Breastfeeding/Irregular

Clearblue Digital Ovulation Tests can help you identify your best days to conceive, Laura.  It's important to have cycles to use our ovulation tests.  We recommend waiting until you've had 2 natural menstrual cycles, and note their length, before use.  Then, use the chart in the leaflet to calculate which day of your cycle to begin testing.

Since you mentioned your cycles are irregular, we generally recommend using your shortest cycle over the last six months when determining when to start testing.  During longer cycles, you may need to continue testing with a second box.  Please let us know if you have questions.  We're happy to help!  

I'm hesitant to wait until I've had 2 cycles because it could be another 6 months! Plus my cycles are not predictably similar. Is it possible to start using the ovulation tests without knowing cycle length?

We understand your concern, Laura.  If you wish to start using Clearblue Digital Ovulation Tests without knowing your cycle length, we recommend you start testing on day 10.  Just remember, if you have a short cycle that month, you may miss your LH surge, and if you have a long cycle, you may need to start a new pack to continue testing.  Since your cycles haven't returned yet, wait for your first period to return and count the first day of full menstrual flow as day 1.  Hope this helps!

Thank you!

Laura, you may be interested in nfp.marquette.edu - this is a method of natural family planning that uses the CBE fertility monitor along with an algorithm and other signs (like cervical fluid and basal body temperature) to enable women to track their fertility. As you are more than 6 months post-partum, the odds are that you will ovulate before you get your first period. However, often the luteal phase (phase 3) after ovulation is shorter than usual due to lower than normal progesterone levels when fertility is just returning, and it is possible that the luteal phase progesterone levels may not be sufficient to sustain a pregnancy. For that reason, you may want to wait until you've detected the first and second ovulation before you try to conceive. The researcher-instructors at Marquette University's NFP office can enrol you in their website forums and you can ask questions there. They assist women in tracking their fertility, and in achieving pregnancy as soon as possible, and other women in avoiding conceiving. They can do this even for post-partum women who have not yet returned to cycles. The CBE devices are not designed for post-partum non-cycling women, so there needed to be devised a method to work around these difficulties. Just to be clear, the use made of the CBE devices by the Marquette team is "off label", or not as recommended by the manufacturer. There are good studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the Marquette Method, however, in both avoiding and achieving pregnancy, and for post-partum/breastfeeding women.
Good luck!