Since I am waiting for my post miscarriage cycle to begin, in a few weeks....I am trying to develop my new plan of tracking my cycles. I am not jumping back into ttc right now. Just trying to get as much tracking and information before I meet with an RE.
I used OPKs (target brand) for the first time in September and got prego so I think I will use them again. I am very thorough (crazy detail oriented) and found these to be easy to use. Easier than tracking my temp which went horribly in April and May. Does anyone have any favorite brands, perhaps any from this website? I feel like they are good prices.
Does anyone really swear by BBT? I found it hard to do, mainly because I kept waking up a lot in the middle of the night, then worrying if the temp would be altered since I did not get a lot of sleep. Like I said, I am pretty crazy detailed and found this method annoying.....but I am willing to try again if someone has a great reason to do it.
Anyone using a good online charting system? I have heard of Ovusoft so will check that out but my primitive method of using a mini calendar was dumb.
Monday, November 19, 2007
OPK and tracking
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7 comments:
I usually used Answer opks as they were the only ones that worked. Not the new ones though that come in a pack of 20 and you dip them. I tried BBT for a while but mine was always so wonky it drove me nuts. Like you I very rarely sleep for at least 4 hours without waking for just a minute to turn over or go pee. I loved it when I went to an RE and I don't have to do temps or opks.
Ovusoft is awesome and I highly recommend it.
I also starting taking Vitex after miscarriage #2 and it helped get my cycles back to normal. At first I paid a ton of money for the "FertilAid" but just plain Vitex is a lot cheaper and you can find it at most vitamin/herbal stores.
I used the OPKs from Babyhopes.com
and BBT temping, but that is just because I am super-anal.
MissedConceptions
I buy the digital OPKs from Ebay. They are way too expensive retail so I get great deals there. I have a hard time reading the Answer ones but I have long cycles when I'm unmedicated.
I use Fertility Friend online for BBT charting. I've been using it for almost two years now and it is really helpful. I could never keep up with it manually.
Hey there,
Glad to see you are up to planning ahead. Good for you. I too am a super detail anal person. I get up a lot during the night to pee but I just figured I'd take a stab with the temping thing and I really do see patterns. I use fertility friend dot com. for opks I usually use first response...and they seem to be constantly having specials on them at Target...or if I'm too lazy I'll just order them with my pre-seed from drugstore dot com. I prefer to use both and couldn't see myself dropping either one, since my temp tells me when I've already ovulated (call me a control freak but I want to be assured) and the opk tells me when to expect to ovulate. I've found that I'm actually a little later than I thought I was. And I love that I have proof that my cycles have been getting shorter.
Well let's see... I would actually recommend the OPK's from http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/ because they're cheaper than the Baby Wishes website, have free shipping if you spend $15, and look like the exact same quality. I have used them and they're fine.
I actually do NOT use OPK's that often, but I chart religiously. When I started charting I too was confused/concerned about getting the temp at just the right time, had I woken at night & ruined it, had I slept with my mouth open, etc. But, after 3-4 months temping, I realized it didn't really matter a lot. I always got the clear thermal shift, regardless of a few outliers. And now I can almost predict when my temp goes to a certain degree, I have ovulated. I feel very in control.
IF you are temping, I'd recommend doing it WITH OPK's at first (hey, maybe you'll only need ONE cycle!). That way you can confirm what your chart shows by what the OPK's said. Two are better than one, right?
I didn't buy software, but I use www.fertilityfriend.com and love it. I just use the free version, but it "reads" your chart and tells you when you ovulated.
I didn't realized how close we had been in our pregnancies/miscarriages. Big virtual hug to you too. How are you feeling these days?
I like the Answer OPKs and the www.fertilityfriend.com website for charting.
((((hugs)))
I'm in the same boat, even though I blog about other stuff. 3 m/cs, and waiting to see the RE. sigh.
I just found your blog. Wanted to say how sorry I am for everything you've gone through lately...what a crappy ride you've been on.
I always had a hard time with OPK's because I drink too much water during the day. I LOVED the Clearblue fertility monitor. You can use FMU and there is no dealing with reading lines, you just get your low, high, or peak reading. I used it for about 6 cycles and then stopped once I started seeing an RE. I also used fertility friend website for charting (which I loved doing) but also stopped that once I started seeing the RE.
Good luck with your next steps.
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