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I am ttc, my cycles vary from month to month. I have been taking my bbt, but am unclear when it spikes. I have bee using opk since my last cycle and did not see a surge, missed one day and tested the next. I then tested on the next day and it picked up a surge. The next day its didnt pick it up. Im not sure when I ovulate.
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Yes, she suggested to keep track bbt and the opk use an online ovulation predictore calender. According to the calenders I was suppose to ovulate on tuesday but didnt get an lh spike. When I checked on friday it detected the spike but I think I had al ready missed it by then. I missed tested wed and thur due to family emergency. So I'm not sure when i ovulated. How long is lh still detectable after I ovulate?
May 2, 2010 - 11:16amThis Comment
Good question...it sounds like you are wanting to know the difference between when does LH actually spike in your body vs. when does the test actually detect the LH spike?
I wish there was a definitive answer for you, but there is not. The LH "surge" can occur in your body, and it is predicted for most women, most of the time, to occur between days 10-14. Your question: when is it DETECTABLE is dependent upon many factors, including what type of test you are using, and what it specifically claims as its LH "threshold" for detecting LH. There is no real standard amount of LH to constitute a "surge", and your test will only be able to detect LH above a certain threshold amount.
Does that make sense?
To answer your question more directly, "how long is LH still detectable after I ovulate?", the answer is: "depends on the test, what it's threshold amount for detecting LH is, how much of a "surge" you have in any given cycle, how frequently you are testing, etc.".
If your test says that it can detect LH in levels of 25-30 mIU, then most of them say they detect LH as it spikes before ovulation, and the spike may/may not last for 1-2 days. If you ovulate on day 14, the test may/may not still detect LH on day 15.
May 2, 2010 - 1:43pmThis Comment
The chart provided by Allison should assist you in helping to find your fertility time. Have you also consulted your physician?
May 2, 2010 - 9:41amThis Comment
LH, or lutenizing hormone, spikes for a few days in our body, around the 10th to 14th days of our cycle. This is a chart that you may find helpful, that shows the different hormones in our body that are responsible for fertility and when they spike: Menstrual Cycle Chart.
How long have you been trying to conceive?
May 2, 2010 - 5:59amThis Comment
Since Jan. Its sort of trickey because my fiance travels for business, I want to make sure we are actually trying at the right time of month.
May 2, 2010 - 8:27amThis Comment
You are doing all you can...it takes a lot of patience and as many "tries" as possible in 6-12 months! It is helpful to know about your hormones and when they are supposed to spike (on a chart...not necessarily when they spike for you), but also know that your egg, once released, only lives for 12-24 hours. That is why it is more difficult than we would think to become pregnant.
How often is your fiance gone each month?
I know it seems as though you have been trying for so long that you should be pregnant by now (I've "been" there...I thought the second I was off birth control I'd be pregnant within a month or two!). It really can take up to 12 months to conceive, and that is with regular unprotected sex. Did you know that you have "only" a 20% chance of conceiving each cycle? That's why patience is the key.
The experts are suggesting to couples without any known fertility issues to "ditch" all of the calendars, predictors, indicators, trackers and other tools for the first 6 months and just focusing on having unprotected sex as much as you both feel is possible, irregardless of when you think you are ovulating. Just the act of tracking hormones and tracking your fertility and sexual acts can be stressful, and if you have not been trying for very long..this extra "stress" is likely not needed. Ovulation predictor kits are great, but they are limited to only being able to "predict" ovulation, as this is not an exact science. Women's cycles vary from cycle-to-cycle, and there are many days when you may be most fertile, plus you can add 3-5 days after intercourse when the sperm can be "waiting" for an egg to be released. (Experts say the best time for intercourse is actually before you think you may ovulate, as it may be better for the sperm to already be waiting for the egg. Once the ovum is released, it only lives for 12-24 hours).
So, to take the stress out and put the fun back in to baby-making, just having sex as frequently as you both feel is possible at all times during your cycle provides the best chances of conceiving.
Does this help?
May 2, 2010 - 10:01amThis Comment