Ovulation

We had good luck with an ovulation kit- I want to say Clearblue Easy? There aren't that many different ones. They work like a PG test. The test will tell you when the best time is to take it based on your cycle. Good luck!!

the most important tool that you need right now is the book "taking charge of your fertility". it will explain every question you have and help you better understand how to nail down where you're at in your cycle. it requires some work but its so helpful when you're trying to conceive! theres no reason why your cycle would be anywhere near your cycle on the pill...it was a manufactured cycle. and coming off the pill can take a very long time to get a "regular" cycle back. this book will help you to know the exact window of ovulation and let you know that outside of that window sex is only for fun and really not useful for makin a baby!:) i seriously believe every woman needs this book...if not to make a baby just to know our bodies better! good luck and have fun!

It took me along time to TTC#2 after an easy first time around, and it got so frustrating playing the guessing game. I signed up on a site called fertilityfriend.com and started charting my cycles (taking your temp each AM to indicate when you are ovulating.)This worked wonders for me! You can also try the ovulation prediction kits or a fertility monitor, but personally the charting is what helped me. GL in your quest to TTC #2!

I'm unable to give advice on ovulation kits, but if you're charting www.fertilityfriend.com is a great website. I didn't understand cervical discharge either, but after going through their site I was able to understand it. It's a free site and a great way to keep track of your cycles. Good luck~

I'm not sure but I think most women ovulate about a week after their period ends. I know that I do because I get horrible pains that knock me out of commission for a few hours sometimes.

I used the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor and found out I was ovulating on day 18, when I originally thought it was day 14 or so. Well worth the money, as I had tried for over a year, but lost baby and than bought the monitor and got pregnany after the second month of using it....

Good luck. I have also been told, don't just "make love" when you think your ovulating, as it is more of a chore than fun....

I would suggest a fertility monitor. They are VERY accurate and take out all the guesswork for you. It tells you the exact date to have sex. We used one for our second child and were pregnant after only 2 cycles. I highly recommend the clearblue easy. It costs around $250 and the test sticks (3 month supply) are about $50. Good luck!
A.

We used an ovulation kit, (generic target brand) with both our pregnancies-mostly because I am not very good at tracking...:)...and was pregnant within 3 months the first time and 1 month this time.

I think the definately help-certainly didn't hurt!

It takes a while to get back on track. I was told to got to the doctor after 6 months of trying. We didn't until 1 year and it ended up taking us two more years to have the twins. I was 34 when I stopped the pill and 38 when I gave birth to the boys. Don't keep waiting hoping it will happen naturally, it may not be you. Your husband is older too. Good Luck

After we lost our first baby to a miscarriage - we tried fervently to become pregnant again. Six months later, we'd purchased ovulation kits and tried basal temps and grew frustrated with no results. In the meantime, I changed clinics and discovered a fantastic ob/gyn - whose office recommended every other day, all the way through. I'm thinking it worked out well - we have three babies (of seven pregnancies). Even throughout the infertility months (meaning those months they monitored hormone levels, I took meds, we did insemminations, etc) they reminded us that every other day was soon enough for 'him' to recover the better 'count' and for us to 'hit the mark'.

Without creating a chore in the process - 'up the frequency' - don't worry so much about which day is the right one - and absolutely try the sites the other gals mentioned. Oh, and every body is different. My cycles were often closer to 55 days between - so anyone's guess where the ovulation would be. Even when they monitored egg follicles, they'd expect mine to be on a given number of days out - and each month would be surprised with the outcome. All over the place.

all that said, just relax and have fun!!

T.

A.,

You've gotten some great responses so far! Your body can definitely take some time to get "regular" after being on the pill, especially if you've been on the pill for a good portion of your life. I know a few people who did the sex- every-other-day thing without ovulation testing and it worked great. My hubby and I tried that, with no luck. I finally broke down and purchased the First Response ovulation kit to find out when I ovulated every month. After the 1st few months, I could pinpoint my ovulation day within a day or two and then didn't have to use as many tests so the cost wasn't too terribly high. After 6 months of trying, we went to a fertility specialist and now, 2 months later, I'm pregnant! There could be several reasons you are having trouble, and all the testing the fertility spec does will help pinpoint why you may not be getting pregnant quickly. Remember, though, the average time it takes a couple to have a baby is 6 months! Hard to hear when you just want a baby, I know....

Best of luck to you!!
A.

I have ovulation "issues" so I probably am not the best person to give advice. But I tried the ovulation monitering kits and found it not to be worth my money. Especially if you have to use them every day for more than 7 days.

Because I have irregular cycles I am working with my Dr. and we actually found that I don't usually ovulate at all -- just sometimes. So this month I just started with Clomid to help regulate things.

My hubby and I basically just plan to make "attempts" every other day from days 14 - 22. I go in for testing on day 22.

If your irregular cycles continue you may just want to check in with your Dr. to see if they can offer any advice.

I've been using the Clearblue ovulation predictor kits and they're really easy to use. We've been trying for #2 for 8 months now and started artificial insemination last month. I still use my urine and saliva ovulation kits each month. The cervical discharge is difficult to monitor, I've found. Good luck! My doctor says its very common to have difficulties getting pregnant for #2... hopefully it's not your case.

we went through the same thing trying for #2 for over a year - i finally did basil body temperatures to find out when i ovulated, and the month that i got pregnant i ovulated on CD30 - where normal would be around 14. it's definitely possible to ovulate at different times during your cycle, especially if your cycle is irregular. i would definitely say to do bbt's and online there is a site (www.fertilityfriend.com) that you can chart it on and it will even pinpoint about the time that you've ovulated. another good idea is to do ovulation tests if you're not sure - i used both clear blue's and some really inexpensive walmart brands. if you can go digital do!! it's totally worth it since they can sometimes be confusing. good luck to you!

Save yourself the hassle and just go with the every other day method the whole month. You don't need to know when you're ovulating down to the day...ou just need to get pregnant. It does get to be somewhat boring after a whole month, but hopefully it won't take longer than that and you can resume a normal sex life.