OTC Ovulation Tests

Updated on February 04, 2012
K.G. asks from Los Angeles, CA
5 answers

Anyone with an irregular cycle have success with an OTC ovulation kit?

I was on the pill for about 8 years before I got pregnant with my first (now 2.5 yrs). I don't remember what kind of cycle I had before going on the pill, but I know it wasn't exact. I opted for the Mirena IUD after my daughter was born and had it removed in Jan. 2011 so we could start trying for another. It can take some women a few months to bleed after removing the IUD and for me it was a long 4 months. I had all the blood test to confirm that even though I wasn't bleeding, I was in fact ovulating. Since then, my cycle has all over the place - from slightly longer (around 35) days to really long (6 weeks). I wasn't stressing about so to be honest I haven't been keeping track but there doesn't seem to be a pattern to the chaos. We just have regular sex (like every 2-3 days) and I try to watch my body for signs that I'm ovulating. It's been a year now. My doctor said to try with the ovulation kit for a couple of months to 1) make sure I'm ovulating and 2) get a better sense of my cycle. But I'm not sure how that's going to work for me since I'm so irregular. I feel like I need to buy several boxes and just test every day for a couple of months.

What can I do next?

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S.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

Another option is measuring your basal body temp each morning when you wake up. You can read more about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_body_temperature. You have to buy a special thermometer for that specific purpose (but I think mine was under $10 at Target) and remember to take your temp each morning before you get out of bed. I had a paper chart next to my bed to write it down, but I also used a website (there are many, but I used fertilityfriend.com) to track it and the site will keep track of when you ovulate. It's much cheaper than the ovulation kits.

1 mom found this helpful

M.M.

answers from Chicago on

That's exactly what I did.
I went with the cheap ones from CVS, so I didn't spend quite so much. I bought 3 boxes, and tested daily for 3 weeks starting about a week after my last period.

Check eBay, to see if you can get them in bulk.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.D.

answers from Dallas on

I suffer with irregular cycles too and I successfully got preggers twice using OTC ovulation tests. It's been about 4 years since I last used them but I do remember buying two boxes worth and peed on a dang stick everyday till it showed me a "positive" ovulating sign. I figured it was cheaper to buy two boxes than to run to the OB/GYN for testing:)

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A.P.

answers from Janesville-Beloit on

I just had my first ever positive ovulation test. I have never had regular ovulation or periods, and my cycles since stopping breastfeeding have been really long. I started on day 14 and tested until I got a positive, which was on day 25 for me (long cycles). If your cycle was 35 days for example, you would supposedly be ovulating around day 21 (35-14) but I think your plan is a good one to start right away, or maybe around day 10, and then test until you get a positive. Be sure to test mid-day, because unlike pregnancy tests it's not best to test first thing in the morning. Also, you have to hold it (don't pee) for several hours before you test. Good luck!

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N.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

The OTC ones can be hard to read. However, my friends and I have had great success with the Clearblue Easy monitor. I got pregnant in 2 months with my first, and 3 with my second. (With the second, I had given my monitor away, and tried for 15 months before buying the monitor a second time. It is expensive, but worth it! You're not *supposed* to share this monitor, but I have passed mine around my circle of friends, and it has helped in the conception of 5 more babies. One friend discovered she was ovulating a full 7 days later than she thought.

http://www.amazon.com/Clearblue-Easy-Fertility-Monitor-Pa...

I also found accupuncture to be an excellent way of regulating my cycle (I suffered a miscarriage after TTC my second for 14 months). If you're close to Glendale, look up Float Chinese Medical Arts. Abigail is amazing!

Good luck!

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