I was diagnosed with low ovarian reserve and sent straight for IVF to get some embryos "in the bank" just three months before our wedding. After the wedding, we were given a few months of trying to conceive by ourselves before the fertility specialist told us we would have to resort to IVF.
In the last couple of months before our wedding, I used charting and the OvaCue to avoid pregnancy - worked beautifully but no surprises when you're less than optimally fertile! (Please note - the OvaCue is not currently approved for contraceptive use, but since it wouldn't have been a disaster for us if I got pregnant at that stage I was happy to give it a whirl and spend the time getting used to the system. Apparently Fairhaven Health are seeking approval for contraceptive use, but the company is not making any promises at this stage.)
As you can imagine, I was highly motivated to get pregnant in the five month "window" we had before IVF!
I did lots of research and chose to do BBT charting on Fertility Friend plus use the OvaCue. I liked that the OvaCue was a one-off cost, that it was backed by clinical research, and that it was a saliva test rather than endlessly (and expensively!) peeing on sticks like you need to do with the ClearBlue Monitor.
The OvaCue complemented my BBT charting beautifully, and alerted me to unexpectedly early ovulation as well as a possible issue with low progesterone levels after ovulation. The free OvaGraph website where you track your readings was extremely helpful, and the experts on the forums were happy to interpret my chart when it wasn't straightforward.
I had one small problem with my unit (it was taking a couple of goes to turn on properly but still did the job perfectly) and found the people at Fairhaven Health incredibly helpful and responsive. They answered emails within less than 24 hours, helped me troubleshoot, sent me a new unit immediately - to Australia- when the workaround didn't fix the problem, and told me to return the defective unit whenever was convenient, rather than disrupting my charting by sending it back straightaway.
After our wedding, we immediately started trying to conceive. Despite my age (mid-thirties) and my low AMH and having an antral follicle count equivalent to a woman in her forties, I got pregnant on our second cycle of trying! The OvaCue made SUCH a difference, because, unlike BBT charting, it gives you a few days notice of when you will ovulate so you can "advance load" on the crucial three days ahead of ovulation day. ;-)
A couple of tips for anyone interested in the OvaCue:
1. Buy the vaginal sensor. It's the only thing that will definitely confirm you have ovulated, and it tells you straight away, which is much more helpful than waiting for three days of high temperatures when you're BBT charting. Once you know you've ovulated, you don't have to keep having daily sex. (Don't get me wrong, I like sex but when you're TTC you want to avoid burnout....)
2. Use the free OvaGraph website. It made a massive difference, plus there were highly experienced users to help interpret your patterns for you.
3. If you're temping as well, I found it was much better to temp vaginally, because having the thermometer in your mouth first initiates saliva flow, which distorts your OvaGraph reading, and vice versa. I found vaginal temping was more accurate in any case.
I am now five weeks pregnant, and if this pregnancy is successful I will use the OvaCue to try for our next baby, as well as avoid pregnancy when that's what we want to do.
- Breezy, Amazon Customer, Brisbane, Australia
