Ovulation

Thanks for the feedback.

I bought a kit yesterday and got two very dark lines. BD time!

Hopefully i wasnt to late!

Good evening ladies!

This is a topic that has been on my mind constantly for the last couple of months, so I thought I'd weigh in.

Some background on me: I have PCOS, almost never ovulate without fertility meds, so needless to say pin pointing ovulation is a big deal for me. I have read up A LOT on the topic in recent months, so maybe my experience can help someone.

Let me start by saying there are a lot of misinformation out there. Ovulation is definitely not on CD14 for everyone and neither are all cycles 28 days long.

What most of the knowledgeable people agree on is that the 2nd phase of your cycle, after ovulation, is normally around 14 to 16 days and almost constant for the same woman (if yours is 15 days, then generally it will stay that way). However there are ALWAYS exceptions. So if e.g. you have a 32 day cycle and a 15 day 2nd phase, then ovulation is likely to be on CD17.

Now this information is great if you have a very predictable cycle, but unfortunately not all of us are that lucky. This is where tools like ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) and charting come in.

Some info on the use of OPKs:
- OPKs test the LH levels in your urine. I find that the cheap Dischem ones work just as well.
- You can test any time of day, except the first urine in the morning (unlike pregnancy tests which are the opposite)
- Try to have at least 2 hours go by between trips to the bathroom, before doing the test and not drink big volumes of liquid beforehand.
- A faint test line does NOT mean its positive! Unlike pregnancy tests, you may be one of those people (like me) with slightly raised LH levels and therefore always have a faint 2nd (test) line. Only when the 2nd (test) line is just as dark, or darker than the control line, is it considered to be positive.
- If you have been testing daily, getting negative, then one day test positive, this will be the first day on which you test positive. You will likely ovulate within 12 to 36 hours from this point. I normally test positive for 2 days in a row, but it differs from person to person (last cycle my doctor, a fertility specialist, monitored my cycle while I followed my own procedure, and the LH blood tests he ordered confirmed that the OPK results I had was in line).
- Getting a positive OPK does NOT mean that you definitely ovulated. Its only an indication that ovulation may be imminent.

Ok, so if that is the case, how can I confirm whether (and when) ovulation happened? The only answers I've found so far is either a progesterone blood test ordered by your doctor, or by taking you BBT (Basal body temperature).

Now I know BBT sounds like work, but its not that bad. If you have a good idea on when to expect ovulation, then take your BBT for a few days before you expect to ovulate to get a good average temperature for your 1st phase (I do BBT all the time due to my inconsistent cycles). Once you ovulate your progesterone levels will climb, which causes your BBT to go up. Two to three consective days of raised BBT will indicate that ovulation has occured. So normally the day before the temperature climb is considered to be your ovulation day. I'm sure there are exceptions, so the recommendation is to consider a day or 2 before ovulation, as well as the day of ovulation as your fertile days. And by the way, it helps to pin point ovulation like this so that you focus your energy on the important days and don't tire out yourself and your partner. Men's sperm only replenishes every 2nd day, so too much BD is not necessarily going to help you.

Tips for BBT:
- I bought a fairly inexpesive digital BBT thermometer from www.getpregnant.co.za a few years ago (±R100), which works well for me.
- Take your BBT first thing in the morning when you wake up. Generally they recommend doing it before getting out of bed, however my son sleeps in our room so I get up slowly and walk to the bathroom where I take my BBT and don't have any issues.
- My avg 1st phase temp is always under 36.4°C (often around 36.2) and once I've ovulated, it raises to over 36.5°C - this is why an accurate BBT thermometer is essensial.
- I use www.fertilityfriend.com to track my BBT, but any form of notes will help you remember and see trends.

I hope this info is of use to someone. Lots of baby dust to all of you!

Hi,

Have you considered getting help with your ovulation prediction? Personally, I suck at it, could never calculate it by looking at a diary.

The easiest way would be to get yourself an ovulation prediction kit, a urine test that works much the same way as a home pregnancy test, except that it obviously indicates ovulation and not pregnancy. The pharmacies have quite a range, you should find something to suit your budget.

Alternatively you could try the Fertile Focus salvia test, a mini-microscope that will also indicate ovulation. Available through local online stores, but here's the official link to the product:
www.fertile-focus.com/saliva-ovulation-predictor.html

hi there

I am no expert in ovulation I always struggled to pin point it! heheh but
think sometimes we can ovulate a view days earlier or later...

If I count correctely you started your period on 2 Aug which makes it CD1
so today is CD13 (CD = Cycle Day) you can also buy ovulation test kits (they are available at most Clicks or Dischems stores)

so it could be that your body is gearing up to ovulate soon - they say that type of discharge is your fertile discharge so if I were you I would get down to business

saying that in the month I really didn't notice too much discharge and thought
maybe I am not ovulating this month is the month I fell pregnant! It was a very nice surprise! I am now 23 weeks pregnant.

Good luck and baby dust to you ********

So i'm pretty sure that this has been asked alot!

I had a miscarraige in Jan 2014 and we started to try again in March.

No luck as yet! My gynie has said that it takes about 3 months to concieve after a mc??

I've been trying to keep track on when i ovulate but i'm not sure.

So this month i had my period on the 2nd of Aug. If i count 14 days onwards i need to ovulate about the 16th.

Yesterday and today i have alot of white slimy discharge?? ( ) As i have read this is what happens when you ovulate?

Please help!