OPK's before your first period PP, help please

[lovebeingamomma]

I've never used OPKs before.  I started using them to hopefully pinpoint ovulation, but I do realize that I may not ovulate before getting my first PP period.  Baby is almost 10 mo's, I got my period back last time while still breastfeeding at 10 mo's, so I thought it might return around this time.  I find these tests frustrating though, I always get the two lines, and most days it appears the same as the control line, just slightly less (like one strip of the test line is just as dark as the control, and the rest is just slightly less dark, like you really have to look at it up close to tell).  So, I also know that the surge only happens once, so all these tests where the lines appear just about as dark, still mean a negative...but I get this result almost everyday and have been for a month now..so should I just give up and not bother?  What are the chances that I would ovulate before my first PP period?  Thanks for any tips.  

[1love4ever]

I havent used them, but I have heard that they are very unreliable and pretty much worthless....

Are you practicing ecological breastfeeding?  Here is an article I just came across http://kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility/  about fertility after baby.  I am interested to know if your baby is on solids, how much you BF, etc, because I am wondering when I will be fertile again as well, DS is 4.5months, no period yet.....

[JMJ]

You're likely to get a lot of false positives before your first PP O because your body is likely to try to ovulate multiple times before it is successful, and the OPK's will catch the attempts.  Charting CM would be more reliable or look up the Marqette Method's breastfeeding protocol for using the Clear Blue easy fertility monitor to know when you might be fertile while breastfeeding.

Approximately 2/3 of women ovulate before their first PPAF.  Of those, about half have a long enough luteal phase to sustain a pregnancy.  Estimates for pregnancy before the first PPAF are about 6-10%

1love4ever, if you are breastfeeding ecologically, your fertility is most likely to return between 9 and 18 months, though there's a lot of variation.  Ecological breastfeeding is about 98-99% effective for the first 6 months, and then its effectiveness begins to wane, but there are natural ways to be able to spot the return to fertility.

Both of you, feel free to join the Charting to Avoid/Fertility Awareness thread for more information and discussions on fertility while breastfeeding and other times.

[1love4ever]

Thanks!  So funny, I got my first period the day after I posted that :/   Baby is not quite 4.5 months old!!  What the heck?   Baby never has gone more than maybe 2hrs without breastfeeding, and he sucks a lot for comfort, I dont see why I got it back already!  Think it could have anything to do with my first baby and that  I did not practice ecological BFing with her (I did BF her, just not ecological)?  I got period back at the same time with her- 4 months.

I would love to start charting but have noooo idea where to start!   I'll look into your thread.  I dont have time to read a ton tho so is there anywhere that its just all layed out for me and I can just do what it says?  Lol, sorry that sounds so lazy!

[JMJ]

Check out the fertility Wikis at the bottom of the first post of the Charting to Avoid/Fertility Awareness thread.  There's a quick start rules for FAM on there and information about different types of charting, etc.