NeyNey

Hi Girls

Well tomorrow I will program my CBFM as CD1
Now I know a lot of you have learnt that there are little tricks that help
with the success of the monitors. I remember Tish saying something about
the way you hold the stick? Is that right, not to turn it upside down or something?

If you've any advice at all I'd love to hear some.
I only have 30 sticks to start me off (hoping I won't need more!!! )
So if you can help me save some and not waste any because I did
something wrong that would be a huge help!!!



Thanks!

loopylew

just replied in the other post but also i sdon't think the machine will ask you for more than 20 stciks at a time, im not sure though.

Phexia

I used it for the first time this cycle and loved it. I decided to pee in a cup and hold the stick in there for 15 seconds. I then placed the cap on (with the filter part still down) and let it lie flat while I was finishing, washing my hans etc. When I saw that the pee had reached the top circular window (it's only visible on one side of the stick) I put it in the monitor.

This method worked fine, you can see it in my journal but I O'd late and got a bunch of low readings, then 3 high readings and then 2 peaks and one high following that So I was very pleased with the CBFM.

Arcanegirl

I do pretty much the same as Phexia

Tishimouse

I'm laughing because I seem to be playing chase with your posts today. I was just about to post the trick I discovered this cycle in a separate thread, so am pleased to put it here.

First of all though, I had a previous experience where I ended up phoning the expert help line for advice as I did not get any PEAK readings using 20 sticks and wondered if I had done anything wrong. The expert advised me that it is VERY important to time the length the stick is immersed in urine. For me I decant and dip the stick for exactly 15 seconds. The mistake I made was to hold the stick upside down and watch the stick saturate completely which looks like blue liquid running down the test strip. I was waiting for it to reach the bottom before placing it in the monitor. WRONG!!!!! Please don't do this as apparently the monitor is designed to read the stick immediately. So, immerse the stick in urine, place the cap over the end and place it straight into the monitor. It takes 5 mins to read and during this time the urine that is at the top end near the handle is registered first by the monitor as it is this part of the monitor that has a type of 'reader' in it to analyse hormone content in piddle (how technical).

Now for my trick that I picked up from FF forums:

This cycle I was fortunate enough to only be asked for 10 sticks and with the trick I learned, ended up using only 5 brand new sticks and 5 old ones.
CD6 LOW
CD7 HIGH
CD8 HIGH
CD9 HIGH
CD10 PEAK
CD11 PEAK
CD12 HIGH
CD13 LOW
CD14 LOW
CD15 LOW

The monitor is designed to show a second PEAK reading the day after the first, followed by one HIGH and the rest will be LOW. It's written in the manual. So, as soon as you get one PEAK reading, you don't have to use brand new sticks for the remainder of the cycle, because the monitor will automatically show the same pattern (ie 2 x PEAKS, 1 x HIGH and remainder LOW). I kept used sticks and let them dry out, then re-used them to let the monitor read them. All my old sticks had previously given me LOW readings and one had been a PEAK stick. They still gave me the anticipated pattern as above with a different reading from before. So, the old PEAK stick read LOW on the second use. It just proved to me that you would be wasting sticks after you get your PEAK reading.

Apologies for the long post, but hopefully someone out there will benefit from this.

and to everyone.

Phexia

I'm wondering Tishi, can't we just skip the days after the first peak? Do you think it will mess the monitor up or do you think it will still automatically register 2 peak days and 1 high after? I think I might try it next month if I don't get a bfp in the next few days

NeyNey

Wow tish...I never knew that about reusing sticks.

Thank you!!! Wonderful advice.

Tishimouse

I don't know about just skipping the days altogether, but I can't imagine it messing the monitor up.

However, the trick with re-using sticks definitely works and proves that the monitor automatically registers 2 PEAK's following by 1 HIGH and then LOW's. I read that others had done this and when I tried it for myself this cycle, I actually used an old stick that had given me a PEAK reading the first time (then it dried out over a few weeks) and the second use after dipping it again in fresh urine, it registered a LOW. I proved that the monitor has it's own programme after it registers a PEAK.

It will either complete a set of 10 sticks or a set of 20, depending on when you get your PEAK.

Woohoo! How to economise.

loopylew

that really is good advice, just to check for do you pee on the stick then put it straight in the machine? i don't lie it down or anythiung, just pe, do the cap and put it in

Tishimouse

That's exactly what you should do according to the CBFM experts on their helpline.