anyone use fertility monitors? advice if possible! - Trying to Conceive (TTC) Message Board

lucii · 04-14-2007, 04:26 AM

hiyas, so this month ive started using a persona fertility monitor. my cycles are usually about 31/32 days. i am on cd11 today, and for the last 3 days ive had "red days" so been bd lots! anyways today i got a little pic of an egg, which indicates that im due to ovulate withing the next 36 hours. are these things accurate?! or is there other reasons why it might say that im going to o but be wrong? also as this is the first month using it, i was told i would get alot of red days but i dont know, it just seems so early.....
any help or advice on using these, or your experience using them would be good!
lucii xx

kimnyc · 04-14-2007, 04:58 AM

Hi...

I use another popular name brand fertility monitor, and I had a similar experience. The first month I got my first "high" day on CD10 and then peaked on CD13 (which means I was to ovulate in 24 to 36 hours). The second month I got my first "high" reading on CD9 and peaked CD13. Then, this month, I got my first "high" reading on CD6 and I'm still at "high" on CD8. The only thing that I can think of to account for the early "high" reading this month is less stress, better rested, etc. I just got married two weeks ago, and life is considerably less chaotic.

The literature that came with my monitor also said to expect a lot of high fertility days the first month because the machine needs to "learn" my cycle. I never had that at all. It seemed to read me at a fairly normal 4-5 day fertile window right from the beginning. I was concerned at first but then thought myself lucky - I didn't have to use more of the sticks than necessary, my window was really narrowed down, etc. I also thought it might be early for my fertile window (especially this month), but all the reading I have done has said that ovulation times can really vary from month-to-month, the luteal phase doesn't but ovulation can. I also have done a lot of reading about women who were shocked to see, thanks to a fertility monitor, when they really ovulate. It was much earlier/later for many people!

Kim

lucii · 04-14-2007, 05:43 AM

hiyas, firstly congrats on getting married

thanks for telling me about your experience with fertilltiy monitors, can i just ask, how long are your cycles usually? mine are about 32 days, and if i do o when it says, which should be about tomorow cd12, and that means my luteal phase would have to be 20 days, and i dont think thats possible is it?i thought that it lasted 10-16 days?? unless this month is just a 1 off and its going to be a short one lol
thansk for your help, lucii xx

kimnyc · 04-14-2007, 06:18 AM

Thanks for your good wishes!

Funny... my cycles tend to be about 32 days as well. They can vary somewhat from 28 - 32, but most fall on the longer end. I, too, have had some concerns about having a longer luteal phase. Like I said, I have tended to ovulate on CD13, and that leaves me with an approximate 18-19 day luteal phase. I have read about problems with a luteal phase being too short, and I have read mixed reports on whether a long luteal phase is a problem. I'm just not sure on that one. Maybe someone else on here can help both of us! We seem to be in a very similar boat!!

I'm trying so hard not to stress out about this this month!! We spent the money on the fertility monitor because we wanted to take some of the stress out of trying to read those damn OPKs, and for awhile before the OPKs, I was just trying to "read" my body. That led to a whole lot of guessing and stress and wondering if we were BDing at the right time. I do like the fertility monitor a lot- there's little to no guess work. But, give me time, I'll find something to wonder then worry then obsess about!!

I laugh now about how scared I was about getting pregnant when I was younger, as though my boyfriends just had to look at me and it would happen!! If only it was that easy!! I'm 35 now and realize how complicated it can be!

Kim