Clearblue easy fertility monitor and tangent

[hopeful2012]

So, we are on cycle 4 of TTC #2 and I recently saw my obgyn for an annual apt. Everything looked good except that she wants me to come back earlier in my cycle to confirm that a small lump she was feeling is just cylical (I forget what it is called) and not something to be concerned about.

I told her we were TTC #2 and that I had been off the pill for a bit over 3 months and that I had tried using cheapie OPKs, charting (admittedly inconsistently especially on the charting) and I hadn't seen any signs I was ovulating. She said that as long as my cycles were over 21 days long and I wasn't have more than 10 days of bleeding that I most likely was ovulating and those tests just weren't detecting it (or I was using them too inconsistently, or incorrectly) for them to work. My cycles off have been: 20, 23 and 34 days with about 5 days of bleeding each so she said that seemed fine (20 I guess was close enough to her 21 day rule). But then she did recommend the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor and said that if I used that for a month and never got a peak fertility reading that I should call her and she would be concerned.

So, for those of you who used the CBEFM was it that more accurate that the cheapie ones? On the cheapie ones (wondfos) I'm not getting anything even close to as dark as the control line. Also, do you use FMU or use it in the afternoon? I would prefer to use FMU if that would be as accurate just because it would be easier.

TIA!

[changedname]

I am ttc so never been pregnant but I never got a positive on a wondfo opk in 6 months. I bought a clearblue monitor and love it. Its so easy to use and you get a lot of days of highs. I found out from it that I was Oing much earlier than I thought. The issue with the cheapies is you may miss your surge which doesn't seem to happen with the cbfm.

You can get second hand ones from ebay.

[hopeful2012]

Sept 11, 2012 15:00:55 GMT -5 changedname said:

I am ttc so never been pregnant but I never got a positive on a wondfo opk in 6 months. I bought a clearblue monitor and love it. Its so easy to use and you get a lot of days of highs. I found out from it that I was Oing much earlier than I thought. The issue with the cheapies is you may miss your surge which doesn't seem to happen with the cbfm.

You can get second hand ones from ebay.

Thanks! Did you use the monitor right after the cheapies? Just hoping that if I try the monitor I can calm myself down about the "what if I'm not ovulating" question.

[madringal]

I have the monitor, I love it and cannot say enough good things about it. For the three pregnancies I used it on, I got pregnant in cycle 1 or 2. Turns out I do not ovulate until CD 22, but I only have 32 day cycles. Had I not had the monitor I would have totally missed my window. I was assuming the normal CD 14-18 range for O'ing.

[nevafaye]

I've only been using the Wondfo OPKs for two cycles, but I got strong positives the first month and not so strong positives. I was testing three times a day this cycle and would have totally missed my window if not for over-testing.

I tested negative in the am, negative early afternoon, positive at like 7:30, then negative again the next morning.

[changedname]

Sept 11, 2012 15:03:43 GMT -5 hopeful2012 said:

Sept 11, 2012 15:00:55 GMT -5 changedname said:

I am ttc so never been pregnant but I never got a positive on a wondfo opk in 6 months. I bought a clearblue monitor and love it. Its so easy to use and you get a lot of days of highs. I found out from it that I was Oing much earlier than I thought. The issue with the cheapies is you may miss your surge which doesn't seem to happen with the cbfm.

You can get second hand ones from ebay.

Thanks! Did you use the monitor right after the cheapies? Just hoping that if I try the monitor I can calm myself down about the "what if I'm not ovulating" question.

Yes, I have been using the monitor since May now. It totally took away the stress of thinking I wasn't ovulating. I got peaks the first month and every month I back it up with the cheapies and now I do get a positive which I never had before even using them from cd10-20
Before I was temping and using cheapies and nothing. I think I was getting so stressed from thinking I wasn't ovulating. If you want peace of mind, I highly recommend it. It is foolproof so no worries or making a mistake/wrong timing like with temping/cheapies.

[hopeful2012]

Thanks - all this makes me feel better. I was actually able to look back at some old cycles before I had DS where I was charting (to avoid pregnancy actually) and realized that then my ovulation dates differed a bunch (as early as CD14 as late as CD25) and my cycle length differed a bunch as well from between 22-36 days. So hopefully this is just normal for me and I will get KU again soon.

[schrodinger]

I never used the CBEFM, just the Wondfo's. I tested twice a day (~10am and ~3pm) and always saw a clear surge. The hardest part was waiting a full 5min for the test to develop. Mine definitely got darker as I waited. I also would try and drink a little less water before testing.

[hopeful2012]

Sept 11, 2012 16:37:42 GMT -5 schrodinger said:

I never used the CBEFM, just the Wondfo's. I tested twice a day (~10am and ~3pm) and always saw a clear surge. The hardest part was waiting a full 5min for the test to develop. Mine definitely got darker as I waited. I also would try and drink a little less water before testing.

I've only been testing once a day and probably haven't been that good about drinkin less water and holding my pee

[niki]

Unlike pregnancy tests, ovulation tests need urine later in the day, that is probably why you aren't getting a positive. I believe it says this in the directions.

[w2w]

I used the CBEFM. I think it is great. I believe you are not supposed to use FMU.

[dr.girlfriend]

I never tried other OPKs, but I *loved* that freakin' CBEFM. The happiness of seeing that little egg appear! People on the Pregnancy Loss board I was on (I miscarried our first pregnancy) would post OPKs and I could never make heads or tails of them.

Regarding the cost...the pee doesn't actually touch the monitor. I bought mine from the Bump from someone who got pregnant with twins her first cycle trying, and then sold it to someone else on the boards, so in the end I was only out the cost of the monthly sticks.