Clearblue Ovulation test

I started using these a month into TTC (I’m very impatient). After two cycles everything was lining up and my ovulation window was becoming really clear. I used these alongside natural cycles app and taking basal body temp every morning. My third cycle in, I thought the test stick/holder had become faulty - I was testing daily and went from not fertile to peak fertility rather than have the usual build up to peak ovulation. I cast this off as faulty and decided for my next cycle not to use them. My next period was a few days late and lasted around 3 days, which was lighter than usual but it was certainly enough for me to consider it a period. A few weeks later I started feeling very unwell… lo and behold I was pregnant without realising. False periods i.e insemination bleeding does happen and ‘faulty’ tests with no ‘high fertility’ days do not mean you’re not ovulating/you’ve missed your window. I always said I’d get round to reviewing this if I did fall pregnant, so here I am (although my review is a bit late as I sit here with my 7 month old baby) better late than never at least! Buy these tests and good luck for anyone else TTC

I started out super unsure but wanted to share my journey, to help others as can understand it can be an unsettling time.So, I have been pregnant before. We started trying and I was determined to keep it ‘stress free’, with the attitude ‘if it happens it happens’. This came from the stories I’d heard over the years of the stress it can place on couples etc, more so than stress itself, and can’t speak to the impacts of that. I feel like, lots of people get pregnant all the time, in all scenarios, so didn’t want to overthink it.I fell pregnant immediately! Which was a surprise! Sadly, at 11 weeks we had a miscarriage. It’s been 6 months since now, and whilst supporting my husband to make sure he was also in a good place to try again - I became obsessed with all things ovulation. I spent hours googling, reading reviews, reading studies and more and literally have never known so much about ovulation haha. I’m sure there are many in the same boat as me - keen to become pregnant, and after the miscarriage I wanted nothing more than to be in that place again.I had tracked my period for 2 years, and have always had a very consistent cycle (give or take a day or 2). But thought I’d try the clear blue ovulation sticks and try pin point the actual day etc. See whether it changed, or make sure I was ovulating since I read about it skipping etc.I’ve been doing this for 3 months.First month I got 1 ‘low’ followed by 10 ‘high’ days. I tested in the afternoon (after reading a study) and only tested once a day.Second month, same as above but tested twice a day.Third month, got 3 ‘low’ days followed by 2 ‘high’ and then tested again and got ‘peak’. This time I tested first thing each morning (roughly 7:30am) then tested again between 4-6 each day.So, whilst I was very disheartened the first 2 times (despite the steps being clear of HOW to collect a sample) there is still a lot of nuance to it. Such as, what time if day do I test? Does it have to be consistent? How many times a day? How much water is bad? Should I pee directly or use the cup? You question everything. That said, I tried a few things and got a peak in month 3. (Assuming I’d just missed it previously).- the first day is always ‘low’ because a baseline is being established- Once you get a ‘high’ outcome, test twice a day (morning and afternoon) so you don’t miss it. I reckon I missed it the first 2 months.- Diluted urine - I didn’t drink loads but became so conscious of this and hated it. Just don’t over think it, drink what you normally drink and I’m sure it’s fine.- I read a study that between 10 - 12 was the best time. I’m not sure it matters. I ended up doing first urine and then again in the late afternoon - sometimes did 3So I hope this helps. I had many qs, but got there in the end.I am now 3 weeks pregnant! Goodluck

I have the cheap test strips you can buy in bulk and also these ones. I used the cheap ones for my first cycle and was happy with those. I actually meant to cancel the order of these but it was too late as they were already dispatched so I just decided to double up and used the cheap strips you have to read yourself as well as these fancy CB ones. Reading all the instructions initially it seemed a bit overwhelming and complex but it's not at all. It tells you to test using the first urine of the morning or after your longest sleep. You remove the test/cassette from the strip and insert it into the holder/reader. There is a cap on it to remove when you are ready and you can either pee directly on the absorbent tip or collect it in a clean pot and dip it in there until the icon on the screen starts flashing. Then you replace the cap over the absorbent tip and it will give you a result after 5 mins. A circle means very low/no chance of conception on that day, a flashing smiley face means high fertility and a fixed smiley face means you're at peak fertility and your most fertile. The face stays on the reader for 48 hours so you have 48 hours to really go for it.I have used it over two cycles so far. First cycle I went from low fertility to about 4/5 days of high fertility, then to the 2 days of peak fertility. Which really gave us the incentive and kick up the backside to get busy knowing that we weren't going to be wasting our time and having a stab in the dark. We felt much more reassured that we were on track with our goal. This was a longer than usual cycle for me (about 35 days) and so I think I ovulated late and that's why I had so many peak fertility days,My second cycle I went straight from low fertility to peak fertility. I didn't have any high fertility days. My peak fertility was day 13 of my cycle which would tie in with my regular cycle length, so I think if your cycle is more than 28/29 days you may not get any high fertility days.When you read the instructions, it tells you on what day of your cycle you should start using the tests so that you get a baseline and the reader can determine when you peak. So it's really important to read them properly because your average cycle length or most recent shortest cycle length determine what day you start testing.These tests are expensive, there's no doubt about it but having used them the last 2 cycles I think they are worth the expenditure. It keeps me and my partner on track, we both know where I am in my cycle and so we can concentrate our efforts. I only have 4 strips left after 2 cycles and I don't know if that will be enough to get me through a third cycle so I have just ordered some more as I don't want to be without them. Hopefully we will be successful eventually, but it looks like we are heading for IVF. I have around 3 months before I get going with that so in the meantime I will keep using these and hope for the best. At least with these we know we are increasing my chances of success. If you can afford it, I would recommend these over the cheap ones just because they can give you those extra days to try and conceive and they really do take the guesswork out of reading the result