Ovulation, EWCM, timing and testing! Lots of questions!

[daisy9]

I think I am beginning to lose it a bit TTC! My cycle is only just getting back to normal after a few months off the pill so I cant really use the calender method to work out ovulation. Well I have but because my cycle could be anywhere from 28 - 35 days we have 12 days of BDing! (Not always a bad thing) But I won't know when to test.

I am hoping someone can help me with the following questions......

How long after ovulation can you test?

How long after ewcm can you test?

Is it normal to only have a few hours of ewcm?

Will grapefruit juice help this?

Should I be BDing before ewcm or after? And how many days before or after am I fertile?

How do you know when ovulation is over?

Thank you so much!!

 

[LalaR]

Hi daisy,
TTC drives you mad doesn't it?!!
The luteal phase (time from ovulation to period) is anything between 12 and 16 days. It usually stays pretty much the same length every cycle for an individual woman. This means that if you were wanting to test when your period was due do it no earlier than 12dpo.
You need to remember that after ovulation, it could take up to 24h for fertilisation, then between 4 and 12 days for implantation. HCG appears in the blood a few days after that and an extra 2-3 days for it to reach your urine for testing. Using these numbers the soonest you could possibly get a BFP is 9dpo but some women need to wait until 19dpo!!.
EWCM is a sign that ovulation is due to happen and disappears after ovulation. You can have EWCM for several days before you Ov or just notice it the same day.
You should be BDing when you have EWCM and not once it is gone. Since sperm can survive up to 5 days you should consider 4 days before ov, the day of ov and the day after to be completely covered. Best not to dtd more than once a day for sperm quality.
The only way to properly tell if you have ovulated is with a scan and blood tests but these are not generally available to most of us. The next best thing is to look for a sustained rise in your BBT. This will confirm that you have ovulated that cycle.
Not sure about the grapefruit juice. I have also seen posts talking about drinking pineapple juice.
Hope this helps and good luck. Fxd

 

[Rigi.kun]

LalaR covered all your fields. When your CM is EWCM it allows your partners sperm to survive for up to 5 days, this is the only time sperm will survive for longer then a few hours, that is why women TTC should concentrate there BD to when they have EWCM. I believe that is what worked for me as I noticed EWCM and BD'd that night and then didn't get another chance to BD until 4 nights later. I got my BFP about 18 days after the night I noticed the EWCM.

 

[ttcafterdandc]

I know this post is pretty old but I'm pretty confused about when I am going to ovulate? I got pregnant Oct. 11th 2011 but I started mc on Dec. 2nd 2011 and had a d&c on Dec. 8th 2011. Before I got pregnant and mc, my cycles was reg. 28 days with ovulation mid cycle. I got my first period 31 days after d&c (Jan. 7th 2012), it lasted about 3 days (usually lasts about 6 days) then stopped for a day and I started spotting again a day later, and 3 days after my period ended, I started haveing clear mc somtimes with a little spotting and cramping. I had the cm for 3 days then nothing and then today it came back but a little more! I have been taking opks and on Jan. 11th (2 days after period ended) my test line was really close to the color of the control line but not quit, so I keep testing! If everything is normal, I'm suppose to ovulate on the 21st which is in 5 more days, but I'm confused about the ovulation symptoms I have been having! They all started around when I got the spike on the opk but it was still neg. Could I have ovulated early ( 2 days after period ended) sence I had a mc and d&c? Or did I just get the symptoms ( spotting, cramping and cm) way early & not ovulated yet????

 

[Jacobnmatty]

We are ttc a girl.. we BD on days 14, 13, 11 & 9..
My OPK has had a line last 2 days but not the same as the control line
creamy sticky CM and this morning on CD15 start i saw start of EWCM stretching between fingers. So have we covered bases for a girl, having sex 4, 2 then 1 day before ov?

 

[ttcafterdandc]

From everything I have read, yes! But I would bd for another couple of days, it betters your chances for conception! You are your most fertile the day you ovulate! Good luck!!!!

 

[ttcafterdandc]

And to add to that....You def. need to keep taking the opks till you get a positive! And bd at least every other day till about 2 days after as well!! If you read my post, I have been having the ewcm for a few days now but still no positive opk. And I have read that you can have that for the week leading upto ovulation!! So if I was you, I would keep trying to make sure you are def. covered!!