I dont know if I should use an ovulation test kit.please help

[needsrelief]

Hello,

Im considering pregnancy but it has to been done within a september/0ctober 2011 window so that the pregnancy doesnt affect school or work. This would be my first pregnancy and Im kinda clueless. I have read about people having good results with ovulation test kits such as clear blue. but the thing is they want you to test your early morning urine and it must be 3-4 hours before the last time you urinated to test so that your urine is concentrated. I do suffer from nocturia and some nights Im going every hour or sometimes I can make it every 2-3 hours. They also said that you can test in the day (I believe) but once again it must been 3-4 hours since your last void and these days I cant hold my urine that long. I wondering if any of you have used these kits and had any problems with results due to IC?

Or for those of you who planned your pregnancy just by charting your ovulation days how well did this work for you?-thanks

[JennyBird]

My husband and I tried in Feb, I didn't get pregnant, then I flared and we didn't try for a few months, but I'm finally feeling better again and we want to start trying again next month.
Back in Feb, I used the clear-blue easy ovulations tests, the regular ones, not the digital ones. I used it in the evening after getting back from work. So I had only held my urine for about 2 hours at most. It did show my LH surge very clearly with the two dark blue lines. This current month I tried the Clear Blue Digital just to get an idea of what my cycle was doing, and I don't think they are as accurate. You get a yes or no answer, but I think regular old blue lines are easier to read.
Also watch your discharge as well. I get a clear, thick, egg white looking discharge for a few days before I get the LH surge through actual ovulation. This can be a cue to start your testing. It says the best 2 days to conceive are the day of the LH surge, and the day after. My doc also says you can try when you see that discharge since sperm can live in the body for up to 4 days I believe.
Maybe a couple of months before you want to try, watch your discharge, and take the ovulation tests so you know your cycle, and you'll see if the surge shows without holding your urine for 4 hours. I found mine showed without holding for very long. My doctor also says it can take 6-12 months to conceive, so don't get dissapointed if it doesn't happen on the first try. I wanted to get pregnant in Feb and have a baby before the year was over. I was dissapointed when it didn't happen, but now it doesn't matter to me. Since I have IC and other health condiditions, we have to try when I feel ok, and it will happen when it's meant to.

Hope this helps, and Good Luck!!!

[needsrelief]

thank you for your response. I found a chart online that measures your best days to try for pregnancy based on the belief that ovulation can occur anywhere from 10-21 days after a period. My doctor told me to have intercourse every other day because if you have intercourse every day around the time you are trying to concieve then the sperm count maybe lower. I would like to try the clear blue easy tests. Im still considering but Im trying for a boy. I was told having intercourse closer to ovulation may help to yeld a boy. good luck to you also. Hopefully we become pregnant soon.

[JennyBird]

hey-you really ovulate 14 days before your period. If you're regular (28 days) you ovulate on day 14. I'm 38-43, so I ovulate more around day 24 or so. My doc said sex every other day before ovulation, but sex the day of the LH surve and day after as well. Those two days you are most fertile.

you're more likely to have a boy if you have sex right at ovulation, b/c the y-sperm doesn't live as long as the x-sperm. it's not always accurate though, my friend was insiminated (sp?) the day of ovulation and had a girl-so you really never know.

Good luck!

[meResque]

I wanted to correct the misinformation in the last post. Many, MANY women do not ovulate 14 days before their period. I personally have a 10 day luteal phase. (The phase of your cycle between ovulation and your period). I ovulate anywhere from 13 days after the first day of my period to about 17 days. So my cycle length will range from 23 days to 27. The ovulation day can happen anywhere in your cycle, but your luteal phase will generally stay the same, although there are medicines that can make it longer, to aid in conceiving. 10 days is on the short side of a normal luteal phase length, but I have managed to easily become pregnant twice.

I used the cheap-o ovulation strips sold on Amazon, and they worked like a charm. You do not test with FMU, you test in the afternoon/early evening. I would usually try to hold my pee from about 4pm til I got home at about 6pm, and never had a problem getting a positive... at times, I waited miniumum of 45 minutes, (because let's be honest- 45 minutes can be a LOT for us some days!) and it worked fine.

Charting, and tracking your basal body temperature can be great way to get in touch with what your body is doing. I highly recommend the book, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" to really get in touch with your cycle, and increase your chances of pregnancy. Good luck!

[needsrelief]

thank you. I got mine from amazon too. Im currently on day 12 and I began testing on day 10. Those 2 lines that appear on the stick are still not exactly the same color but it seems like the lighter line is getting darker everyday. Im not sure which one is the control line or test line but they need to be the same color to indicate ovulation.

[meResque]

The control line will stay the same color, regardless of where you are at in your cycle. For the record, my second line never got as dark as the control... even though it said it was supposed to. It came very close, but if I was basing it on it MUST be as dark as the control, I would have disappointed month after month. After you get the two lines of about the same darkness, make sure to do the deed that night and the next for sure! You should ovulate about 24 hours after your first positive. My temperature rises always occur the day after, but I tend to get positives for 2-3 days.

Good luck!!

[needsrelief]

would u attribute the ovulation test in helping you getting pregnant? the test line for me is slightly faded right now. I know my ovulation is due soon because of the increase in mucous Im having right now. Drs usually say that your most fertile when your mucous is the consistency of "egg whites" and "strechy". Im not quite there yet but getting there. I guess the ovulation tests arent always 100% but your body gives you signs also.

[meResque]

Yes, for me it was the combination of my cervical mucous and the ovulation test strips. I also did temping because my doctor suspected me of having PCOS for a while- so I wanted to make sure I actually was ovulating. You can indicate positive on the strips, and have the mucous, and still not actually ovulate. Thankfully, I do not have PCOS, although I do have mild endo, like I see you do, and I do ovulate every month.

[needsrelief]

I just got the two dark lines tonite on the ovulation kit. So I should be ovulating in the next 24-48 hours . Im was just testing them out to see if they work. I plan to try to concieve in September.

[JennyBird]

good luck everyone!! I'm waiting for my mucous to thicken up, and I'm testing every night. The blue line is getting slightly darker, so i can see it starting to build. I'm flaring up a bit after intercourse, and am hoping it calms down again by the time I ovulate so we can try this month. IC/PFD can be so frustrating!

I wanted to apoligize, i didn't mean to give mis-information in my last post. My doctor said a "normal/average" cycle is 28 days, and ovulation occurs on day 14. I'm certianly not "normal" as my periods are 35-43 days apart, but from testing my leutal phase does seem to be 14 days. It's so hard to predict though since I have such a range in my cycle length. i have to rely on the increased mucous and the ovualtion tests.

Anyways...good luck again!! Hopefully we'll all be announcing our pregnancies soon!! Trying to be positive!!