Confusion between OPKs and BBT rise - experienced charters please help.

[stardust1994]

Hi,

I have very little experience charting but decided I would give it a go when trying to conceive following my mmc at 10 weeks back in October. First time round I got pregnant straight away and used clear blue OPKs.

This time I have 2 days of high fertility followed by a peak on CD14. I had stomach cramps on the Tuesday (CD15) and Wednesday (CD16) and then weirdly again this Saturday (CD19). After CD14 I did keep doing OPKs in the morning and there was a 2nd line but very faint after CD16.

My concern is that my major bbt rise only happened after CD18 and I'm now wondering if I ovulated then despite the peak OPK on CD14 which would be frustrating.

Fertility friend still thinks CD15 for ovulation but other apps think CD19. Anyone have any thoughts? I'm very new to this.

Thanks!

I would say cd15 for ovulation. The temp stayed high for three days after that point. Plus you had a peak on the opk on day 14.

It possibly won’t change a solid line for you because you have other data after cd15 that conflicts with it. Eg cervical mucus etc.

Google 'fallback rise', perhaps this is what you had? Or a slow temp rise. I had a slow temp rise when I concieved DS. All good with the pregnancy 🙂

@Blue2020 - Thanks for your response, really appreciate it :) Hope everything is well for you 😊

@Lanty - Thanks so much! The fallback rise thing is interesting so fingers crossed that's what it was. Glad to hear everything went well with your pregnancy :) I'm really hoping for a better outcome this time 😊

@stardust1994 thanks, yes I had a mmc in April/May. Started tracking my ovulation and bbt and then conceived three months later. Currently 20weeks. You’re giving it the best chance by measuring your bbt to know you ovulated. Good luck and hope it works out soon.

@Blue2020 - so glad to know your pregnancy is now going well 😊Have a nice Christmas!

Updated chart - I removed the cervical mucus stuff as really wasn't very much post ovulation.

I just keeping getting hotter 😂When would I roughly expect my temperature to drop @Blue2020 or @Lanty? Thanks!

When charting, my temp would usually drop the day before or day that my period arrived. So for me that was about 13/14 dpo.

If it keeps climbing though, that could mean you are pregnant! Maybe do a test in next couple days :)

Thanks @Skylark1990, that's really helpful 😊To be honest I have done a FRER test and it was a faint positive but I don't really trust it as I haven't actually had a period since my miscarriage in October and D&C in November so I think it would be leftover hcg from the miscarriage. I have had a negative test 2 weeks ago but it was with a clear blue early digital rather than a first response and I think the FRER test is slightly more sensitive. TTC after miscarriage is so confusing.

@stardust1994 ooh that sounds promising! I conceived straight after a mc earlier this year - no period in between (am now 25 weeks). I think if you got a negative a couple weeks ago, any left over hcg wouldn't be enough now to show up on a FRER! Let us know...

Thanks @Skylark1990 Good to know it happened straight away for you. Out of curiosity how far along was your miscarriage and was it natural, medical or surgical?

I tried medical and it dropped a fair amount but was still getting strong positive tests for 3 weeks after so they re-scanned me and said my hcg was 4000 and I then had a D&C exactly 4 weeks ago today. The negative test was 15 days ago.

I got the faint positive yesterday morning (8dpo) which struck me as a bit too early so I'll see what comes up tomorrow and whether it comes up stronger or just the same. The reason I think it's potentially just leftover hcg is because I've heard of people getting positives at ridiculously low levels on FRER and also I don't really feel pregnant whereas last time I had strong symptoms really quickly. Would be a great Christmas present if I was though 😊

@stardust1994 I have had 3 early MC this year, but the one just before I got pregnant with this baby was at about 6 and a half weeks and passed naturally (we saw the heartbeat as went in when I initially had bleeding, but I continued to bleed and passed it the next day). Can appreciate it's a different process if you had to have a D&C... hopefully the positive test wasn't residual HCG though!!

@Skylark1990 - so sorry to hear about your 3 losses. Really glad you're now 25 weeks, that's so exciting! Did you get any testing or anything after you had the 3?
Also, how did you manage your anxiety this time round after the losses? I feel like I'll be quite anxious and I've only had the one miscarriage which was found at 10.5 weeks but only made it to 7 weeks. I had no idea before the scan.

Hi @stardust1994 I did get some tests yes I went through Tommy's Clinic Coventry and they were amazing. I was actually 4 weeks pregnant when I had the tests but that was OK. They all came back normal but I took progesterone till 16 weeks this time. I have a 2 year old DD who was conceived straight away, my first pregnancy, no issues so having the three losses this year was a big shock (I guess any loss is always a shock though!).

Did you do another FRER this morning?

In terms of anxiety, I did have a couple of extra scans - at 8 and 11 weeks, and I was taking the progesterone which was reassuring. You just need to take it day by day really... it is hard! But after one MC you are very likely to carry your next pregnancy to term (even after 3 MC we are more likely than not to carry our next to term....) xx

Good that you got help @Skylark1990. It’s strange how many people can have lots of miscarriages but the tests come back completely normal.. guess it’s just really unlucky.

My miscarriage was my first pregnancy so I can’t help but worry about being able to carry a baby to term because I never have before. I’m 27 though so I know I have time.

Yeah I took another one and it was pretty much the same, maybe even lighter after 48 hours so pretty sure it’s the leftover hcg. Ah well! Onwards and upwards in 2023 I hope :)

Aw, I'm sorry about the FRER not being darker. But best of luck for 2023! I can understand your worry, but statistically your next pregnancy is very likely to be all good :) sending lots of baby luck your way! x

@stardust1994 try to keep positive and I hope you get a bfp soon whether this cycle or in the near future. My mmc and d&c was my first pregnancy, and this is now my second pregnancy, I’m at 21weeks. So I have no children yet.

Thanks @Blue2020 😊 wishing you all the best for the rest of your pregnancy x

@stardust1994 thankyou x

Another update... currently no period despite a big temp drop. Now starting to wonder if I did ovulate a bit later (CD18) because this luteal phase seems to be going on forever.

Also, wondering if it could be the tiny bit of hcg keeping it high. So annoying!

Thought I should post the outcome of all this as I always think it's really helpful to people in the future. Also thanks everyone who responded to me on this thread :)

For me, the fact that my period never came despite my temps showing I'd ovulated was a HUGE red flag. This pattern continued for 3 months until I finally saw a gynaecologist.

Turns out I had developed Asherman's Syndrome from my D&C in November and had to have an operation to remove the scar tissue. I'm currently recovering and hoping the scarring doesn't reoccur but thought it was worth warning anyone who has a similar situation to me (ovulation but no period) to get checked out.