Interesting stuff about sperm counts (no, really)/Ovu kits

[Helen]

So, went to the docs last week admittedly not about this TTC business, but about battered body after nutter in white van, answering his mobile phone drove into the back of my little car/baby substitute. Grrrr...

Used it as an opportunity to discuss TTC. Unfortunately, couldn't do so without blubbing over him, but he was very nice about that! He suggested b/f go in for sperm test (which overjoyed him when I told him obviously). Said that sperm levels generally have been dropped over the last few years and that they think that it could be linked to:
1. fertilisers in food
2. number of women on pill cos hormone gets back into the water system.

Thought pill thing was particularly interesting cos not heard anything like that before.

Anyway he also suggested that I have a go at the ovulation kits till Xmas, so despite it being the wrong time of the month to test I rushed out and spent £19 on a clearblue one cos obviously I couldn't wait to buy one. Then remembered that some folks on here had suggested some other ones which were good. Couldn't find those postings so could someone help me out?

Anyway, back to the sperm thing....d'ya think this fertiliser thing is a permanent sorta thing or feeding the b/f organic stuff would make any difference?

There was also some talk of clomid in the new year depending what ovulation kits and sperm tests show up...best start finding out about that as well!!

 

[Amanda]

I actually bought ovulation sticks from Ebay of all places. If you just put the word Ovulation into the Ebay search, there are loads. the ones I bought are really cheap and really really easy to use. I got 30 ovulation sticks and 5 pregnancy tests for £12.99 delivered. I got them from a user called homehealth-uk and their information says:
30 OneStep Ovulation Tests

A pregnancy begins with conception. A child is conceived when the male sperm successfully fertilises the female egg. Successful fertilisation is most likely during a 24-hour period following the L.H. surge. Since this window is only open once a month and for a short period of time, being able to predict the L.H surge is very helpful when trying to become pregnant.

We have selected these ovulation tests for their price, accuracy and reliability.

5 OneStep Pregnancy Tests

A home pregnancy test measures the presence of the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (H.C.G.) in your urine. H.C.G. is produced in the placenta shortly after the embryo attaches to the uterine lining. This hormone then builds up rapidly in your body in the first few days following implantation. Usually H.C.G. can be detected by a home pregnancy test 7-10 days after conception. This test is capable of detecting pregnancy as early as the first day after you miss a period. The further in to the pregnancy you are the higher the levels of H.C.G. in your urine.

They come as individually wrapped sticks. You wee into a cup (you only need 3 cms), leave it to go to room temp, put the stick into it for 3 secs, then wait 5 mins. 1 line means it's working, 2 lines means you are going to ovulate 24-48 hours later. I found them really useful as I had a coil removed a few weeks ago, and it was one that stopped AF completely, although you continued ovulating as normal. Basically, it stopped the lining of the womb getting thicker so the egg had nowhere to bury itself. This then obviously stopped AF, as this is what it is. So when the coil was removed I had no idea at all where abouts in my cycle I was, or even how long it was for. I now know exactly when I was ovulating, and am keeping everything crossed for a BFP at the end of this month!

 

[LucyBee]

Hi Helen,

You could also try www.babymad.co.uk for ovulation and preg tests. Very cheap on there and others from this forum have recommended it.

Good luck!
Lucyx