sperm will be pretty knackered and useless. Therefore a good plan is to have sex every 2-3 days throughout your cycle so you don't miss ov.

Finally and most importantly (I should have put it first) rather than trying to work out your cycle, why don't you and your man just have lots of sex for fun for a few months and see what happens? You might not need any of this afterall! I have to tell you that each time I have conceived it has been after really fun good sex, so I'd focus on that and not the counting if I were you.

If you do decide you would like to understand more about how your cycle works, I can recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. I will be using her method as birth control in future and I find it really good to have a bit of a handle on what my body is up to.

Hope that lot helps. Let us know how you get on.

Starlight - how long are your cycles?

I am one of the unlucky people who ovulate late in a short cycle so leaving me with a luteal phase of about 9 days.