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The confession of the journey through shame and failure to acceptance and freedom when trying my hardest to stick to ‘natural healing’ with IBD.

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I 💕 Snow

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Snowy cobwebs!

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Using OPKs (Ovulation Predictor Kits) with Sympto-Thermal Method of Fertility Awareness.

I want to do some myth busting around OPKs and what exactly they tell you about ovulation. OPKs test for the level of LH (Luteinising Hormone) in your urine. This is the hormone released when your Ovum/Ova reaches full maturity, it’s purpose is to trigger ovulation when you’re ready. That isn’t always what happens though, sometimes your body might need a few attempts (multiple LH surges) before ovulation actually happens. For this reason an OPK test is very useful in fertility awareness for letting you know that ovulation will likely occur in the next 36 hours, but cannot tell us if ovulation has definitely happened. Only a shift in BBT (basal body temperature), confirmed using the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness or a timely ultra-scan can tell you that for sure. This is because a sustained rise in BBT is usually the result of only one thing - a switch in hormones (progesterone dominance) which only takes place after ovulation has occurred.

If you’re using FAM to avoid pregnancy, OPKs can be a fun extra bit of science to give you confidence in your charts. Or even help clear up a confusing chart. If you are intending to conceive, they can give that same assurance and also help with your timing. A positive OPK is a very good indicator of the optimal time for conception and as long as you have a healthy amount of fertile fluid at this time you’re chances are at their highest. That being said, don’t be alarmed if you’re finding it difficult to catch a positive OPK. To start with, don’t get them confused with pregnancy tests which encourage early morning urine for its high concentration. LH hormone works a bit differently to pregnancy hormones, in pregnancy the levels of hCG are gradually increasing day by day. However LH levels are unique to each day and build up throughout the day, so an afternoon or evening test will be more accurate. You might even need to test multiple times a day to catch that LH surge. For more science behind your cycle: www.naturalshe.co.uk/science https://www.facebook.com/naturalshe.fertility

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CornishTinker on etsy www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CornishTinker

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Pen & Pencil Elephant Drawing (Charcoal Effect)

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Fertility Awareness Education www.naturalshe.co.uk

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Take a look what I make already: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CornishTinker