Missed my LH surge

[WantsALittle1]

I have done three OPKs a day since CD 6. Was getting faint lines, a few of which looked closer to the control line but never reached the same darkness. The darker lines were on CD 8, 10, and 11. Then two days ago the lines started getting progressively fainter. Now they are barely there, no matter what time of day I test or how long I've held urine and restricted fluids. Temps are still low.

How is this possible? I was doing three OPKs a day!

 

[Angel022605]

I would say the darker days on cd 8,10,11 were possible ovulation day even though they weren't as dark as the control line. To better help you find your surge I'd highly recommend temping. You will get a noticeable temp shift the day after you ovulate.

 

[Isme]

I'm curious about the same thing. My OPKs have had the test lines being at about 60% the darkness of the control lines since about CD17... Now I'm at CD29 and they haven't changed much. Mine haven't started getting lighter, but I definitely haven't seen a positive test yet in spite of testing at *least* 3 times a day.

I wonder if it's possible to ovulate without a positive OPK? I got a clear positive with my last cycle on CD18. It ended in a chemical pregnancy, which sucked a lot, but at least proved that I did ovulate when I thought.

 

[WantsALittle1]

Angel, I am temping and temps are still low. I don't think temping is going to work for me though I wake up and have to get out of bed a couple times a night because I have an 18 mo who does not yet STTN, and on top of that I have insomnia. I am defo waiting for a temp shift, but the weird thing is that my temp is always the same, no matter when I temp! Whether I temp at 2 in the afternoon or 5 am before I've gotten out of bed, said a word, or taken a step, it's always 96.8-97.2, in that range. So I frankly think all the middle-of-the-night wakings are making temping ineffective for me and my temps are the same as my daytime temps.

Isme, I'm so sorry for your loss I had a CP last cycle too, and I wonder if that has anything to do with the weird OPKs I'm getting? The plot thickens for me... After 2 days of fainter OPKs, my SMU test was darker this morning. I would chalk it up to urine concentration but frankly my hydration habits haven't changed that much in the last week, so it doesn't make much sense. All I can think is that maybe LH sometimes dips and rises, for no reason? And regarding your tests always having a line... Maybe you and I just have high circulating LH? Since they aren't getting fainter, I personally don't think it's likely that you already Oved. And I do think it's possible to get PG without a + OPK because sometimes the surge is really quick, and even testing 3X a day like you and I are, we can miss it! I would say if your tests start going fainter soon, you probably did Ov, but if they are lingering at the same faint line, not getting darker or lighter, there is a good chance you haven't Oved yet and you just have a fair amount of LH circulating.

Here is my test progression. Today's test is darker than yesterday's and the day before. So I assume I was wrong, haven't missed my surge, and may very well surge today tomorrow?

The problem is that DH left for a business trip this morning and we BDed yesterday but can't for another 4 days. I'm afraid I'm going to be out this cycle unless somehow I magically ovulate very soon and swimmers are still present. But if my surge is just now happening and I don't Ov for a couple days, I just don't see how we have a chance

 

[Isme]

<snip>

Isme, I'm so sorry for your loss I had a CP last cycle too, and I wonder if that has anything to do with the weird OPKs I'm getting? The plot thickens for me... After 2 days of fainter OPKs, my SMU test was darker this morning. I would chalk it up to urine concentration but frankly my hydration habits haven't changed that much in the last week, so it doesn't make much sense. All I can think is that maybe LH sometimes dips and rises, for no reason? And regarding your tests always having a line... Maybe you and I just have high circulating LH? Since they aren't getting fainter, I personally don't think it's likely that you already Oved. And I do think it's possible to get PG without a + OPK because sometimes the surge is really quick, and even testing 3X a day like you and I are, we can miss it! I would say if your tests start going fainter soon, you probably did Ov, but if they are lingering at the same faint line, not getting darker or lighter, there is a good chance you haven't Oved yet and you just have a fair amount of LH circulating.

Here is my test progression. Today's test is darker than yesterday's and the day before. So I assume I was wrong, haven't missed my surge, and may very well surge today tomorrow?

The problem is that DH left for a business trip this morning and we BDed yesterday but can't for another 4 days. I'm afraid I'm going to be out this cycle unless somehow I magically ovulate very soon and swimmers are still present. But if my surge is just now happening and I don't Ov for a couple days, I just don't see how we have a chance

I am so sorry about your loss as well.

I apologize for the delayed response, but I wanted to come back here to update a bit. I had tests that were similar to yours and I wondered if the darker (but not dark enough to be positives) that I saw around CD18 and CD19 were actually real positives that I missed. However, now (at CD38) I realize they were not. I think that for both of us, the chemical pregnancies left our systems a little off track and we had unusually elevated LH levels for whatever reason. I thought I was never going to ovulate or get my stupid period, but around CD35 I realized my lines were ever-so-slightly lighter. Then they darkened up a lot the next day (CD36) and finally yesterday on CD37 I think I got an actual positive OPK at 4pm.

Now I'm just waiting for either a BFP or my AF to show. If AF shows too soon, I'll know that the surge didn't work as planned. If it doesn't show for another 2 weeks, I'll assume that I did ovulate as normal (5 weeks after my chemical pregnancy) and that I just didn't catch it. But of course I'm just hoping that it doesn't show at all.

What ever happened with you? Did you get a clear positive or did your AF arrive? I hope you were able to get a good try or two in around your DH's scheduled business trip.

 

[WantsALittle1]

Isme, wow a + =OPK on CD 37! May I ask, if you're temping, what have your temps been doing this whole time--with the lighter OPKs before, and up until now? Just FYI my surge happened soon after my post #4 and lasted for about 48 hours. I was testing every 2 hours until the surge was over and caught the decline. FF put ovulation at the day after my first +OPK, so I was still surging when I ovulated. When I looked at how my FF estimate compared to BD dates, we BDed two days before, so timing was pretty perfect.

I am 9 DPO right now. Got several faint + blue dye tests at 6-7 DPO (tested because of strong symptoms), but serum hCH was < 1 mIU/mL at 7 DPO so I assume these were all evaps, and will never use those tests again! Took a bunch of FRERs and those were negative too. Got my Wondfos in the mail yesterday and so far those are negative too. So not holding out a lot of hope for this cycle

Just curious about whether you got a temp shift this morning (if you are temping), or if you think you are just surging and having actually ovulated yet?

FXed for both of us that we get a sticky BFP this cycle, although in my case I don't have much hope with my super low hCG at 7 DPO.

 

[Powell130]

You have plenty of hope with a low HCG on 7DPO seeing as 9DPO is the most common implantation day. Some implant as late as 12DPO! I did with our son and didn't get a BFP until 20DPO! HCG was only 240 @ 21DPO so you're definitely still in there

 

[Isme]

Isme, wow a + =OPK on CD 37! May I ask, if you're temping, what have your temps been doing this whole time--with the lighter OPKs before, and up until now? Just FYI my surge happened soon after my post #4 and lasted for about 48 hours. I was testing every 2 hours until the surge was over and caught the decline. FF put ovulation at the day after my first +OPK, so I was still surging when I ovulated. When I looked at how my FF estimate compared to BD dates, we BDed two days before, so timing was pretty perfect.

I am 9 DPO right now. Got several faint + blue dye tests at 6-7 DPO (tested because of strong symptoms), but serum hCH was < 1 mIU/mL at 7 DPO so I assume these were all evaps, and will never use those tests again! Took a bunch of FRERs and those were negative too. Got my Wondfos in the mail yesterday and so far those are negative too. So not holding out a lot of hope for this cycle

Just curious about whether you got a temp shift this morning (if you are temping), or if you think you are just surging and having actually ovulated yet?

FXed for both of us that we get a sticky BFP this cycle, although in my case I don't have much hope with my super low hCG at 7 DPO.

Hey, WantsALittle1. Unfortunately, I am not temping. I'm obsessive enough as it is with the constant pee-stick dipping. Plus I don't have a really good sleep schedule, so it would be hard to get reliable temps I think.

How are you doing now? I'm sorry about your rotten blue-dye-test-evaps.

I'm CD43 (well, CD44 since it's after midnight) and I have not gotten my period yet. I'm guessing that means that I did for sure ovulate on CD37--or shortly after-- and now I'm just waiting for the normal 2 weeks until my period should start. My tests faded to negative (with a light second line) the day after the positive OPK. However I did get some very small/light spotting on 3-4DPO. (Just one spot about 3 nights after I got my positive OPK, and a couple spots right after waking the following morning.) I'm not sure what that meant. Ovulation spotting? Cycle breakthrough? I dunno. It was in no way a period bleed. It was barely visible and hardly there. Of course, if it was ovulation spotting, then I probably missed catching the darn egg. We have not DTD since the night I got my positive OPK.

I've been cramping since after I got my positive OPK. Every day I wake up thinking I will have started my cycle... but nothing yet. I do feel like I'm going crazy, but I'm trying to stay positive.

 

[WantsALittle1]

Isme, my understanding of ovulation spotting is that the little bit of fluid can take a while to get from the ovary, through the tube, through the uterus, and out. So if there were a tiny bit of blood from the ovum bursting through the ovary, it could have been days before you actually saw that blood, ie 3-4 DPO could be reasonable for seeing it. You might very well have caught your O if you DTD just after your +OPK. I do think 3-4 DPO is too early for IB though, so I can't think of what else 3-4 DPO spotting would be?

As for me, AF got me today. And I was squinting over a FRER this morning thinking I saw something. Grrr! Well whatever... New cycle, a new start, hopefully this one is better!

 

[Isme]

Isme, my understanding of ovulation spotting is that the little bit of fluid can take a while to get from the ovary, through the tube, through the uterus, and out. So if there were a tiny bit of blood from the ovum bursting through the ovary, it could have been days before you actually saw that blood, ie 3-4 DPO could be reasonable for seeing it. You might very well have caught your O if you DTD just after your +OPK. I do think 3-4 DPO is too early for IB though, so I can't think of what else 3-4 DPO spotting would be?

As for me, AF got me today. And I was squinting over a FRER this morning thinking I saw something. Grrr! Well whatever... New cycle, a new start, hopefully this one is better!

Awww... I'm sorry AF got you.

That makes sense about the blood taking time to work it's way down. I'm hoping that's the case! I've never had it before and was just worried that maybe it meant I'd ovulated too late. We don't BD a lot because my DH works very long hours (12+ a day sometimes 7 days a week) at a physical job and is very tired most nights. I'm relying on OPKs to time things exactly right, because I normally only get one chance to get things done during my fertile period. My other concern was that the bleeding was a sign that my hormones aren't where they should be thanks to the stupid chemical. (Meaning that I'm just wasting my time waiting this out, when I should be seeing a doctor for Provera so I can start fresh.) I dunno. I wasn't thinking implantation bleeding, though. I'm not willing to let myself get completely delusional with this TTC business. As far as I know, I've only had that once and it was during my last cycle with the chemical. I got the bleed at like 12-13DPO and got my BFP the next day. I would say that IB at 3DPO is a bit premature. lol