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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

Have stupid clearblue ruined my chances?

25 replies

decafgirl · 21/03/2010 19:57

Ok am at the peeing on ov sticks stage and still no smiley face I just read a couple of articles that say not to use FMU to test with as it's not reliable but the instructions with the kit recommend FMU.

Any advice/experience will be greatly appreciated...

PS tomorrow's my last hope as I'm due my temperature increase on Tues.

OP posts:
oopsandbabycoconut · 21/03/2010 20:48

I was always told by the Gynae that if I was insitant on using 'the things' then mid afternoon is best but I wasn't using CB I was using the little strip tests.

Original poster
decafgirl · 21/03/2010 20:56

Bugger! and Thank you!

Shall I test later tomorrow then? xx

OP posts:
oopsandbabycoconut · 21/03/2010 21:02

I would use try later in the day - I used to test after lunch. Needs to be roughly the same time every day.

SparrowGirl · 21/03/2010 21:06

I've been using ov test for the first time this month and haven't had even a whisker of a second line at all despite the fact that I have all the other symptoms of ovulation: cramps, ewcm, high sex drive. I was worried for a bit but did a bit of reading and found that it's really easy to miss the hormone surge if you don't just happen to test at the right time. Since I am clearly not organised enough to test even once a day with any regularity I have come the the decision that they just aren't worth the effort for me.

Of course some people swear by them but I think I'll be sticking to checking my cm in future!

Original poster
decafgirl · 21/03/2010 21:20

Thanks sparrowgirl have felt a bit down that this was going to be a duff month (or maybe a real reason for not falling pg yet) but you're totally right. Ok will POAS at about lunchtime tomorrow. That'll be a new work experience for me! xx

OP posts:
MrsNorthman · 22/03/2010 07:08

If clearblue say on their instructions to test first thing then I'm sure it would be fine. They are the experts and manufacturers of an incredibly popular product.

I understood it that the cheap sticks work better With wee from later in the day.

Try to use it as a guide not rely solely on it. As long as you are having sex every other day you are sure to catch an egg. An opk isn't a true guide to ovulation only a blood test is the only way you will know for sure. Perhaps a trip to the docs for a day 21 test?

rosieposey · 22/03/2010 07:37

I read somewhere that the clearblue sticks with the smiley face actually test for other hormones not just LH and thats why they recommend you use FMU. I didnt think that was a good idea either as i started testing with these last month and didnt get a smiley face. However i think i started testing too early as i stopped by day 15 i think and i didnt get a positive this month till day 15 so i figure that i must ovulate later in my cycle perhaps.

I also have been using internet opks (not the really really cheap ones but the ones like you get from asda/tesco ect) to back up the clearblue and sure enough as i got the smiley face from the FMU i did a couple of the opks as well. One at about 2pm and one at about 7pm and they were both really dark lines to indicate that my LH surge had begun.

I will be using clearblue next month (if i need them) as im quite impressed with them but i think that the advice you have been given to have sex every couple of days from approx day 10 to day 18 will do the job.

lucybarnes · 22/03/2010 15:16

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rosieposey · 22/03/2010 16:01

Lucy if your cycle goes up to 29 days then i would continue to test for a couple more days if i were you. The only thing to consider (and this happened to me last month i think) is that you sometimes dont ovulate every month, i used the whole pack and got nothing at all. This month i only had one left when i got the smiley face and i started on day 12 i think.

My cycle used to be every 28 (maybe sometimes 29) days but it was 30 this month just gone. Tbh i am quite glad it was that long as if i am a late ovulator (will see by the next few months patterns) then i need a good 10 days luteal phase for implantation. Dont worry if you dont get a smiley face this month, finish the pack and just try again next month. I used the clearblue for the morning and the internet ones for the afternoon - although as i said above they did correlate when i got the first thing in the morning smiley face on day 16.

lucybarnes · 22/03/2010 17:23

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rosieposey · 22/03/2010 17:46

Well i wouldnt do two of the CB a day as they are for use first thing in the morning just use them for that and get either Asda/Tesco/Sainsburys ones for the afternoon - do them anytime between 12 and 8pm, it will save you money too.

I started testing on day 12 but last month im really not sure that i oved at all. I screwed up one test so had to discard that one and i think i gave up by about day 16/17 and had no smiley face at all, i was pretty fed up too. Are you using any of the other methods such as temping or checking for ecwm? I have crap ecwm - i havent noticed any for months now but if you can use that too i think it helps.

I really think that opks are a great and useful indicator as to whether you are ov'ing - finish the pack now as women can ovulate really quite late in their cycle.

Please please dont panic if you dont get a on them this month, i didnt last month and some women just get pg without a single smiley face but obviously they must have oved at some point iyswim.

Just as an aside i took two hpts from the same sample at 4pm this afternoon (i held my wee for 8 hours! and ive just had the faintest teeny weeneyist of positive 2nd lines on both of them - the fact that they are so faint and i had to use such a concentrated sample shows how early it is but it also goes to show ( i only had my positive opk a week ago yesterday) that these things can be very very useful in helping you to get pg - im holding my breath till i can use my first response tomorrow as i had a bad experience with an evap line last month (hence why i did two separate ones from the same sample) but fingers crossed for us both I really hope you see a surge tomorrow, if not just keep at it till you finish the pack, thats probably what i would do.

lucybarnes · 22/03/2010 19:20

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rosieposey · 22/03/2010 19:47

Will do Lucy - i will post first thing

rosieposey · 23/03/2010 07:34

I couldnt wait till first thing this morning as i woke up at 4 bursting for a pee! Anyway i had held it for 5 hours so i thought that was enough and tested with two internet cheapies again (didnt want to use FR till they came up positive again) and they were both negative i can only think that the sample wasnt as strong as yesterdays and that i will wait till lunchtime to test again.

I cant think why i would get two positives from two separate tests other than being pg but maybe the sample was too strong or something and caused the tests to malfunction - i dunno. Will see if i get another positive today and if not will think that it is most probably a fluke or something (even though DH and my eldest DD saw them both - the lines are stillt here even this morning!) who knows?

Hope you are having better luck poas this morning.

rosieposey · 23/03/2010 08:09

Update! I couldnt hold my pee again so went and dipped an internet cheapie and there is definately a line - its faint and takes a couple of minutes to come up (and for the test result screen to go white so you can see it) but its completely visible now - i think i can be cautiously happy as i have a third bfp - lets hope its a sticky one.

lucybarnes · 23/03/2010 14:58

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Original poster
decafgirl · 23/03/2010 17:09

Have tested using the clearblue digis for 2 lunchtimes now and still no smiley so am going to do it all again next month along with some cheapies for the afternoons. Am putting this month down as anovulatory. A bit gutted I won't have a 2010 baby but hopefully will make it for early 2011.

At least I haven't got my hopes up only to be disappointed this month IYSWIM. xx decaf

OP posts:
rosieposey · 23/03/2010 17:29

It may well be an anovulatory cycle Lucy i am convinced i had one last month as that was our first month trying and i couldnt see anything either. This month i did it in conjunction with the internet sticks and got my smiley on day 15 which was last Sunday.

Decaf are you going to keep testing till your cb's are gone? where in your cycle are you?

Well i did three more today across the course of the day and they were neg tbh im not too worried though as the one i did this morning was obviously positive (you can still see the line now) and yesterdays ones too. I just think this early on there are going to be samples that dont have a high enough hcg to show and then the odd one will. Will just have to wait till the weekend and hopefully they will get more positive over the coming days.

Original poster
decafgirl · 23/03/2010 21:50

Hi again! Have been back to tescos and bought their 7 tests for £7 and did one when I got home which turned out to be positive! Have got one CB digi which I'll use in the morning then will keep testing until my temp increases.

I'm currently on CD20 of what's usually a 33 or 34 day cycle - so fingers crossed all is not lost this month...

OP posts:
rosieposey · 23/03/2010 22:09

Decaf thats great news - get swi'ing as soon as you can as you will be oving by the looks of it very soon. Dont be surprised if you dont get a from CB in the morning as if you got a positive surge indicator then you should know that they can last as little as 12 hours ( i think mine was less than 24 as i did a few poas after the cb digi) but a positive is a positive - good luck!

lucybarnes · 24/03/2010 10:14

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rosieposey · 24/03/2010 11:10

Well aside from that faint positive last night on the internet cheapy i got a negative first this morning from a first response and an internet cheapy and another negative just now. If my hcg is supposed to be increasing it should be showing more positives by now.

Im not getting a good feelin about this tbh, perhaps it was the beginning of a pg and now its turned chemical or something i dont know but at this stage with DS i was getting positives from all tests - its only three days till my af is due so i dont think that although i got those positives that its actually going to be my month. We shall see over the next couple of days anyway.

lucybarnes · 24/03/2010 11:40

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rosieposey · 24/03/2010 13:28

Wise words Lucy wise words... will wait till Friday now (the day before AF) and test then again on Sat, if nothing then can only assume the worst as even the crappiest of tests should pick up around the time AF is due. Either way its good to know one way or another though isnt it? If its not a goer this month am fairly optimistic about next month

lucybarnes · 26/03/2010 12:59

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