 |
| Photo Credit: Babygaga.com |
5 out of 6 of my good friends used an Ov Watch, Fertility Monitor or OPKs to get pregnant and said if they didn't they would still be trying. The best part is that all my friends told me that it was a secret from their man. I have learned that you have to keep secrets from your BF, hubby, fiance with this baby making stuff....otherwise this special time becomes a JOB!!!!! There is a code...a "need to know" basis of sorts. Women can handle the pressure of this a lot better then men and since guys don't talk about this stuff they are never told by their friends how much work went it to making a baby.
All they hear from their buddies is:
"Guess what dude...<<enter friend's wife's name here>> is
pregnant!!"
They don't hear the reality:
"Man I'm exhausted, this baby making stuff is no joke!! I had to have sex with <<enter friend's wife's name here>> 4 days in
a row, 6 days in a row, every other day for a month....for a few months or for
up to a year. Had to get my sperm analyzed, she had to go for months of tests and finally we got pregnant!!"
Some couples are very good at hiding that stuff.
So back to the fertility stuff.... with the info my friends gave me, I read up on all of them for hours on end before deciding on which to use. The LiveStrong site has some really good info on ovulation predictors.
Between the three....
1. Ov Watch
2. Clear Blue Fertility Monitor (CBFM)
3. Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPK's)
...I was most interested in the monitor aka CBFM (Clear Blue Fertility Monitor). Here is what I found relating the the CBFM and how it works.....
- This monitor charts your hormones (both LH & Estrogen) and pinpoints your most fertile days to 2 PEAK days. It goes from LOW to HIGH to PEAK to HIGH back doen to LOW. Disclaimer: It may take a couple cycles to learn your cycles, so it can't be expected to work the first try.
- LH: Lutenizing HormoneSome LH is always present in urine, but it surges for 24 to 48 hours before ovulation.
- Estrogen (estrone-3-glucuronide):Also present in urine, surges prior to the LH surge. Stimulates fertile CM to help move the sperm along to their final destination.
- There are only a few days per cycle where you are fertile & can conceive.
- It is shown that fertility can begin up to 5 days prior to ovulation and ending on the day of ovulation.
- An egg can survive up to 24 hours after ovulation
- Sperm survival rate is much more variable, the average is 1 1/2 days, but sperm can survive up to 5 days in the fertile days of the cycle (as long as your CM aka cervical mucous is plentiful).
- Studies show that a surge in LH levels occurs 24-36 hours prior to ovulation . The urinary LH surge pinpoints the two peak fertile days of a woman's cycle, with intercourse on these days.
- In the days leading up to the LH surge, estradiol levels rise gradually, reaching a threshold that triggers the preovulatory LH surge. Tracking the urinary metabolite of estradiol (estrone-3-glucuronide, E3G) allows women to identify the days of high fertility leading up to ovulation, where conception is also possible, and this also gives them advanced notice of their peak fertile days. (Credit: Clear Blue Easy)
- Estradiol stimulates secretion of cervical mucus (CM) that is favorable for the survival and transport of sperm. The rise in plasma estradiol corresponds closely to the appearance of sperm-supportive cervical mucus.10 Therefore, intercourse during the 6-day fertile period may also lead to conception, as sperm can survive for a number of days. (Credit: Clear Blue Easy)
Interesting stuff right?? I hope I kept it simple because it took me a while & lots of reading to "get it".
Anyhoo, I knew a few of my friends had this monitor so I reached out to "borrow" one because it is pretty pricey to buy. Unfortunately at that time those three friends had lent them out to other friends :( So I went on Amazon and bought one.... Something you may not realize....you have to buy a monthly supply of pee sticks on top of the monitor...the pee sticks are $$$!
Currently this is my 5th month using it, it indicates if your fertility hormones are "LOW", "HIGH" or "PEAK". You are told to do the damn thing on at least one "HIGH" day and both "PEAK" days. (Photo Credits Below: Clear Blue Fertility Monitor Instruction Manual)
LOW (Low Fertility):
 | |
| Low Fertility: very small chance of conception |
HIGH (High Fertility):
 |
| High Fertility: increased chance of conception |
PEAK (Peak Fertility):
 |
| Peak Fertility: highest chance of conception |
So far the only time we were able to time it right (according to the monitor) was a couple months ago, I actually ended up having a chemical pregnancy (miscarriage before a heartbeat forms), which I don't talk about....as if it never happened. The other time we were able to get the timing right... was this month, April 2012. So we shall see....I have a good feeling about this month!!
I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed because Christmas is my favorite time of year and I would love to have a holiday baby. :)
1 Comment »
How does the ovulation calculator boy? Most women ovulate about two weeks before the first day of their period.
ReplyDelete