Blue Sway Folic Acid QQ - Please help!

[atomic sagebrush]

Being sick absolutely CAN delay ovulation but that unfortunately may mean another reason to skip. If you're sick enough for O to come late it may just be this is the sign we're waiting on and since you haven't proceeded, it may be just best to wait it out this month. Of course we never know what will happen next month, but this month is just not ideal as it's shaking out. Your call to make of course!

[atomic sagebrush]

Ps @Atomic — I was thinking, if I keep checking my ovulation, and it keeps showing flashing faces, then I may start using protection again, but if I have a solid smiley tomorrow or Friday (cd 17 or 18), then I should go ahead with unprotected sex, as my last attempt was cd15? Maybe cd 19 too, or is that a big enough gap? I’m thinking being sick (or this stress!) may well delay O.. x

Update: tests taken this morning have only added to confusion! Temperature is still up as I am sick. Cheap OPK says low fertility. Yet Clear Blue OPK still has flashing smiley. No CM or sex drive to speak of!

What can happen is that your body kind of "thinks" about ovulating and then "decides" to hold off. So you can go from high fertility, and even from peak itself, back to low again and then you've not ovulated. In a few days or a week or two, you will then gear up to O and ovulate at that point in time. It's very common, and you will often see O symptoms with the positive or near positive OPK even if O does not occur, since it's the hormones that cause symptoms, not the egg being released. Then they'd clear up and you'd have the same thing again in a few days/week.

[atomic sagebrush]

Update: another flashing smiley…

So it’s been: CD14 (low), 15 (flashing, BD), 16 (flashing), 17 (flashing), 18 (flashing).

I still don’t feel very well and would have expected some more signs of O by now..: I think it’s going to be delayed for some reason. Should this be a cause for concern? I’m also wondering whether I have ovulated ‘weakly’ this month and somehow missed it, which would really mess up my plans… but I’ve never ovulated before CD16 before. And surely I wouldn’t have got a low to a high result from CD14 to 15 if that was the case?

I reckon wait it out another month? Would love to hear thoughts on this as it’s currently driving me more than a little crazy….!

Thanks Atomic! X

It is completely possible to have a false negative on an OPK, and to have missed O by ovulating earlier than expected, but that doesn't mean you have "ovulated weakly". That's really not a thing, though some people do still use that terminology about "strong" and "weak" ovulation, it's one of those things that is not medically proven. The darkness or even presence/absence of OPK doesn't tell us about the quality of ovulation anyway. Even if you never get a fully positive OPK, you can have ovulated and had an entirely normal ovulation, it's just that the hormone in your urine never got concentrated enough to register as positive.

[atomic sagebrush]

I know

And after all that…. I’ve decided to go for it this month. I guess there will never be a ‘perfect’ month and hopefully something good can come from this year after all (all fingers and toes crossed!) x

Oh ok great, once ovulation comes along, hit it with the three attempts!!

[ruby_blue]

Hey, thanks for all your replies. I really appreciate it! I know I’ve done a complete 180, but the more I thought about it, the more obstacles there seems to be next month as well, so I thought I should just stop living in fear and give it my best shot. There are some things which make me feel unconfident in my sway, but there’s no guarantee ever I guess.

Have you had lots of sway opposites in people who have been a bit under the weather when they did their sway? I’m not super sick, I just have a bit of a bad chest and a bit of a cough. At least it’s not Covid! It’s just niggly and annoying - worse at night.

We got one more attempt in today. I imagine I could see a long line of flashing faces, so may go to EOD if so. Sorry if I asked this already, but does delayed O sway pink? If it’s because of being a bit sick / stressed?!

Thanks a million as ever xx

[ruby_blue]

Hi atomic I’m starting to question myself again.

This morning I’ve woken up with a really chesty cough which sounds quite phlegm-y, and in much deeper voice than normal! Also I’ve taken another OPK test and the line seems to be getting fainter, but it’s still showing as a flashy smiley on clear blue.

Because I’m on CD 19, I would have expected my LH to have risen by now. Wondering if I should keep going with unprotected sex or write off this cycle now as one which isn’t working properly / not ideal? I could go back to using protection again …. I’m guessing from what you said that it would not be a good idea to try if ovulation does show up much later than normal? And it’s looking like it’s heading that way. Unless I’m going mad and have somehow missed it entirely.

Sorry to keep flip-flopping. I tend to feel worse in the mornings and at night, which is when I think I should wait, but during the day when I feel a bit better I think I should just go for it.

Many thanks X

[atomic sagebrush]

No not at all, it's totally fine to attempt this month. I agree that in many cases the next month will not be any better, and what's worse it can lead to this sort of fear of trying where anything that's less than optimal is a cause to postpone the month. Then swaying gets built up more and more inpeople's heads...blue swayers feel overwhelmed, pink swayers obsess more and more - it's just largely a better idea not to postpone the month whenever it's possible not to.

We honestly never really tracked the results in sick people. There's just no way to know for sure because people are doing so many things to sway, and their definitions of "sick" is all over the map. I'd love to have a study in people who weren't swaying to see what the gender ratio was but no one has done that yet.

Delayed O may sway somewhat pink but if your O is delayed to a point in which you're feeling better, that may actually be a good thing. I would try not to worry too much about the things that may sway pink for you, if you're going to try, try to stay positive and focused on the things that are swaying BLUE!

[atomic sagebrush]

I can't tell you what to do. I can see wisdom in waiting, but if as you're saying, next month is worse, then I've seen it go south for people in the past where they waited through months that were ok really only to conceive in months that ended up being way worse. I just can't know. I think your best bet may even be doing something like flipping a coin (tho I prefer that pink swayers do that, instead of blue swayers!)

I wish I coudl be of more help, but unfortunately my crystal ball is in the shop this week and with the holidays, who knows when I'll get it back>> LOL!

[ruby_blue]

Haha thanks so much Atomic, I feel so bad for all of my mad messages. I must sound like I’ve completely lost my mind! I think the build up over months and months has made me a little anxious, as has everything not going to plan.

What is concerning me is that in previous months I had a clearer indication of when ovulation was happening. This month, despite tracking and using test strips, I don’t really have much indication at all. I’m going to keep tracking and just play by ear, but now I am starting to think next month might be better. I get the waiting game isn’t a good long term plan, but my stress levels probably aren’t going to help anything…

Just to clarify, if I keep tracking and ovulation shows up, let’s say, a week later than usual (CD 25 or thereabouts), would it be good to go for it then? As I did previously think that a delayed ovulation would sway pink.?

DH is in a terrible mood today, so there will definitely won’t be any BD-ing around here for a while lol! I think im going to have to learn how to meditate or something… x

[atomic sagebrush]

Ruby, I just cannot say. I do think this is a weird month, and like I mentioned my gut instinct would be to have you wait, but it's your life and you know best.