day 21/21 bloods questions

[omama]

Wise MNers, we've been ttc#2 for a year so having bloods done this month.

af arrived last night before i went to bed, so day 2 will be saturday. I rang docs today to see how i get my day 2 bloods done since they are shut on a wknd. Nurse said it would be ok to do today or monday, so i went today, but was only 18hrs after af started. I'm worried i've had it done too early & the result might be meaningless - can anyone reassure me this is ok? I thought i'd read somewhere it had to be specifically day 2?

Now a Q about day 21 test: my cycles r approx 28-30 days, last 2 montgs i've had +ve opk cd18 so i presume ovd cd18-20. I asked the nurse when i should have the test & she said day 21 regardless of when you ovulate, but i'm sure this contradicts what i've read on here. What exactly is this one measuring? Is day 21 the right day to test?

[omama]

Bump?

[RedRobin1]

Hi we recently had these tests done. Our fertility specialist said I needed to get a day 3 test done but it could be done anytime between cd1 to cd5. This test is to check the hormonal balance (LH/FSH levels) needed for ovulation. You will be fine to do this test anytime between day 1-5.

The second test on day 21 is to check your progesterone levels to confirm ovulation. The theory behind this is that 7 days after ovulation your progesterone levels start to rise. In a normal average cycle ovulation tends to be day 14, hence 7 days after gives you day 21.

I ovulated on day 17 and got my progesterone tested day 23 as day 21 wouldn't give me an accurate result. In your case you should get it tested a few days after day 21 as well. The rigidity of the days is not important as progesterone peaks approx 7 days after OV and should remain elevated for at least 48-72 hours according to my GP.

Hope to have helped.

[omama]

yes this helps a lot thankyou. So i will need to speak to my gp's again. Both the gp & nurse insisted the day 21 test need be done on day 21 & did not need adjusting for the fact i ovulate late.x

[RedRobin1]

From experience I have learnt that GPs know very little about fertility and fertility tests. Mine was struggling to even spell progesterone on the blood request form!

If i were you i would really get it done between day 23-25 to be on the safe side.

[wifeymerrick]

Agreed....i would get it done between those days......i think GP' s can sometimes b a bit blåse about fertility, its cause they arent specialists in the field, i would always talk to the clinic first ! If u arent actually attending å clinic yet they will still give gooadvice by phone.good luck :-)d

[QuietNinjaTardis]

I had my day21 test done on cd24. I told my gp I had a 30/31 day cycle and ovulated on day 18/19 and she told me you always start your period 14 days after you ovulate, always, with no exceptions! I did question her and she said she would check with a gynaecologist. Don't think she believed me. As it happens I think I ovulated a day or so earlier this month so cd24 works out better anyway. I also came on a day earlier so had a 29 day cycle this month.

[DeMaz]

QuietNinjaTardis. My GP was exactly the same. She was adamant that all Luteal Phases are 14 days long regardless of when you have your ovulation!! What utter crap! It really bugs me trying to get someone to listen

Omama, my cycles are around 26 days long and usually ovulate around CD 19 which leaves me with a very short LP. My GP told me to get the '21' day blood test done, 7 days before you're due your AF.

Xxx

[Irishmammybread]

I was told the blood progesterone test should be 7 days after ovulation.
Because I'm charting I knew exactly when I ovulated when I had a sustained thermal shift.The difficulty is booking an appointment in advance for the right day! Luckily our area has a system for blood samples where the GP gives you a request form and you can either book in at the practice(but appointments tend to get booked up quickly) or you can go to the blood clinic at the local hospital with no appointment,which makes timing so much easier. My form said d21 but I just went on d23.
Hope you manage to get it sorted out.
Good luck!