Week 1 of Pregnancy (Trimester 1 of Preganancy)

This week started on day 8 of a 12 day period! Having been off the combined pill (Logynon ED) for 6 months now, I’ve realized that my menstrual cycle is far from regular. It seems to average at 34 days, but one cycle it was 30, another it was 36. With such unpredictability, I’ve decided to use the Clearblue Ovulation Test to help predict those couple of days when I am most fertile. The box is sitting in my bathroom waiting to be used.

Seven foil wrapped sticks designed to detect an increase of Luteinising Hormone (LH) in a woman’s urine. This increase is called a surge, and usually occurs within 24-36 hours before ovulation. Ovulation generally happens once within each menstrual cycle, usually about 14 days before a period (menstrual bleed). A ripe egg is released from one of the ovaries, and begins to travel along the fallopian tube towards the womb (uterus). If sexual intercourse has taken place shortly before or after ovulation, the ripe egg will be fertilized by the man’s sperm.

And that is where the ovulation tests come in – as long as we make love within 48 hours of the tests picking up the LH surge, we can maximize our chances of becoming pregnant. Because my menstrual cycle varies over more than 3 days, I have to start using the sticks on a daily basis from day 13 of my cycle – counting the first day of my period as day 1. So first thing on Saturday morning I will pee on a stick!

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