Help with Clear Blue OPK and TTC pink and timing

[downundermumma]

Hi, I'm wondering if someone can help explain when I should BD. I am trying to sway pink and thought I'd missed ovulating this month. It it turns out I'm ovulating late (day 19 is today, so day 19 or 20?!). I'm using the digital Clear Blue OPK and got the flashing �� which they says means "high" fertility, not peak which I suspect will be tomorrow. Should our one attempt be today or tomorrow or whenever this thing stops flashing and shows the solid �� meaning peak?

I was having a bad day yesterday worrying I wasn't ovulating and was old (34) and my toddler was a nightmare and I binged in Nutella...ugh if I had know I'd be in the game still for this month I would have been better with the LE diet! Oh well. Worth a try. Hope that one day doesn't ruin my whole attempt. Thanks in advance!

[MiaMelb]

Tricky question and I not a girl swayer so take or leave my suggestion as you see fit.

I think it depends if you usually get the "peak" fertility reading. My understanding is that not everyone does and therefore you don't want to miss the opportunity to BD at "high" while you wait for a "peak" reading that may never come. I'd be temped the BD tonight and have that as your one attempt. Particularly if you're not in a huge rush to conceive.

GL with whatever you end up going with.

[downundermumma]

Thanks MiaMelb! This is actually my first month using the OPK (and first to try). And because I ovulated so late I used up all my sticks checking and don't have another one to use tomorrow! So I guess I may as well go for it, thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

Most of us do one attempt on first solid smiley. But it's ok to attempt now if you prefer since this is your first month.

I do want to mention - don't let your age mess with your head! The idea that 35 is some sort of milestone or cutoff is actually totally untrue - your body doesn't know you have a birthday coming and you do NOT have a sudden dropoff in fertility at 35. Just isn't the case at all and I see a lot of people who panic their way into undermining their sway out of this fear.

[downundermumma]

Thanks Atomic!
We did BD last night and I tested again today (found one last test stick, now I am officially out) and got another flashing smile, not the solid yet. I am thinking if tomorrow is solid, I still wait and instead BD again the day after which would be I guess O+1?? What do you think? Wondering if I should restock on the clear blue digital or just get an old school one that is a yay or nay?! Do you have a preference? (Mind you I am in Australia and we won't have all the same brands as in the states).

Assuming we are still trying next month, I will do the abstain and the one attempt....really wasn't expecting such a late ovulation but I am pretty clockwork in my cycle so I would predict I'd be the same next month (despite that darn birthday, which I am trying not to let go to my head, hubby is 31 so that is going for us, plus we had him tested two years ago and the numbers and all that they they test were high and the doctor said she would be shocked if it took much time for us to conceive...sure enough 2nd try, but that was two years ago!). If next month doesn't work out too, I might add more attempts because for work reason I want to have a baby before July 2018...what would you suggest for the next best method with more attempts that is still pink friendly?

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, O+1 is very low (in fact impossible) chances of conception. If you are saying O day (becuase the second solid smiley is O Day, not O+1) that is also lower than first solid and persaonlly I'd just stick with the attempt you've had.

Some swear by the Clearblue, personally I think it causes scads of trouble just like you have had already and I usually recommend Wondfo brand OPK instead (available online)

I'd go to every 4 days next, and then to every 4 days plus one more attempt at positive OPK.

[downundermumma]

Yeah I'm not sold on the digital, plus a cheaper one would be nice! Thanks so much and I'll keep you posted!

[downundermumma]

Today is 5 days after my first of two solid similes (late at night so 5-6days) and I seem to have bad cramping and some bleeding. I am normally very regular and get my period like clockwork every 28 or 29 days. Today is day 25. Is this more likely just my period being weird after 7.5 weeks on the LE diet or implantation bleeding?! Do cycles often change with the LE diet? I haven't been that strict, but in the last 7.5 weeks I've gone from mostly veggies and meat to mostly carbs and few veggies but I've only lost 4lbs. Thoughts? Mind you I guess I will figure it out soon enough!

[atomic sagebrush]

Either option is possible and if it IS AF then I seriously doubt your O was late. 5 days after O is a terribly short LP and that is NOT something we usually see on LE Diet at all, let alone after only 7 weeks and not being strict.

[downundermumma]

Thanks Atomic! Pretty sure it is AF...how weird though that the OPK was +ve four days in a row though from day 19-22....bizarre. Should make figuring out timing next month a bit harder eh?! Will have to see how we go...

[atomic sagebrush]

There is something called the secondary estrogen surge that occurs midway thru your luteal phase and it can make your OPK go positive. Your body releases a burst of estrogen that helps to maintain the uterine lining and this can "trick" the OPK into giving a false positive. So sometimes people will O early and either miss it (since it's earlier than they expected) or it's one of those annoying false negatives where the hormone in your urine isn't detectable but it's enough to trigger O by the amount in your blood******, then 5-9 days later whammo the secondary estrogen surge occurs and then that does show up on the OPK.

OPK suck, unfortunately they're the best tech we have. :/

[downundermumma]

Oh gosh, thank you! Good to know! I'll start tracking a bit earlier and if we bd e4d next month anyways, I shouldn't have to rely on the OPK as much anyways.

Thanks so much again, you're such a wealth of information! :bigsmile:

[downundermumma]

Sorry one last question Atomic, I cannot find instructions for e4d for a pink sway, do you mind linking this to me? Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

I don't really have that written up as such in essay form, since it's new and I don't totally trust it yet.

You can do e4d two ways. One is having attempts on the 4th day, so you'd BD every 4th day. You'd start on the 1st day (just starting it the day after your period) and then count 1,2,3,4 and have attempt on the 4th day. Or, you can stretch it one more day and have it on the 5th day. Most people do it on the 4th day, this ends up in the worst case scenario to be an attempt on O-3 and O Day.

The advantage of the 4th day is that it does boost odds of conception more - there is no chance you won't be in with somewhat of a viable attempt. But the 5th day, while lower odds of conception, may be better odds of pink.

[downundermumma]

Thanks so much for clearing that up for me!

[MamaT]

I hope this is replying to the forum and not a private message. This is my first ever post, so I hope I’m doing this right. If not, I apologize! My DH and I are TTC a girl. We BD on the 16th and my CB OPK showed solid smiley this morning (the 18th). Should we BD tonight or is that too close to ovulation?

[atomic sagebrush]

Hi Mama T! Yes this is the forums!

The rule of thumb in this situation is to consider what YOU want from your sway this month.

If you want the best chance of conception but possibly lower odds of pink, have another attempt.

If you want a better chance of pink but (definitely!) lower odds of conception, stick with the attempt you've had.

And if you really can't decide, then flip a coin and do what the coin says.

It's going to be a longshot for you to conceive with that timing but it is possible. If you would like to split the difference, what you can do is wait till tomorrow and then have an attempt. That way, if there was anything left from the first BD on the 16th, it will have had a shot at the egg, and if there isn't, the next BD will have a chance.

At the end of it all it's totally up to you and you have to do what you feel comfy with. :)

[MamaT]

Thank you for the helpful info. What would you recommend for next cycle if trying for pink? I just don’t know when we should stop BDing. I don’t really know when I ovulate. I just go off of my peak fertility on CB OPK.

[atomic sagebrush]

I'm not really following your question, when to stop BDing?? (ETA I read another question you asked in a different thread and figured out what you meant, and responded there - this was actually a timing question)

When you're totally sure you have ovulated (many of us can tell this based on decreased libido, dried up CM, and mood shift) it is fine to stop BD as you can't catch the egg more than a day after ovulation has occured.