Having a Hard Time

I went off BC in July and DH and I started TTC the beginning of this month.

I'm having a hard time figuring out ovulation based on my cycles. I have a feeling my body is trying to regulate after BC.

So far AF dates are:
- 7/11/12
- 8/4/12
- 8/29/12
- 9/28/12
- 10/22/12
I'm between 24 and 30 days right now so I have no idea when I'm ovulating or what my LP is. I was surprised by AF yesterday after returning from a 12 day trip to Hawaii. I'll be honest that I was pretty sad.

So is there anything I can be doing to get a better handle on learning when I'm ovulating and have my LP? How does temping, opks, CBEFM work? I was holding off a bit from doing any of this but I'm struggling so it may be beneficial. Not a fan of FF, so I really don't want to use that.

I'd appreciate any feedback. Thank you!

Having a Hard Time

I would first try OPK's that way you can pinpoint when you ovulate.

Re: Having a Hard Time

Re: Having a Hard Time

Re: Having a Hard Time

I use the Clear Blue Digital Ovulation kits and the Wondfo ovulation tests as well - I find clear blue much more easier to read since its either a smiley or not, but the wondo I use till the line starts getting dark to get an idea when to use the clear blue since they're a little pricey for every day use. Best of luck!

Re: Having a Hard Time

Ok, so there seems to be consensus that I should be using opks. How exactly does this work? Newbie to all of this so any info would be very useful and greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Re: Having a Hard Time

if your periods are regular I would start using them on cycle day 8. They say the best time to test is in the afternoon to evening I was told 4-8pm is the best window to check. Starting testing around the same time until you get a + opk. Since my cycle is not regular I started testing at CD 12 and got my smiley at CD 19 which makes me assume I o'd on CD 20 also when I got my smiley I noticed a lot of EWCM (TMI) hope this helps

Having a Hard Time

I'm a big fan of the CBEFM. It's pricey but it takes a lot of the guesswork out. You turn the monitor on and if it asks for a stick, you use FMU, put the stick in the monitor and in 5 minutes it gives you a reading. That's it, once a day. You start off with a low reading, then high, and then just before ovulation, you get a peak reading. Ovulation occurs 1-2 days after the first peak reading.

Re: Having a Hard Time

I use the Clear Blue Digital Ovulation kit and definitely reccomend it! I have regular 28 day cycles so I started testing on cd 10. I've read that you should test morning and night 10-12 hours apart so that you don't miss your LH surge. This is what I did this month and I just got my smiley today on cd 13