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Should i start using OV sticks?

Hi Ladies,

Im really unsure if i should start using Ov sticks yet or not? this will be our first proper month of trying as i only had my first proper af after coming off the pill in jan, this week. will it stress me out and put pressure on us, or would it be better as we will know when i ov'd instead of the pressure of bd'ing every other day for the whole month, or possibly longer as this cycle was over 70 days long? also can someone tell me how they work? Thank you xx

Replies

  • Hi hon, it really is up to you whether you want to use them. if you're unsure of when you ov after being on the pill it would give you some idea of when to look out for it for future months. Your cycles might still be erratic for a while yet so it would give you an idea of when to bd as well!

    They work by detecting a peak of a certain hormone in your pee (too tired to remember what its called!) - I think its best to use a couple throughout the day as it can be a short lived peak. And dont use fmu. The test line has to be as dark as or darker than the control line for it to be a positive, otherwise its just detecting a surge which means you are due to ov soon but aren't oving then. When you get your peak on the opk it means you are oving within next 24-48 hours.

    I will warn that they dont work for some women (me included!) so dont get disheartened if you dont ever see that line! Most women use them no problem.

    They might add tot he pressure but it might also be handy to know that you are oving when you think you are - you could always use them until your cycles regulate to get an idea of your cycle & see if your body will give off symptoms of oving for you to use as a guide in the future,

    good luck whatever you decide! xx
  • Thanks for the advice, will have a think and talk to hubby over next few days. Im really hoping that i have OV pains as i used to have them quite strong before i went on the pill. and also monitor ewcm, is that what u do if the sticks dont work for u? x
  • Hi PrincessA,

    As ur cycles r not yet proper and may vary in length. I will recommend you chart your temp (BBT) and maybe use cheap amazon OPK so u can test as often as you like.

    Charting will help to know the day u ovulated and then ur able to count ur DPO.

    Monitoring ur ewcm too will definitly help but some women don't get them or have very little. I had what i thought ewcm 4 days ago and according to OPK and charting I didnt ovulate yet image
  • Hmmm, it's quite an individual thing as some people love them and others seem to hate the idea!

    I like them mainly because I like the reassurance of getting a LH surge at the right time (I know a surge doesn't mean you will definitely ov but your body is trying at the right time at least!)

    I also use them to work out when my AF is due and when to test etc, which I find makes me worry less in the 2ww - at least I know give or take a day when I am due on.

    The pressure part, hmmm, I am undecided. It does make me worry a bit if I miss the best days (which I did last month) but I suppose at least it lets you try to time the BD-ing well rather than guessing.

    I am using them to try and follow the Sperm Meets Egg Plan this month and it'll be the first month we've really used them to time the BD-ing. Last month it was more out of curiosity so see when I ov-d and we didn't actually BD on the best two days as we were worn out from too much BD-ing beforehand (not making that mistake this month!) It'll be interesting to see if it makes a difference to how much pressure we feel this month when we are actually aiming for two particular days!

    I will let hubby know when I have a positive because he asked me to, but will try not to talk about it too much to him in case it puts too much pressure on him to perform!

    Good luck if you decide to use them. You can always just get some cheapies from Amazon or Ebay and not carry on if you don't like it. xx
  • Thank-you ladies, so how can it help me know when af is due? i find it so confussing. and this BBT how do i do that? and SMEP? what r the rules? sorry to be so naive ladies, i cant believe i spent the last 6 years think just doing it once unprotected would make me PG! XX
  • They can help you work out when AF is due because the luteal phase (time from when you ovulate to whan AF starts) is usually the same length each month for each individual woman. So the time from when you get a positive OPK to when AF starts should be pretty much the same each month. I think the average LP is 14 days but mine seems to be a day or two shorter than this.

    I have been lucky so far and had regular cycles, but my logic with OPKs is that if I ever ov a bit later in the month at least the OPKs should have forewarned me so I don't get all excited if AF is later than normal!

    There's loads of info on SMEP if you google it, but the general principle seems to be to time BD-ing to always have a supply of sperm lying in wait for the egg. I think it is pretty much as follows:

    - BD every other night from the end of AF until you get a postive OPK
    - Once you get a positive, BD that night and the following two nights in a row
    - Rest the following night, then BD one last night. Then you can stop and recover!

    You might want to double check the exact details though as that all came from my memory!

    Lots of people seem to have success with it, although this is the first month I am attepting to follow it.... Hopefully it will bring me some luck!

    I know what you mean about spending sooo long being convinced that being late with a pill / having unprotected sex once would make you pregnant! Now I am thinking 'if only', haha! xx
  • By the way, when working out your LP bear in mind you ov a little while after your positive OPK - I think it's about 12-36 hours, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong! xx
  • Thank-you susiee, i like how u refer to it as pill residue, it has alot to answer for that reidue! lol, Im going to keep thinking, im very obsessive and need everything to happen now, or even yesterday. so this ttc lark is really testing my patience. xx
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