WANTED! your questions on AF and OPK!!

[coralsky]

Oh great, hope it wasn't too much.

It would be great to get some quick answers to these if you have the time.. just for my own peace of mind really, but I know how extremely busy you are and don't want to add to your huge workload...no big deal if you have too much on, was just trying to think of all the things that have been confusing me lately lol x

[Bigwish]

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.

Sent from my LG-E400 using Tapatalk 2

Good question!
My fertility monitor wants me to test with FMU. Could that be the reason it couldn't find my O? I'm using P.ersona.

[Bigwish]

Coralsky, except for Q3 and Q5, are you me??? LOL

[atomic sagebrush]

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

Haha it's funny I made myself more work trying to save myself work in the long run! Glad you guys asked tho.

1)I really can't say because of user error. One study found that they were up to 100% accurate at determining ovulation - but it wasn't that 100% of the time you get a positive test, it was that 100% of the time when there was ovulation, the woman (specially trained stick-pe-er) was also able to get a pos OPK. As they say in commercials, your results may vary LOL

2)Yes, if you don't get another pos OPK the odds are good the first one was the real one - but keep in mind that it is possible to ovulate without getting a pos OPK. So you could have a situation where you had a surge, did not ovulate, then DID ovulate but the second one was not detected.

3)16 days is the outer limit that we typically see. if you regularly have one longer than that, there are a couple unusual things that can cause this. Some may wantsee a doctor to rule them out. (you may not be ovulating on the Clomid or could have a corpus luteum cyst that isn't going away like it should) But most people either miscalculated O or else had a chemical that delayed AF.

4)No. I think that rule of thumb is kinda stupid TBH. Some people might have brown blood all day just normally and that should count as CD 1. In your case I'd prob. split the difference and see if htat makes things seem more logical. The "rule" is meant to be helpful and make sense, there's nothing inherently biological about that rule really.

5)Yes totally normal. There is no normal with Clomid other than nothing is normal.

[coralsky]

Haha it's funny I made myself more work trying to save myself work in the long run! Glad you guys asked tho.

1)I really can't say because of user error. One study found that they were up to 100% accurate at determining ovulation - but it wasn't that 100% of the time you get a positive test, it was that 100% of the time when there was ovulation, the woman (specially trained stick-pe-er) was also able to get a pos OPK. As they say in commercials, your results may vary LOL

2)Yes, if you don't get another pos OPK the odds are good the first one was the real one - but keep in mind that it is possible to ovulate without getting a pos OPK. So you could have a situation where you had a surge, did not ovulate, then DID ovulate but the second one was not detected.

3)16 days is the outer limit that we typically see. if you regularly have one longer than that, there are a couple unusual things that can cause this. Some may wantsee a doctor to rule them out. (you may not be ovulating on the Clomid or could have a corpus luteum cyst that isn't going away like it should) But most people either miscalculated O or else had a chemical that delayed AF.

4)No. I think that rule of thumb is kinda stupid TBH. Some people might have brown blood all day just normally and that should count as CD 1. In your case I'd prob. split the difference and see if htat makes things seem more logical. The "rule" is meant to be helpful and make sense, there's nothing inherently biological about that rule really.

5)Yes totally normal. There is no normal with Clomid other than nothing is normal.

Atomic, I am so sorry to have caused you extra work, esp. when I was supposed to be helping! But thank you so very much for this detailed reply it really does help loads

A lot of what you said is kind of along the lines of my guessing/thinking on it, but it really does help to get the reassurance and clarification, thank you thank you


At first I had assumed it was the opk that was wrong, but now I think I am pretty well practiced at them and reasonably vigilant too in keeping checking (lol) so now I think it is probably a cross-between a longer LP and AF/CD1 being a bit different to the "norm" and I previously thought that CD1 was always the fresh/red blood day, so this part in particular really does help.

I think in my case I may need to count CD1 a day or 2 earlier in future if this pattern continues.

You are amazing, and I will totally be buying the book (unless I get a BFP before then...highly unlikely, but still hoping anyway )

Thank you soooo much xxx

[coralsky]

Coralsky, except for Q3 and Q5, are you me??? LOL

haha so nice that I am not the only one who has all this confusion lol!
not that I would wish it on anyone of course, but nice to know I am not alone nonetheless!

Good luck with your sway

[atomic sagebrush]

No not at all, I really appreciate it. When I work on essays/books sometimes I lose perspective and forget things that really need to be included. LIke the "when to count CD" I did include in the body of the book but forgot to put in the FAQ and so it is very helpful~~~

[coralsky]

Oh good, that makes me feel a bit better then lol!

I really do appreciate all your help and answers though, they are always so clear, concise and helpful, thank you again xxx

[ELP]

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!!

[atomic sagebrush]

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!

If that bleeding is normal for YOU, then it's normal. My belief is that it's not hormones, but the level of clotting factors in your blood that you tend to make. You may make more than the average person, so your body has to really amp it up (it makes chemicals to make you bleed) to get the blood flow going, then the whole lining comes off with heavy flow.

If you ALWAYS have a day of brown spotting before red flow, then I'm not sure I'd count your second day as CD 1 - you have to stay flexible on this and use your LP and O day as a judge. if you have 14 days after that first day of spotting before O, and then 14 days after O, then the day of spotting is CD 1. But if you have let's say 12 days between O and the spotting, then you should count the 2nd day as CD 1. Sorry this is kinda hard to explain. YOu have to use your instinct a bit and not just some blanket rule about red flow, because it doesn't apply to everyone equally. I do NOT think you should count the 5th day as CD 1 unless you are having really super short LP.

My guess is that something has happened to your fertility monitor making it work not as well as it originally did. Sometimes the company can recalibrate it for you and it may work better. My guess would be it's missing surges that aren't superstrong.

RE 2 surges, yes, you can have more than one surge in a month. your body may start to ovulate and decide the time isn't right and not release an egg, or it may be that's just how your LH rises, in a stairstep fashion where it increases then falls back, before increasing enough to trigger ovuation.