Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor

[Convert_in_99]

We are using Billings method NFP to avoid right now. I just got Endometriosis removal surgery so my body is fairly fertile, at least for me lol! And it was after the last Endo surgery where we got a surprise miracle pregnancy. We are trying to avoid conception because the risk of miscarriage is still pretty high and we are not ready to endure that pain again yet.

We need more clarity and accuracy than Billings NFP can give us. It was what our diocese offered so we took it but are not happy and our instructor got mad at me because I wasn’t “feeling the sensations” I needed to for charting (like I can help that.) Anyways we have only CM to guide us along and we need more clarity around the fertile/ovulatory time.

Temping, even vaginal did not work. Temps too erratic to chart. So that’s out.

We are thinking of purchasing the Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor as an extra measure of clarity and assurance. I have tried OPKs but always got a negative reading. I got the CBE digital advanced fertility test and had high readings for 12 days so am hesitant the CBE fertility monitor won’t be able to help either. The disposable do not reset to low, which would give me the reassuring sign I needed that “High” fertility was over, even if I never got peak. Then wait three days and feel safe. But I’m worried it will be a wasted purchase (and we don’t have extra money to waste. )

Any thoughts on this crazy situation? Or the CBE fertility monitor? I can’t call my instructor cause I frustrated her so much that I couldn’t “feel the sensations”. I’m lost and my husband is adimate we abstain extra carefully for now. Any suggestions for getting that extra clarity at the end of the fertile time if ovulation doesn’t often occur but CM points to fertility?

 

[Cathmomof6]

I am not sure if the CBE fertility monitor will help much or not. I do know that once the monitor gets a high reading it stays high until you ovulate or reset it so if you don’t ovulate, it will continually read high. With marquettes breastfeeding protocol, you are supposed to reset every 20 days so I suppose that would be a similar situation, but if the monitor reads high on day 5 it will stay high until you reset it on day 20 and you can’t use any of those days. And FYI - my husband and I got pregnant on Peak day plus 4 using the monitor so we have been abstaining until peak plus 5 AND no fertile mucus.

But I am certainly no expert on it. I have heard that Marquette has a lot of help on their website but no one was really ever able to help me figure out what we did wrong with my last pregnancy. I initially thought if the monitor reads L, then you are good to go but that is not really the case as my last little boy was conceived on a Low day. I am learning as we go. I have been using the breastfeeding protocol for most of the time, and actually just recently started cycling again so am figuring out how the monitor works when you cycle

 

[Lorelei12]

I don’t really know if what the monitor does will help you out any more than the advanced sticks unless you are actually planning on using the Marquette Method. From what I understand, they do basically the same thing except each stick is for one cycle, right?

You can reset the monitor, so that might give you some added assurance but it is kind of a pain to do. I wish they would just make strips that read “low” “high” or peak without relying on the previous days’ readings, but since they are intended to help you achieve pregnancy I understand why they don’t.

The test strips for the monitor are really expensive, but you can probably get a used monitor for a lower cost. They just came out with a new model (that also tests for pregnancy and is a touchscreen) too, so you might be able to find an unused older model cheaper.

One thing I would never do though, is rely on the monitor-only method. Personally it doesn’t give me enough assurance. There have been occasions where the monitor reads low but I had fertile mucus and if I were not using that as my primary method I might have taken a chance we weren’t ready for.

 

[Usige]

Having taught Billings with my wife for several years I don’t know that talking to you instructor would make a huge difference. Fertility predictors are not a part of the Billings Method so the instructor might not have any experience with them. Really the only method I know of the does incorporate them is the Marquette method.

Marquettee does suggest using the clearblue monitor, but has this on the pros and cons of using the monitoring:

The advantages of the ClearBlue monitor are that it provides fast accurate, objective, and very clear information about fertility, i.e., low, high, and peak fertility. It has two of the best urinary assays to predict ovulation - urinary estrogen and LH. On average the monitor will provide a 2-5 day warning before the actual day of ovulation. It is simple to use and understand.

The disadvantage of the monitor, if using it to avoid pregnancy, is that the 2-5 day warning period it provides is not long enough to avoid pregnancy, and it does not tell anything about the status of cervical mucus. Furthermore, the monitor itself costs about $175, and the test strips cost about $18–20 dollars per month.

(nfp.marquette.edu/monitor_hormones.php)

I don’t know if there is an accuracy difference between their disposable tests and the digital monitor, but one of the challenges is that they are really designed for those looking to achieve pregnancy. Monitoring the LH and urinary estrogen makes sense so I don’t know why you wouldn’t return to a low state. If I follow how it works the “high” indicator is caused by high levels of estrogen (e3g) prior to ovulation and the peak indicator is caused by the LH surge at ovulation. Based on the marketing info the digital monitor is supposed to track your hormone levels so it know what normal and high is for you.

As I understand it, the Marquette method uses it as a secondary or tertiary check against CM and/or basal body temp. If you are having issues tracking temp and CM I don’t know what Marquette would suggest.

Unfortunately I don’t have a good answer for you. Until you can reliable identify ovulation your husband is correct that the recommended course is to be extremely conservative. This generally means abstaining for long periods.

Perhaps someone else on the board will have an idea about the ClearBlue and it not resetting to a low state.

 

[UbiCaritas]

Having taught Billings with my wife for several years I don’t know that talking to you instructor would make a huge difference. Fertility predictors are not a part of the Billings Method so the instructor might not have any experience with them. Really the only method I know of the does incorporate them is the Marquette method.

Marquettee does suggest using the clearblue monitor, but has this on the pros and cons of using the monitoring:

I don’t know if there is an accuracy difference between their disposable tests and the digital monitor, but one of the challenges is that they are really designed for those looking to achieve pregnancy. Monitoring the LH and urinary estrogen makes sense so I don’t know why you wouldn’t return to a low state. If I follow how it works the “high” indicator is caused by high levels of estrogen (e3g) prior to ovulation and the peak indicator is caused by the LH surge at ovulation. Based on the marketing info the digital monitor is supposed to track your hormone levels so it know what normal and high is for you.

As I understand it, the Marquette method uses it as a secondary or tertiary check against CM and/or basal body temp. If you are having issues tracking temp and CM I don’t know what Marquette would suggest.

Unfortunately I don’t have a good answer for you. Until you can reliable identify ovulation your husband is correct that the recommended course is to be extremely conservative. This generally means abstaining for long periods.

Perhaps someone else on the board will have an idea about the ClearBlue and it not resetting to a low state.

Yes and no. To predict the start of fertility, Marquette uses an algorithm: your earliest Peak day in the last six months minus 6 or 7 (can’t recall which) days. There are several different variations in the method itself, in that you can use monitor only, mucus only, or mucus+monitor.

OP, I’d strongly recommend contacting Dr. Fehring at Marquette. He developed the method, and is very good about either emailing people back himself or having his assistant, who was also highly involved in developing the method, get back to you.

One thing I really love about Marquette’s culture is that it strongly recommends finding the combination of methods that works best for you at a given time. While the method doesn’t use temperatures per se, they encourage using them if they work well for you and you need a cross-check. Ditto more detailed mucus observations (postpartum aside) than their very general “low, high, or peak” ones, secondary OPK backup, and the like. Dr. Fehring may be able to give you some suggestions about what combination would work best for your particular situation.

I am generally a Marquette cheerleader, but I’m not recommending it off the bat to you because I wonder how well it would work if you aren’t always ovulating, or having signs of it.

Finally, to answer your original question: once the monitor gets a “high” reading, it will continue to read high until you get a “peak” reading. Also, for the first six months of Marquette, you’ll be abstaining from Day 6 until four days post-peak…so yes, if you’re having irregular and/or very long cycles, this can mean a lot of abstinence for the first six months. Afterwards, it’s not so bad for most women, though again, I suggest contacting Dr. Fehring to get some suggestions about your particular case. His email is Richard.fehring@marquette.ed. Good luck!

 

[Usige]

Yes and no. To predict the start of fertility, Marquette uses an algorithm: your earliest Peak day in the last six months minus 6 or 7 (can’t recall which) days. There are several different variations in the method itself, in that you can use monitor only, mucus only, or mucus+monitor.

Thanks for the clarification, UbiCaritas. I have only read the high level information on Marquette without going too deep into the details. While we have found that Billings works for 85-90% of couples we taught (that were serious about using it that is), I appreciate having correct information on other methods that might help those that can’t use Billings.

 

[Convert_in_99]

Oh my goodness I’m so glad I asked about the CBE FM before purchase! I had no idea the monitor also did not reset without a peak reading. I figured the disposable one just had less capabilities because it wasn’t the expensive one. SO glad I asked! Thank you so much everyone for saving us wasted money that we can’t afford to waste right now. That is so cool of you all. Bless you!

Yeah I have estrogen over production issues cause of the Endo, so I get a freak ton of highs without peak since I probably only ovulate a few times a year I’m guessing. Oh well back to stricter abstinence. Not fun, but thankful husband is willing to do NFP as he is Protestant. Was just hoping there was a way I could give us a few more “safe” days in there. Bummer!

Thanks again for saving us the mega amounts of cash. Thanks SO much! :hug3:

 

[Lorelei12]

Oh my goodness I’m so glad I asked about the CBE FM before purchase! I had no idea the monitor also did not reset without a peak reading.

You can reset it, actually- you don’t need a peak reading. (I’m not sure if I caused the confusion or not- if so, sorry!) It’s kind of annoying to do- you put an unused stick in the monitor and hold down some buttons for awhile, then everything flashes and eventually it starts a new cycle. You then can fast-forward to day 5, and then test the next day.

But you don’t need to have a peak reading to do it- a longer string of highs has prompted me to do it many times. Most often when I do, it reads “low” and I can be reassured that I am right in thinking something is off- but we still don’t get the green light because of the method rules!

I think the suggestion to contact Dr. Fehring is good, too. It could be worth seeing if there might be some way to tailor the method to your situation. Even if you’re not sure about purchasing the monitor, it could help.

 

[masondoggy]

First of all, I think if your Billings instructor is getting “mad” at you or (name removed by moderator)atient, it’s time to find a new instructor. Obviously, the relationship isn’t working and it’s time to move on. Perhaps a new instructor, taking a fresh look at things, can help you get your fertility straightened out.

Secondly, just a suggestions if you haven’t thought of it, try buying a new thermometer and taking a shot at temps again. My temps were all over the place and I finally purchased a new thermometer and now they’re making sense again. Might be worth a shot.

I just started the Marquette method earlier this year and I’m very happy with it. I still use temps and mucus and it gives me a lot of peace of mind when I see all three signs aligning when I ovulate so I have complete confidence when I am in phase III. I don’t know that I would trust just the monitor 100%, but that’s just me. Because you CAN have an LH surge and still not ovulate. Probably rare, I"m sure, but I like having the cross-check to give me peace of mind. The cross-check actually helped me make sense of my mucus interpretation too. I was having a lot of trouble with mucus interpretations and once I started using the monitor, I felt more confident that the change in my mucus from sticky to ewcm wasn’t all in my head because I just got a peak reading on my monitor and then a few days later it switched back to sticky again which perfectly aligned with the ovulation time frame after the LH surge. Does that make sense? The interpretation was completely subjective before and sometimes I was just so confused but the monitor really did help me to get it figured out.

For awhile, Rite Aid was running a great special on the old monitor for around $100. That’s when I bought mine. Not sure if they still have it for that price now but you can check their website.