OPK's (I'm not trying yet!!)

Hi ladies I justed some advice on OPK's. I want to use then to try and avoid my fertile area. I went back on the pill after having Damien but already it is not agreeing with me. I never have like it so I am giving up on it.

I will eventually want to use them to work out when I am fertile too. But where do I start and which ones are best? I have no idea where my cycle is at so I guess I will be testing alot to start off with. Where do you buy yours from??

Any help/advice would be much much appreciated. xx

 

[Andrianne]

Hi Sami!

OPKs display two lines, the control line and the test line. During infertile days the test line will be more faint than the ctrl line. One day before ovulation day there's a surge in an hormone and that's what the test is picking up (the so called LH surge). This LH surge will last approximately 1 1/2 - 2 days. So you may test one day and get a positive (test line darker or equal to ctrl line) but there's a chance you'll get a positive the following day as well. Ovulation takes place 24-36 hours after the first positive OPK.

Sometimes you get to predict when the LH surge is about to happen cause you will see the test line fading in from day to day (but still remaining more faint than the ctrl line)

You test once per day and unlike hpt's you shouldn't use morning sample, best time is between 2-8 pm and you should test around the same time every day

Since you don't know your cycle now you should start any day I guess until you get a positive. Any other indication that will help? mild pain? clear CM etc? You might be needing a lot of tests so I would order them online but I haven't bought any that way so I can't advise you on the brand

All that said, I wouldn't rely on OPKs to avoid a pregnancy Sami. You get an indication too close to ovulation and that's risky, you can get pregnant by having sex way before the LH surge...

BUT, you can track down your fertile window and start from there, add a few days before and after ovulation and use protection on those days. Just a thought

Good luck and (since I never got around to say this) congrats on your little man

xx

ps I realized I said a lot more than what you asked for, sorry!

 

[hayley]

Boots sell a machine called...... i forget!!! if i remeber i'll come back on and let you know!

Anyway it detects ovulation but better than those sticks you buy and throw away. It actually records your cycle each month.The machine costs about £60 then you need to buy the sticks that you wee on.. They cost about £10 a month. Not cheap but aparenlty over the months it records your cycle very acurately.... I think you get 7 sticks a month.. the instructions tell you when to start testing. You wee on the stick then insert it into the machine which will flash a red or green light... one meaning your at risk of becoming pregnant and one meaning your safe. As the machine records each month the days your not safe get less and less.. until the machine eventually pin points exactly the 2 days you can become pregnant....

Try looking on e-bay you can buy them much cheaper on there and also buy the test sticks in bulk.

good luck.

x

 

[Leigh Sless]

Hi,

Just been reading your posts, the machine in Boots is called Persona, I used it when I came off the pill then used it to try and work out when I was fertile to fall pregnant.

I only used it for a few months, but I'm defo going to use it instead of going on the pill once I've had the baby.

Good luck with it.

Lx

 

I had a look at the Persona but dont you have to use test sticks from the same batch to make it work? What happens after you've had it a while and dont have the same batch out??

 

[Amanda]

Hi Sami

When we first started ttc, I had the Mirena coil fitted, and had not had a visit from AF for 10 years. I was therefore in a similar situation to you as I had no idea what was happening with my cycle after I had the coil removed.

I therefore bought some ovulation sticks from Ebay as they were cheap so I could test every day. I bought them from Ebay user homehealth-uk, mine were about £20 for 50 test strips, but I've just had a look to check they are still doing them, and they are now £19.94 +£4 p+p for 100 tests. They are sooo easy to use and very accurate. And for that price, you can afford to test a couple of times a day.

As an afterthought, I also suffered with the pill after I had my daughter, and the doctor recommended the coil. To be honest, it was the best thing I ever had. It stopped my periods completely, you just need to have it changed every 5 years (no worse than having a smear), and when we started ttc, I could have conceived on the very first day. It is not like the pill or injection that have to come out of your system. The minute the coil is removed, your body returns to normal. Have a think about it, but I can highly recommend it, and it is definitely going to be the form of birth control I choose for the future.

 

How do you get the coil out though?
My mum got pregnant with my sister when using the coil so it makes me a bit nervous of it, even though it would probably be the only thing I would consider non-hormonal (the cap is awful!!)

Can you take it out sooner if you want to TTC again? x

 

[Leigh Sless]

Hi Sami,

The sticks for persona are classed as part of the same batch if they have come out the same packet, you'll use a different packet each month all with the same batch number and if you have forgotten to test and have spare, you're meant to just bin them.

Hope this helps! I'm reading it back and it makes no sense to me but I know what I'm trying to say!!

FYI - My friend just gave birth to a 3rd baby in December as a result of the coil!! 15 months after her last baby!!

It's not easy all this stuff!!

Good luck!

Leigh xx

 

[Amanda]

When the coil is fitted, it has some thin wire like strings attached, and these protrude very slightly from the opening of your cervix. You can then easily check that the coil is still in place by feeling for the strings. When you want it removed, your doctor has to do it for you. It is just like a smear in that insert a speculum, and then using tweezer things, they grab the strings and pull the coil out. It sounds very painful, but it's not at all. It's just the same type of uncomfortable feeling you get when having a smear.

The Mirena coil is 99.9% efficient, which is higher than the pill or condom.

This is a great website:

http://www.mirena-us.com/index.html