WANTED! your questions on AF and OPK!!

[atomic sagebrush]

For the book!
I conceived 3 girls by dtd the day after + opk, is this coincidence or is there some truth in o+12?

My own answer to this is its probably more to do with the fact that I was living of jam/jelly on toast and pasta and chocolate during this time as I later conceived one of my sway boys with the same timing but if it helps!!

It's coincidence IMO - the good studies on timing have found that about 50-50 boys and girls are conceived every day of the cycle.

DTD the day after pos OPK is really spot on O and not O+12 - for O+12, it is more like 48 hours after pos OPK.

[wonderstruck]

New here, and I had a question about OPKs. I've seen it mentioned on the site several times that you should not test first thing in the morning, it seems that generally afternoon is the best time. However, the instructions on the OPK I've been using specifically says to use my first morning urine. So, is this test an exception to that rule, or does it just have bad instructions? It's the Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Test.


Not sure if the background is necessary, but this is my first time using an OPK. I have a 6 month old baby boy and we are ready to start TTC again because we want our kids pretty close together, but my period isn't back yet and I want to know if ovulation is occurring, so I bought the OPK. So far it hasn't been working great - after about a week of negatives, I got a high fertility result. Typically after 2 days this is supposed to switch from high fertility to peak fertility, but I'm on day 5 of high fertility and am getting so anxious to see the symbol for peak! I know that I should probably start charting too, but it's difficult because everything goes by when your period starts, and I still don't have mine even though I stopped BFing 4 months ago.

[atomic sagebrush]

The directions on your individual OPK trump the directions on this site or any other. Most OPK are best after lunch but not all of them. do what the box says.

If your period is not back, you are not ovulating. No ovulation, no AF. Please save your $$, those Clearblues are superspendy, and wait to test for ov till you get your first AF, unless you are trying to catch the first egg. If so, then get some cheap ones online and use those 1x a day, if they start to darken up then test 2x a day, and if you get a pos with them, use your Clearblue as confirmation.

The prob. with those "high" readings is that it may not be affiliated with true ovulation. When you are BF, sometimes your body can gear up to ovulate and then ov. is suppressed by the prolactin, so you can have increases in hormones that may make your test read high but then never truly ovulate. One time while breastfeeding I had a fake ovulation that was so real that I would have sworn on the Bible I was Oing and even went to my doc for a pg test but it was negative. I never actually ovulated, just had all the symptoms and then some!!! (had EWCM, O pains, the whole 9 yards)

[wonderstruck]

Ok, thank you very much for the advice! I'm just frustrated since it's been 4 months since I stopped breastfeeding, we're wanting to start TTC again (and plan on swaying this time, hence me using this site), but my period is nowhere in sight.

[atomic sagebrush]

I have an essay with some tips here http://genderdreaming.com/forum/ttc-...stfeeding.html

[girlbean]

Hi Atomic,
Haven't been on in a while, have a few opk questions and a couple of others so will start with the opk ones here.
We did our first ttc for a girl last month and weren't successful.
I'm using the Clearblue digital that gives high and peak fertility but waited for the peak fertility to show.
I work shift and was on nights for the days up to expected o day last month so tested after my longest sleep as that's what the instructions say but I'm wondering if shift work may effect the accuracy of the results, is sleep hormone relevant or is it just urine concentrations ?
Also if I'm testing first thing in the morning and get a peak reading is it ok to wait till the evening to dtd ? If the surge occurs soon after the previous day testing could we be dtd up to 36 hours after O and therefore too late to conceive ?
Will post other questions re sway in other section
Thanks
x

[girlbean]

Have I posted this in the correct forum ?

[atomic sagebrush]

yes somehow I just missed it, I'm sorry, thanks for bumping

CBFM goes off of the LH itself and shouldn't ahve anything to do with sleep - as long as you have a good run without drinking a lot of liquid and can save up your urine for a few hours it should be just fine.

It's ok to wait till the evening to DTD BUT the CBFM is really meant for people to start having attempts at High reading, rather than waiting till peak. So if it's ~possible~ to get in an attempt sooner rather than later the day of "peak", it may up odds of conception. (with a normal OPK, you'd get a pos test possibly the day before you get on the CBFM and have a little more lead time.) I think you're still in with a chance if you DTD the night of a "peak" but just don't postpone any longer than need be.

[bunnywabbit]

One I think I've asked before - probably just a weird me thing that happens but can a heavy cold/flu (lots of coughing and sneezing) start AF? Should it be anything for me to worry about if it happens?

[atomic sagebrush]

It can kinda "knock it loose" but it shouldn't make it start if it wasn't about to anyway.