Random varying cycle, negative OPKs - wish I'd never started with the damned things!

[BabyValentine]

Bit of background: DD conceived first month, 'normal' 30 day cycle, no random peeing on sticks (apart from the HPT).

Now TTC#2. This is our first month and I'e turned into a raving lunatic...

Over the last year my cycle has been 31, 33, 36, 34, 28, 32, 29, 30, 42!, 35, 33. Although I often feel ovulation pains, I decided to get the OPKs - both ClearBlue and wee sticks from eBay - due to my cycle being a bit random.

I clearly have no idea what is going on - according to the sticks I did not ovulate from CD13 to CD28. (I did a practice fum last month and ovulated on CD19 of a 34 day cycle (I think!) )

Today is CD29 and being more than a little obsessed with weeing in pots, I thought 'Ha! Last ClearBlue stick! I will use you up and get you out of the way and forget of your exsitence, you mean little fella!'. So I weeed. And I now have a smiley face.

What is going on? Am I ovulating at this late stage? Or were the sticks from eBay a bit dodgy? It certainly felt like I ovulated earlier in the month, and some EWM - but -ve OPKs. I'm sure DH won't mind a bit of shagging with intent when he gets home from work, but I'm a bit sick of all the sex, TBH. And well and truly confused. Wish I'd never bought the bloody things.

Can anyone shed any light on anything? I have a sneaking suspicion I should be ditching the sticks and relaxing with some regular sex!

Hi BV!

Well, I will prob go back to the Dr again in 2 months time because by then it will have been 'a year' according to what I have previously told him but actually 9 months in reality.

I temp every morning when I get up though sometimes I do forget but I do find that my temp drops slightly on the day of ovulation and jumps up the next day and stays up until i get my period. My luteal phase is approx 13 - 14 days and has always been around that time.

So def not doing the opk thing and as of tomorrow will be will by CD8 for me I will try the sex every other night approach. I know as Attila rightly points out it's better not to be so regimented and not follow a plan but if we left it to just having sex when I feel like it then it would prob be never as I have a really low libido at the moment. DH on other hand would prob like to do it every night.

babyvalentine - just to echo the ditch the sticks vote here. But also add a couple of extra bits, you can get a positive opk (or near positive) just before af arrives. There is a second LH surge just before your period. You also get positive opk results when pregnant. At other times of the month you could potentially get more than one LH surge but not actually ovulate, as you mentioned stress amongst other things can delay ovulation.

So in essence the sticks are not worth it. Even if you get a positive on an opk, you could be ovulating or maybe not. For me I only ever got a positive AFTER ovulation!!!!! I was temping, monitoring cm etc and it was clear that if I had gone by opks alone, I would not have ever given myself a chance. With the internet cheapie opk's I only ever generally got a near positive too.

So I am glad you are ditching the opk's, I hope you get to relax and enjoy good old-fashioned shagging time with your dh.

You asked about farenhight or celeius thermometer - C is fine.

I used OPK's for all the 7 cycles that we ttc'd baby #3. I only got a positive for the first 3 goes and then for the rest I just got loads of big fat bog off's.

The month I got pregnant I didn't get a positive on an OPK. I'm now 9 weeks preg.

I hate those stupid sticks they caused me so much anxiety.

Zita West at the fertility show said that we should try to make love about every 3 days to keep topped up with the necessary ingredient .

I wont be having any more children, but if I were I really wouldn't use those things. I bought the flippin' expensive ones as well!!(£20 a month).

Please try to relax and before you know it you'll be peeing on a hpt stick. Good luck.

I agree with everyone who says OPKs are the work of the devil - they drove me mad and nearly blind trying to decide whether the 2 lines were the same 'intensity' ... do I look like a paint chart designer?
I would recommend a really good fertility type vitamin. My cycle was bananas - between 27 and 39 days - and despite ovulation pains I was utterly confused and then I started using fertility blend and cycle now 29/ 30 days every time and feeling much better overall. Not pregnant but DH has low sperm count.

Wigglesmummy - how long have you been using the fertilityblend? I have weird cycles too - I will give those vitamins a go.