devastated

[Drunken Cockatoo]

Dear atomic,

today another cycle ended for me without pregnancy (period arrived).

The tea I now drank was red Raspberry leaf tea and my cycle was very strange this month. Often they are far to long (35 to 38 days).

But this cycle was 28 days long but clearblue ovulation test showed max Fertility about a week ago. Before that it was just a Flashy Smiley. We began attempts every other day about 12 days ago which may have been to late?

I always thought that clearblue is very exact? Could it have been wrong? If it was right then max Fertility was at CD 19 and 20 and period arrived at CD 28. Maybe the tea did more harm than good. Cycle before that was 33 days but with spotting 4 days before real period. But second half of my cycle then was 14 days if you count in the spotting days. I guess that my hormones may be wrong?

We have an appointment for a Fertility clinic in March and we even considered egg donation in Czech Republic or adoption now. I feel like a second biological child might not happen for me. Also this month there was NO noticeable ewcm or any mucus which worries me. But during our attempts there was no dryness either (sorry if TMI).

The baby dream tea has lady's coat, rosemary, yarrow, lemon grass, mugwort, red Raspberry leafs and basil. I only drank this for one cycle in January until I read your warning. Then I stopped.

[atomic sagebrush]

Clearblue is no more exact than any other OPK. It is easier for some people to read.

Your cycle can change at any point. Maybe the RRLT had some effect, maybe it was just coincidence.

Many people get a false positive at about a week before AF comes (a week after ovulation). When did you start testing with the OPK?? Do you think you started testing too late?? And missed the true ovulation at CD 14, then got a false positive a week later?? This happens a lot with peopel who have longer cycles, they think they don't need to start testing till later and miss their true ovulation.

[Drunken Cockatoo]

Thank you this really could have been what was going on. I started testing at CD 15 because my cycles are too long. And we started attempts at CD 15. Probably far to late.

Thank you also for clarifying the Clearblue Thing. I always thought it was more exact because it measures two hormones. Gives me a bit peace that maybe we were just to late this month with attempts

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, that's exactly what happened. You missed your surge and then caught only the secondary estrogen surge.

The Clearblue with its "two hormones" is no more reliable it just gives you more warning about when ovulation is coming. But it then gives an entirely different subset of mistakes and confusion so it's no more reliable at all.

And it wouldn't have mattered even if it was "more reliable" because you are supposed to start testing sooner than that. The Clearblues cannot measure the changes in your hormones if you don't start testing early enough to detect them.

[Drunken Cockatoo]

Atomic, thank you so much. Since your last answer I have read a lot about temperature and cm and LH tests. Ah, why didn't I try the temperatur thing sooner.

I am measuring this cycle for the first time. I am currently on CD 18. On CD 12 and 13 I had ewcm. Since CD 15/ 16 my Temperatur has risen. Clearblue stick showed the static smiley only yesterday on CD 17. Clearblue Monitor showed no lh rising at all and still gives me high instead of max Fertility. Maybe we really sometimes missed ovulation these past cycles?

We are having attempts every 2 days this cycle (we started them on CD8) . We are not doing a strict sway anymore. I really just want a second child. But I have kept the PCOS diet and still don't snack and BMI is steady at 20. I think this helps with my sometimes long cycles. DHs next Spermiogramm is soon. He took vitamins for 2 months and did a more frequent release. I think he sometimes had abstained for too long. And he quit sauna. I hope we will figure this out. I hope his sperm motility will improve a bit. Thanks so much for your input to not just rely on Clearblue!!

[Drunken Cockatoo]

And I just read about Ubiquinol. Never heard of it before. Maybe we could use that, too? To improve egg quality?

[atomic sagebrush]

You don't need to temp test really though. It's ok if you want to but the main thing you needed to do was start testing before CD 15!!

If you thought you were having delayed O and a short LP I can just about guarantee you were missing O!

If you want to take ubiquinol that's totally fine if you'd like, but be aware it is not really particularly effective at all and is basically what doctors (and me LOL) give to people to help them feel like they're doing something to solve a problem. But I truly think the issue is that you were missing O at least some of the time.