Sarah, 33, from South Wales had been navigating irregular cycles since she was a teenager, but she didn’t anticipate that it would impact her TTC journey when the time came. However, after trying unsuccessfully for two years after getting married, Sarah and her husband worried something may be wrong. She tried using ovulation predictor kits (OPKs), but they never seemed to work. Then, after hearing about OvuSense on Instagram, Sarah decided to give it a try. A year later, she fell pregnant and is overjoyed to welcome her baby in July. Continue reading below to hear Sarah’s full journey, in her own words.
Navigating Irregular Cycles and TTC
Since starting my period at the age of 13, I have gone through stages of having either very “normal” 28-30-day cycles, or the opposite – very irregular cycles. I think there are a number of factors to blame, including that over the years I’ve been on various forms of contraception (the combined pill, the implant into the upper arm, and the coil). I also think weight gain/loss has played a part in my irregular cycles. My doctor ordered several tests, including bloodwork and scans, but nothing obvious showed up as a cause and PCOS was ruled out.
It was only when I got married to my husband in 2019 that the discussion raised its ugly head again. After deciding the time was right to start trying for a baby, we followed the usual advice but each cycle resulted in a negative pregnancy test.
After nearly two years of unsuccessful TTC and being at my wit's end, my husband and I began a weight loss journey in February 2021. We wanted to say that we had tried everything possible before going back to the National Health Service (NHS) for help. Not long after starting to lose weight, my cycles regulated themselves and we thought we were onto a winner. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky. Given the unpredictability of my cycles, OPKs never worked for me and I never seemed to catch the peak in the Luteinizing hormone.
Learning About Her Body & Cycle with OvuSense
It was in July of 2021 that I stumbled across a woman on Instagram who was sharing her pregnancy journey with OvuSense. It seemed like the perfect solution – I needed help learning more about my cycle and better predicting when I would ovulate and OvuSense could do that for me. After excitedly placing my order, I started my first cycle in late July of 2021.
I chose to purchase the OvuCore sensor, as I felt that it would be the most accurate for me. Inserting the sensor vaginally overnight took some getting used to, as I was not used to wearing tampons anymore. However, after the first couple of nights, it really does become your new routine and the excitement of finally being able to learn more about my body each month became my new focus. I remember how my first confirmed ovulation filled me with so much excitement and hope. For women who struggle with OPKs like me, OvuSense was the thumbs up that my body did actually know what it was doing.
By July of 2022, we still didn’t have the positive pregnancy test we dreamed of. With our age creeping up and the NHS still recovering from the effects of the COVID pandemic, we decided to pay privately for some fertility tests. By early August we had the confirmation that our test results had all come back normal, something we felt very relieved about and grateful, knowing that many couples in our position aren’t so lucky. The specialist advised us to keep trying and that it would happen eventually, so we picked our heads up and battled on with the reassurance of good test results and OvuSense as our weapon of choice.
A Positive Test & A Dream Come True
On October 11, 2022, I started cycle 13 with OvuSense and received my confirmation of ovulation on cycle day (CD) 26 (11/05/22). We utilized the predicted ‘fertile window’ and made a point of babydancing on CDs 25, 26, and 27. The month of November was really busy for us, so luckily we were somewhat distracted during the dreaded two-week wait. That didn’t help the usual anxiety, though, and early testing came back negative. I’d also taken the leap and had an appointment with my doctor during this time, as I felt like it was finally time to ask the NHS for some help. My kind doctor discussed various options with me and started to get the ball rolling with some additional blood tests scheduled for my next cycle.
At 12 days post ovulation (DPO) I had a small dip in temperature, so combined with the negative tests I had convinced myself that it wasn’t our month. I kept busy while awaiting my period but was surprised at 13 DPO when my temperature went back up slightly. Finally, after three and half years of trying and 13 cycles using OvuSense, at 14 DPO on 11/19/2022 we had our very faint positive pregnancy test. It felt like a dream… and we still pinch ourselves each day. Being able to contact the doctor who had been so helpful only two weeks prior to tell him I was finally expecting felt very bizarre. I had waited so long before finding the courage to speak up to ask for help, and when I did it was no longer needed.
I’m currently well into my pregnancy and our OvuSense baby is due on 07/29/2023. We thank our lucky stars every day that I discovered the OvuSense community, and we firmly believe that without that magical little device, we wouldn’t be where we are today. I found the private Facebook group so reassuring – having women to talk to who were going through the same thing as me provided emotional support that family and friends couldn’t. It also gave me a platform to ask questions and learn how to read my charts correctly. I’ve made some really good friends along the way and it’s nice to see women supporting women.
For us, unexplained infertility was confusing and upsetting as we craved starting our own little family as so many others do. We feel blessed and grateful to be on this pregnancy journey, but it wouldn’t have happened without the amazing science behind OvuSense, so thank you. I will continue to shout it from the rooftops in the hope that it will make another woman’s dream come true.