Can't catch my LH Surge...any thoughts?

[Fingersxed4]

Hi all! I have been stalking this site for a good few months now leading up to my husband and I beginning to TTC. I would love some insight from anyone who has experienced something similar to me in terms of not being able to pinpoint ovulation.

About a year ago I used OPKs for a few months after I had a burst ovarian cyst. I had just come off BC, which is what my obgyn thought had prompted the cyst. I started temping and using OPKs just to get more in tune with my body and to relieve my fears that I was ovulating properly.

Over the few months that I used the OPKs, I never had a +. My temping was all over the place and FF trouble pinpointing ovulation. I went back to my obgyn and had bloodwork done to make sure that I was ovulating properly. Everything came back normal and my doc said she thought I had just missed my surge, even though I had done the OPKs for my entire cycle.

Fast forward and now here we are TTC. My cycles are slightly irregular, ranging from 28-35 days but most of the time are in the 30-33 day range. I usually spot lightly for 2-3 days before my heavier flow starts. This is the first month I've used OPKs since last year and yet again, I have yet to get a positive and I am at CD22. For the last week I have been testing twice a day, once with FMU and one in the evening.

Has anyone else had this experience where they know from bloodwork that they ovulate, but you can never catch it with the OPKs? Sorry for the long post!

 

[Fingersxed4]

I should also add that I have been back to my obgyn every few months over the last year for u/s for cysts...the last time was a few weeks ago. As of then i was cyst free, so this isn't a case of a cyst impacting my cycle.

 

[Twinkie210]

My Cycles are similar to yours anywhere from 28-40 days but most are around 33/34 days. Like you I spot about 2-3 days before AF. The last time I used OPKs I had trouble catching my surge too, I only had 1 + test and that was on CD 21 and I O'd that night, but I am always able to confirm O with my temps. I have a short LP, so I don't O 14 days before my next period, I O somewhere around 11 days before. I got pregnant the last month I used OPKs, but I miscarried at 7 weeks. So I am back to TTC this cycle and I have got + or very close to + OPKs yesterday and today, so I might be O'ing sooner this month!

The only advice I can give is maybe try a different brand of OPKs. I just bought some Answer brand ones and they don't seem to work good at all. Right now I am using Walgreens brand. If I don't get pregnant this month I am going to try using Clear Blue Digital OPKs! That will take the guesswork out of it!

 

[SLH]

Maybe the type of OPK you are using isn't sensitive enough to pick up your surge? Whenever I used OPK's before really trying I never got a positive either. My cycles range from 26-29 days. I bought a Clearblue Fertility Monitor and it helped me to figure out when I ovulate. I also started charting and that always showed ovulation. Do you think that since your cysts are gone you can go back to charting? Maybe your temps were all wacky before because of the cyst.

 

[Fingersxed4]

So sorry to hear about your miscarriage. I hope this month is a lucky one

I used different OPKs in the past but for this cycle i have been using the Answer ones, so maybe I'll change for the next cycle. Clear blue might be the best bet! At this stage a true +OPK would seem like a huge feat for me! I had faint positives over the weekend, then went back to completely negative for the last few days, and now this morning back to a very faint + so maybe i I'm O'ing late and my LP is on the shorter side. If I haven't O'ed yet all the BDing we did over the weekend might have been too early! I had O pains and EWCM over the weekend though, so nothing seems consistent!

What do you count as CD1? Your first day of spotting or your first day of a real flow?

 

[Twinkie210]

So sorry to hear about your miscarriage. I hope this month is a lucky one

I used different OPKs in the past but for this cycle i have been using the Answer ones, so maybe I'll change for the next cycle. Clear blue might be the best bet! At this stage a true +OPK would seem like a huge feat for me! I had faint positives over the weekend, then went back to completely negative for the last few days, and now this morning back to a very faint + so maybe i I'm O'ing late and my LP is on the shorter side. If I haven't O'ed yet all the BDing we did over the weekend might have been too early! I had O pains and EWCM over the weekend though, so nothing seems consistent!

What do you count as CD1? Your first day of spotting or your first day of a real flow?

I took a Walgreens brand dip test and it is either + or nearly + this morning and I used an Answer brand (the one in the case that looks like a hpt) and the line is very faint. I had EWCM yesterday, so I think I am surging (whether or not I actually ovulate- I'll have to wait to see) so I think the Answer brand doesn't work.

 

[Fingersxed4]

Hi SLH! Yes, great point about the cyst potentially screwing up the temps. I had held off on temping this month since it was our first true month TTC (and I was trying to keep my husband from thinking I had gone from "let's just see what happens over the next few months" to psycho! I have quickly found there is no in between for me. Anyway, so yes, I am definitely planning on starting the temping properly from the start of my next cycle and I think a CBFM might be the answer. Thanks for the input! How's your cycle going?