Hi, I'm new to all this but I plan to start charting as soon as my period gets here (fingers crossed it doesn't though). I tried OPKs this last cycle and didn't get a positive, so I'm concerned I may not be ovulating. The other possibility would be that I have a short luteal phase; would I still be able to get pregnant with a luteal phase of less then 14 days?

Many thanks.

Oh, and I have one child already.

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TTC#2
Meg (31) England...
Wife to Richard - Married for seven years.
Mummy To Eve - 12/08/03

Hi - I think I answered your post on the other board, too, but I thought I'd start the chatting here! I think "they" say that you need a LP of at least 12 days to get pregnant, although it is possible to get pregnant with a shorter LP if the embryo has enough time to implant (or implants early).

From what I've ready, a LP from 12-16 days is considered "normal." A LP of less than 10 days is often a problem.

Definitely start charting next month to figure out if/when you are ovulating. If it looks like you have a short LP, there are things you can do to try and lengthen it naturally (like taking B6 or natural progesterone cream) and there are things a doctor can prescribe (such as progesterone pills or suppositories, or sometimes even clomid - depending on the reason for the short LP).

Generally, if you are getting a regular, normal period every month, it is a good sign that you are ovulating. Also, here is a link to a web site with information about recommendations for when to start taking OPKs. http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/opk.html If you have a long LP, you might need to start earlier than what is recommended. Once you chart and see where you O, that can also help you narrow down which days to use OPKs.

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And there is always the possibility you missed your window to see a +OPK. Some women build up to a dark + and may even get 2 days of a really dark result line where it's tricky to figure out which to mark as the +. Some women may only get 1 +opk at all and it may be tricky to catch.... Like they may take 2 a day and it may be a negative result in the AM and a positive result in the PM and back to a negative result the next morning.

When are you taking your OPK's and how frequently are you testing?

Either way, I think charting will only help you out

Good luck this cy

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I think I would suggest temping from start to finish in your cycle...if you're ovulating at all (be it early, late or somewhere in between!) you should get a good thermal shift. I always get a good ov dip as well...of course, until you're used to seeing your BBT pattern (if you have a usual one!), you won't know until it's too late when you've ovulated unless you're doing other things as well, like checking for cervical mucus, using opks/saliva tester, etc.

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Praying for #2
TTC since August 2005, thanks to depo...

I love my little girl! :