OPKs are driving me insane!

[lilmisscaviar]

I've been charting with FF and have been taking my temp at the same time every morning. I had a huge dip on Dec. 28th (CD 13) to 96.8 from 97.5 then it dipped a little more the next day to 96.6 but my opks were still negative. Well this morning my temperature began to rise back to 97.5 and I finally received my positive opk this afternoon, which didn't make sense to me since I'm pretty sure I already had my ovulation dip. I also had pinching pains in my right ovary last night before I went to bed which were gone by morning. Should I go by the accuracy of the chart or the opks? Is it possible that I had ovulated during the night but it wasn't being picked up in my urine until this afternoon?

 

[Cppeace]

a dip does not always mean ovulation happened. You should see a sustained rise for 3 + days as .4f from your average high temp in the pre-ovulation temps. You're opk being positive now means you should ovulate in 24-48 hours, you may see another dip or not, but it's the rise you need.

 

[2have4kids]

I finally got a cbefm enough messing around with temps. I highly recommend the monitor, it made every month easy to track. I actually got mine used off ebay, sterilized and reset it and it worked perfectly. When the monitor hit the big O, I'd take a photo and text it to DH. He used to get so excited to try he'd ask me if he needs to come home early from work. I used to go off temps and there was waaay too much margine for error. It was taking too long and after 3 years we stopped messing around. I don't have tenping advice other than if it's driving you crazy maybe look into more reliable options?

 

[Cppeace]

Yes, I only recommend temping to see the for sure pattern that you did ovulate. Opks alone, even the expensive digitals, do not confirm ovulation. They only confirm your body prepped for ovulation. Both are great tools.

 

[lilmisscaviar]

This is actually what I'm trying to find out by charting... whether I do actually O or not. The last couple cycles I tried going off of opks alone so I thought maybe I was Oing before my surge was being detected in my urine. I've read conflicting information online. One website said that your surge shows up in your urine 4 hours after it happens while another said that you don't ovulate until 12-36 hours after your first positive opk. Then I read one that said the older you are, the closer ovulation is to your surge, so if you don't test enough you could miss it. I did a cervical check and had watery cm (not ewcm because it wasn't stringy just clear) and my cervix was only partly open. Yesterday when I checked it was fully open with lots of ewcm.

I'm just trying to figure my body out but I'm so confused

 

[2have4kids]

This is actually what I'm trying to find out by charting... whether I do actually O or not. The last couple cycles I tried going off of opks alone so I thought maybe I was Oing before my surge was being detected in my urine. I've read conflicting information online. One website said that your surge shows up in your urine 4 hours after it happens while another said that you don't ovulate until 12-36 hours after your first positive opk. Then I read one that said the older you are, the closer ovulation is to your surge, so if you don't test enough you could miss it. I did a cervical check and had watery cm (not ewcm because it wasn't stringy just clear) and my cervix was only partly open. Yesterday when I checked it was fully open with lots of ewcm.

I'm just trying to figure my body out but I'm so confused

Your doctor can also do a few cd21 hormone tests, mine was covered by healthcare (prob if you live in Canada, Britain, or Europe)and she determined through the tests that I needed a referral to the fc.

 

[2ducks]

You may need a couple months of data to figure out how this will work for you. I only got a +LH surge with FMU the day before ovulation which goes against what the instructions on the OPKs tell you is correct. Keep charting and temping. When you get crosshairs as your doc for a progesterone check 7 days after your chart says you ovulated. Since I ovulated on days 18/19/20 a day 21 check would have been useless for me.

 

[2have4kids]

You may need a couple months of data to figure out how this will work for you. I only got a +LH surge with FMU the day before ovulation which goes against what the instructions on the OPKs tell you is correct. Keep charting and temping. When you get crosshairs as your doc for a progesterone check 7 days after your chart says you ovulated. Since I ovulated on days 18/19/20 a day 21 check would have been useless for me.

Esp if she had PCOS, which you have. But that's why when they test bloods for O they don't just do it for 1 month, mine did it for 3 months in a row. If you have Luteal phase issues (and op prob doesn't) doc will adjust cd21 to cd23 or later. But you're also in the States so likely you'd have to pay a small fortune for simple blood tests anyway.

 

[lilmisscaviar]

Thank you ladies! You all have been super helpful so far. I had a huge temperature spike today to 97.9 so I'm assuming I ovulated during one of those three days that my temperature was low. The question I now have is how long until ovulation is detected on your chart from the time it actually happens? I've read that you can ovulate up to 3 days prior to your temperature going up and then I've read that your temperature goes up only 12-24 hours after you O. I'm so confused...

 

[Cppeace]

Generally you get the temp spike the day after ovulation but for a few it can happen two days after ovulation has occurred. As long as you 3 or more sustained temps you will get a cover line and ovulation will be confirmed. I'd be happy to look at your chat if you want an opinion.