Anyone using a monitor?

[smores]

I’m not getting a response to my post regarding this yesterday, so maybe not.

Just wondering if any of you use a fertility monitor to back up your NFP data. I’m aware of three, ClearBlue Easy, Ocavue, and Lady Comp. Each is an investment and I’d love to hear advice from anyone using one.

Happy Wednesday to you all!

 

[FrenzyJen]

You poor thing, I’ve seen your posts go unanswered.

I don’t know anything about Ovacue, which is why I declined to reply when I saw that thread yesterday.

Anyways, I have the Clearblue, but I really can’t speak to it much either way. I started using it while nursing which was expensive because you go through a LOT more of the sticks when you don’t have a regular cycle, and that adds up quickly. Allegedly, though I’ve never gotten that far with this thing (got pregnant again, miscarried, and then had to wait for cycles to resume) it is supposed to get cheaper after a few months of regular periods. It is supposed to figure out a pattern and then only request you to test a few days a month.

We use the monitor and temping, since I have the worst mucus to observe ever.

 

[Lorelei12]

Is there anything specific you want to know? I use the Clearblue, and have found it to be very accurate and easy to use.

The biggest piece of advice I could offer someone using Marquette is NOT to use the monitor as your main observation. It is a very useful tool for cross-checking, and makes me feel more confident, but I’d never use the method with the monitor alone.

 

[smores]

Yay, responses! Thanks, lol. I realize not everyone is interested or uses a monitor, so I wasn’t surprised that there weren’t responses.

I am only entering my second cycle since weaning. Baby is 16 mos and my cycles have never been clockwork regular. I use sympto thermal, but want some backup as I am getting “older.”

Sounds like clear blue could get pricey for me . . .

I am just thinking if I use a monitor in addition to sympto thermal I will feel more confident in declaring the infertile days? Do you think you are more confident, using a monitor?

 

[Cathmomof6]

Is there anything specific you want to know? I use the Clearblue, and have found it to be very accurate and easy to use.

The biggest piece of advice I could offer someone using Marquette is NOT to use the monitor as your main observation. It is a very useful tool for cross-checking, and makes me feel more confident, but I’d never use the method with the monitor alone.

I would have to second this. We started using the clear blue monitor while I was nursing my last baby. I always nurse for a year, and my cycles have always typically started immediately after baby was completely weaned. The monitor started showing highs when I was only 6 months postpartum. Then it continues to show high until you ovulate or reset the monitor. Since I wasn’t ovulating (no fertile mucus), we would reset the monitor and not always abstain on those days. Once I did completely wean, the monitor accurately determined when I ovulated and a peak day. According to their website, you need to abstain for the peak day plus an additional 3 days. We then used day 4, and I am now pregnant with number 7. I think if we would have cross checked with mucus, we would have been okay because I think we would have had to abstain one more day or so. We have been trained in Creighton method too but I have never felt good about that preovulation. The monitor was very black and white about when to abstain preovulation but we should have crosschecked with mucus to determine end. Pretty tough learning curve though:shrug:

I think after this baby we will probably use the monitor again but just combine it with mucus observations. I would like to use temps, but God has been sending me kids that don’t sleep at night so I, in turn, don’t sleep at night. Not sure how that would affect temps. But if I ever do get to sleep, I may consider switching to LadyComp. I just need something to tell me yes or no. I don’t seem to be good at figuring it out myself!!!

 

[smores]

That’s what I want, a clear yes or no!! I tend to be very conservative with my rules, and I just think we could really benefit from some support from a monitor. I just want to make sure I get one that will work well for us, it is so hard to know!!

 

[BobLoblah]

I would have to second this. We started using the clear blue monitor while I was nursing my last baby. I always nurse for a year, and my cycles have always typically started immediately after baby was completely weaned. The monitor started showing highs when I was only 6 months postpartum. Then it continues to show high until you ovulate or reset the monitor. Since I wasn’t ovulating (no fertile mucus), we would reset the monitor and not always abstain on those days. Once I did completely wean, the monitor accurately determined when I ovulated and a peak day. According to their website, you need to abstain for the peak day plus an additional 3 days. We then used day 4, and I am now pregnant with number 7. I think if we would have cross checked with mucus, we would have been okay because I think we would have had to abstain one more day or so. We have been trained in Creighton method too but I have never felt good about that preovulation. The monitor was very black and white about when to abstain preovulation but we should have crosschecked with mucus to determine end. Pretty tough learning curve though:shrug:

I think after this baby we will probably use the monitor again but just combine it with mucus observations. I would like to use temps, but God has been sending me kids that don’t sleep at night so I, in turn, don’t sleep at night. Not sure how that would affect temps. But if I ever do get to sleep, I may consider switching to LadyComp. I just need something to tell me yes or no. I don’t seem to be good at figuring it out myself!!!

26Sep13…If you really believe that God has been sending you babies that don’t sleep at night…then you really need your brains adjusted.

 

[Cathmomof6]

No actually that was a joke! Just trying to make light of my complete lack of sleep! Sorry you didn’t get it!!!

 

[smores]

26Sep13…If you really believe that God has been sending you babies that don’t sleep at night…then you really need your brains adjusted.

Wow, that was unnecessarily snarky. I know what she means, and you do too.

I’ll never understand why people feel the need to pick fights in forums. Because you are hidden, anonymous, I guess. Here’s some advice, please respect other members, their threads and comments, and don’t say anything in here that you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying in person. And if you aren’t adding something useful to the discussion, please keep it to yourself.

Let’s be good Christians together!

And now, back to my original thread . . .

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

We have been trained in Creighton method too but I have never felt good about that preovulation. The monitor was very black and white about when to abstain preovulation but we should have crosschecked with mucus to determine end.

I was wondering if you could explain how the monitor helps you with the pre-ovulation period. I’ve read about them but still don’t understand how this works.
Thanks!

 

[Cathmomof6]

If it reads L we are good to go, if it reads H, then we abstain. But like I said earlier, we really did not get much practice with regular cycles since I conceived on 1st cycle postpartum. But that was on day 4 post ovulation and we should have used mucus observations as well. After this baby, we plan to use monitor with Creighton. I am unsure of using just Creighton since I rarely make 100% mucus observations. The monitor kind of tells me when it is time to start making really consistent mucus observations and when I can relax more about it.

 

[Lorelei12]

If it reads L we are good to go, if it reads H, then we abstain. But like I said earlier, we really did not get much practice with regular cycles since I conceived on 1st cycle postpartum. But that was on day 4 post ovulation and we should have used mucus observations as well. After this baby, we plan to use monitor with Creighton. I am unsure of using just Creighton since I rarely make 100% mucus observations. The monitor kind of tells me when it is time to start making really consistent mucus observations and when I can relax more about it.

Just to clarify this- the Marquette method requires abstinence after day 6 for the first six cycles, then after that it becomes either the first high reading OR, based on the last six cycles, the first peak minus 6 days. So you could be fertile before you get a high reading, which has happened to me a few times and also why it’s important to check CM as the primary symptom.

Also, the end of fertility is the last peak day plus three full 24 hour days, which means you’re technically safe on the 5th day.

 

[Cathmomof6]

Just to clarify this- the Marquette method requires abstinence after day 6 for the first six cycles, then after that it becomes either the first high reading OR, based on the last six cycles, the first peak minus 6 days. So you could be fertile before you get a high reading, which has happened to me a few times and also why it’s important to check CM as the primary symptom.

Also, the end of fertility is the last peak day plus three full 24 hour days, which means you’re technically safe on the 5th day.

Thanks for clarifying this. We have only used the postpartum rules for Marquette so never really got into the normal usage rules. However, for the end of fertility, we did abstain on peak day plus 3 full 24 hour days after that. We conceived the day after that. Was that wrong? I considered that day 4 but I guess it would be day 5 if you count peak day.

 

[Lorelei12]

Thanks for clarifying this. We have only used the postpartum rules for Marquette so never really got into the normal usage rules. However, for the end of fertility, we did abstain on peak day plus 3 full 24 hour days after that. We conceived the day after that. Was that wrong? I considered that day 4 but I guess it would be day 5 if you count peak day.

No, that’s right- I think we just count it differently. Technically I think it’s okay at the very end of the fourth day too, but we always count past the three full days just to be safe. It’s important, though, that you’re counting the last peak day- not the first one. The monitor gives two in a row, so it’s not three days from the first peak, it’s three days from the second.

I don’t really know anything about the postpartum rules (yet ), I just didn’t want anyone who isn’t postpartum thinking that as long as the monitor says “low”, it’s safe, since there are lots of times both before and after ovulation that it will say low but it’s actually still within the fertile period. The important thing to remember is that the Clearblue monitor was designed to help women achieve pregnancy, not the other way around- so the monitor itself is not concerned with much after ovulation.

 

[Cathmomof6]

No, that’s right- I think we just count it differently. Technically I think it’s okay at the very end of the fourth day too, but we always count past the three full days just to be safe. It’s important, though, that you’re counting the last peak day- not the first one. The monitor gives two in a row, so it’s not three days from the first peak, it’s three days from the second.

I don’t really know anything about the postpartum rules (yet ), I just didn’t want anyone who isn’t postpartum thinking that as long as the monitor says “low”, it’s safe, since there are lots of times both before and after ovulation that it will say low but it’s actually still within the fertile period. The important thing to remember is that the Clearblue monitor was designed to help women achieve pregnancy, not the other way around- so the monitor itself is not concerned with much after ovulation.

We counted from the last peak day. Then the monitor read H, L, L. We abstained all of those days then used the next day and conceived. But according to Marquette’s rules we should not have. I was in contact with someone from Marquette who had me fill out a pregnancy evaluation but never contacted me again. The only thing I can think of is that we should have been using mucus observations too because that H day did have fertile mucus and, according to Creighton, we would have had to abstain at least 1 more day.

I am frustrated with all of this. It is awful tempting to just do something permanent as my husband and I are both in our late 30s and will now have 7 kiddos. I just wish there was something out there that just told you High or low with no individual interpretation. I would pay big bucks for that

 

[smores]

I just ordered the OvaCue. From what I’ve read and heard from various sources, this sounds like what I’ve been waiting for. You can use it in conjunction with whatever other NFP method you were using for observing and between the two, I am thinking there should be some pretty concrete results.

This, when used in its entirety, (I say it that way because there is an additional, optional attachment) gives you the info you need to know that you are approaching ovulation and then with the optional attachment you can determine that you have indeed ovulated.

There is also no further costs once you make the initial purchase. No test strips to buy. And the site I bought it from claims that it is FSA eligible. We’ll see about that, we usually have to defend EVERY FSA purchase to the bitter end with our provider. Still, we will try.

There is a recent reply on another thread from someone whose wife uses this. You can find it if you look for a thread titled “Fertility Monitors” from yesterday. As he describes it, they consider this a “belt and suspenders” approach. Made me chuckle.