Test Run

As I mentioned the other day, all signs point to our being able to do our first insemination in June, and we're trying to figure out exactly how that will jive with our work schedules.

I was taking my basal temperatures for a few months, but haven't been doing that lately. However, based on other signs, I'm pretty sure I'm ovulating right around day 14 of a pretty consistantly 28-day cycle.

I'd like to go into next month knowing, a little more exactly, when we can expect to be inseminating, so it seems that it would make sense to get a more solid idea of when I'm ovulating this month.

Last night, after my birthday dinner, we went over to the new Target to play for a while.

(We usually look at all the baby stuff when we're there - although it's never changed from the previous trip!)

While we were there, I picked up an ovulation predictor kit, which is our ob/gyn's preferred method of determining ovulation.

Yesterday was cd (cycle day) 12, and the kit has seven pee-sticks, so I figure I can test about every twelve hours and should be able to catch my LH (luteinizing hormone) surge, which occurs about 24 - 48 hours before ovulation.

I've read some things that recommend testing once daily, and others suggest twice, so that you don't miss the surge (seeing a not-quite-dark line on the way "up" and then another on the way "down.")

As regular as I am, I think I can probably afford to do all seven tests in a 3 - 4 day span. I'll give that a try this month, when it doesn't really matter, and see how it goes.

This way, I figure that we can go in to our next appointment (on May 21), armed with the information about exactly when I surged this month, which should help us to plan what we'll do next month, when it's for real.

Everything I'm reading is saying that we'll want to inseminate sometime 24 - 48 hours after we see the surge, but we'll find out more about that at our next appointment. It possible that our "window" might actually be narrower than that.

At any rate, the whole stick-peeing thing is making it seem a lot more real.

And scary.