Abt Maybe Baby

[Ursula]

Ok here goes

I use the Maybe Baby every cycle but I seem to get full ferning always in the morning no matter what cycle day and then when testing throughout day (slightly obsessive - it's cheap) it decreases to partial and then to none.

Does this happen to anyone else, does it have anything to do with having PCOS?

[Sal]

Yes! I have PCOS and I always had ferning when I used it. Basically it is because our ovaries produce extra oestrogen to try and overcome the hormone imbalance that PCOS causes (hence seeing ferning all the time). You may as well throw it away! Checking CM is a much better option for us PCOS women - it's even cheaper than Maybe Baby!

[mrsjac]

i was wondering if anyone can give me some advice i have a maybe baby tester and i used it yesterday morning. and there was a l shaped fern with all these ferns coming from it now when i did the test this morning there was nothing on there. am i ovulating?

[Mumintaz]

I'm not 100% sure what you mean by your ferning pattern, sorry. Do you do the monitor reading at the same time each day and before you have had anything to eat or drink or brushed your teeth? These things can apparently make a difference.

If the entire light window is covered in fern shapes you are potentially fertile. If there are ferns over only part of the light window and dots or very faint shapes over the rest then it would be partial ferning and you are in a transitional stage which could mean that you are either leading up to a fertile patch, or leaving a fertile patch. If you see only dots and pebbles or lumpy shapes or nothing at all, then you aren't considered to be fertile.

What you need to remember too is that Maybe Baby is a secondary testing method and shouldn't be relied upon totally. Yes, many women do and conceive but many don't too and many women have no success at all with it.

The only way to be sure that you are ovulating is to temp. I temped at the same time as using Maybe Baby, OPKs and checking my CM and CP and can be sure that I ovulated as all of the signs agree.

Hope this helps.

Lisa

[*Rae*]

Yeah i also chart my temp and observe CM along with Maybe Baby as i find it too inconsistent to soley rely on. It is a good indicator but can be decieving...no harm in checking other fertile body signs too Good luck!

[Violet Star]

i find it works some months for me and other not, i find it hard to stop drinking (hmm that sounds bad) fluids i mean and i chew gum a lot too and that makes a load of difference. You get wrigglies on your screen ! LOL
I use it in conjunction with other signs

[meegm]

I am also slighlty obsessive, and i think that the morning one would be the most accurate because we all drink tea and coffee etc and it says you have to have not eaten or drunken anything except water for 3 hours before using it ... so i would go by your morning sample.....

Im sorry i have never had PCOS so i cant comment on that part ...

[Debbie Lee]

and i think that the morning one would be the most accurate because we all drink tea and coffee etc and it says you have to have not eaten or drunken anything except water for 3 hours before using it ...

I think you only have to wait 2 hours, not 3.
Gonna go and find some info from FF that I read yesterday
I have been testing later in the day because I thought they worked similar to OPK's?? I am sure I read somewhere to do it later in the day rather than the morning? Hmmm... will have to have a look.

Ok... found some info about saliva tests:

Incorrect readings may be attributed to smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, medications or eating prior to testing. It is wise to abstain from these things two hours before testing. When you have an oral infection, such as a cold sore or sore throat, you can use cervical mucous instead of saliva for the same test. This should be done to minimize incorrect interpretations.

And interesting:

Some studies show that an embryo conceived right after the pattern changes from dots to "ferns" is more likely to be a girl, while conception when the "ferns" are thickest increases the chances that it will be a boy.

ETA: hmmm yeah... all the info is saying to test in the morning. I must have dreamed reading that it should be done in the afternoon like an OPK. I'll keep doing it in the arvo tho... it seems to be working (and it stops me from eating for 2 hours of the day ).