Are ovulation predictors enough?

[JudiAU]

I used those pee on the stick ovulation predictors for my first two kids and now I am ready to have another. Like tomorrow. I am really, really starting to feel our ages and I know I have a pretty limited window for DH to agree.

So, I used the pee sticks last month, got a clear o signal, dtd and didn't get pregnant. Is that enough? Should I just dtd when it tells me to? Why does everyone chart? I am not ever sure what it is? Actually I don't what 90% of the stuff people talk about on this board is.

Is charting just cheaper? Or more effective? Or more crazy-making?

And how long should a 37y women with a 41y dh wait until see a gyn/ob?

We have two kids (4, almost 2)

[FrannieM]

hee at "Actually I don't what 90% of the stuff people talk about on this board is."   :)  I hear ya sister!

I've charted now for years, trying to avoid until last month when we started trying to conceive.  (I am pretty sure I am pregnant right now, will finally get to pee on a stick tomorrow morning when i am back from my business trip).   

It IS cheap to chart, but mostly it's fun (I always feel like I am running a science experiment) and it is incredibly powerful to lift the mystery off of what is going on with your body.  

I guess it COULD be slightly crazy making, certainly I have been very focused on the details this month of TTC!   But, aren;t you focusing on the details now as well?  YOu just get to do it with more knowledge when you chart.

So, I strongly recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility and giving charting a whirl.  It;s fun, I promise, and not hard.  I travel all over the world 75% of the time and I still manage ot keep up quite easily with my charts.

 

[Dandy Lion]

Hi, I'm really new around here too. I learned a lot over at fertility friend, and just reading some of the boards. If you ever don't know what an acronym means, just google it and the word fertility.

This is my first month charting, and I think it's fascinating. I never realized there was so much going on each month. I've never done an ovulation test, but from everything I've read, they will give you an indication of when you've ovulated, but they don't really pinpoint it.

[Jaimee]

OPK's will tell you when your LH (lutenizing hormone) is increasing toward a spike, but it will not confirm ovulation.  In any given month your body could attempt to ovulate and not succeed.  Delayed ovulation is very common and can be caused by a variety of things like illness, stress, travel, injury, etc.  By temping and tracking your cervical fluid (CF) you will have a very good idea of the day you actually ovulated and be able to determine your average luteal phase (LP).  When you know these things you can know when it makes sense to take an HPT (home pregnancy test), you know when you are actually late for AF (your period), you can confirm pregnancy with 99% accuracy when you get 18 high temps after ovulation, you know the day you conceived to get an accurate due date, and you can pinpoint any problems you might have in your cycle that could benefit from some supplements, diet changes, lifestyle changes, etc.  It also arms you with information IF you feel you need to go see a RE (reproductive expert).

I highly recommend charting.  It's easy, it's fun, it's amazingly interesting.  Pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility and a basal body thermometer and start charting!!  Stick around this forum for help interpreting your charts.  You can enter your information into www.fertilityfriend.com so that you can share your charts online.