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Hi! I am writing a book and need your help - I want to know everything you want to know about your menstrual cycle and using OPK for swaying. Also, if you see the same q come up again and again, give me a reminder - just want to make sure I have all questions covered.
Wow, you're a very busy woman AS! Looking forward to your book!
I was wondering
- my cycles always begin with spotting (brown/pinkish), the second day i got some fresh blood drops but then, again, it remains brown... Then, on day 5 i have a very heavy blood loss for about twelve hours, then it fades and by day 8 or 9 it is gone.
- has this something to do wit low levels of a particular hormone? Does it sway and in what direction? Do i have to check this with a doctor?
- i've always learned that day 1 of a new cycle is the day you see the first fresh blood. Is this right (thus for me day 2), even if on day 5 the severe blood loss appears?
I'm using a fertility monitor. I used it years before ds1 and between ds1 and ds 2 (i was breastfeeding but had been having regular cycles since six weeks after birth (i know, poor me, LOL)). It always showed my ovulation in the screen. Now i've been using it for the last nine months (had an IUD after ds2) and it only showed my O two times since then! Last month i used opks and i got three pos OPKs (three different brands) when my fm says i wasn't ovulating. Strange, isn't?
- last month i used opks from day 8. They were dark instantly but not positive, and on day 11 day they became very faint! Then, - few days later they became darker again with a pos opk at day 15 and a peak on day 16 around noon? Can you have two surges in one cycle?
Ok, these were my questions untill now. Hope they are what you're looking for!
yes that is PERFECT!! added to my FAQ to be answered
PS - you can have more than one surge per cycle BTW!
If I don't get a +OPK does that mean an anovulatory cycle?
(Of course I know the answer to this, I never got a +OPK and ended up pg with my boy)
If I DO get a +OPK, does that mean I ovulated?
(NOPE).
I wish I was swaying after your book comes out -- just started using OPKs and don't completely understand it!
- I understand that a positive OPK indicates an LH surge, which means ovulation should occur within 12-36 hrs. But when the test strips go negative again (the next day or later), does that mean that ovulation has already occurred? What DOES it mean?
- Does the length of an LH surge matter for general fertility or for swaying?
- Is the length of the LH surge pretty consistent for any one woman, cycle to cycle?
- If a woman has and knows her "average" LH surge length, is there an ideal time for a 2nd attempt when swaying pink? (Assuming she does her first attempt within 8 hrs of positive OPK.)
Ok, I know you already know my back-story and the reasons for my Q's so will try and keep Q's short and not ramble on about my cycle in too much detail lol!
1) How effective is a +opk at predicting O? (ie. how likely is it that you WILL ovulate 24-48hrs after +opk)
2) I know it is possible to get a "fake" surge/+opk, and then a "real" surge/+opk a few days later, so I always keep poas on opk for 5-7days after first +opk just in case...but if you DON'T get a 2nd +opk later, does that mean that the first is even more reliable at predicting ovulation?
3) How long is longest possible luteal phase?...it appears mine have been longer than normal lately as you know, but I don't know if this is just me, or if it has happened to others.
4) Do you always have to count the fresh-red blood of AF as CD1?...my pre-AF brown spotting has been lasting a lot longer than usual lately (3-4days instead of 1day) so I am not sure if this means I should count CD1 earlier OR LP is longer than the "norm" OR if +opk was wrong at predicting O.
(I think it has to be at least one of these 3 options, as a chemical was highly unlikely due to early POAS on HPT, and this happened 2 cycles in a row, and could be heading for a 3rd!)
5) Is it normal for clomid to alter a person's normal pattern of +opk, LP and AF?...it seems to have done this for me, not sure if others have found the same, and if this is to be expected on clomid.
Ok, that's all I can think of just now... hope it makes sense ok, and hope I have not rambled tooo much lol :)
TMolly - when your tests go negative doesn't mean anything at all. length of surge does not matter. It is not consistent between people and more important, will not be consistent for YOU - next month may be totally different.
Personally, I think we are seeing such good results with one attempt, I would stick with one until you are totally sure you can't get pg with one attempt. If you MUST do more than one attempt, I'd do is as soon as is possible after the first one - back to back even.
Coral - thank you! this will all be covered so let me know if you do want me to answer now too.
How about "why shouldn't you use FMU to test for your LH surge with most OPKs?" I do know the answer but I think it can be confusing when compared with the instructions for using a pg test. :)
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