Hi! New to TTC on purpose and I have a question about what DPO means...

[sunee1]

Sorry to be a bother!! I’m just trying to understand some of these posts and I can’t wrap my head around something...

When someone says that they are (let’s just say) 9 days DPO... does that mean :

A. 9 days ago was The beginning of their fertile window a.k.a. three days prior to when they had a positive Lh surge OPK twat

B. Nine days ago was when they first had a positive LH surge in an OPK

C. Nine days ago was two days after my positive LH surge on the OPK (meaning when I actually was ovulating)

D. Nine days ago was the end of my fertile window (approx 5 days after the positive Lh surge on my test)

I’m so confused and hopefully that wasn’t confusing for anyone to read so I can get some insight and then never have to ask again.

Good luck to everyone on here and keep smiling!!

 

[skitta]

@sunee1 DPO means days past ovulation. So if you're using OPKs you'd assume the day after your positive is O day, and O+1 = 1DPO and so on.

 

[sunee1]

@skitta Thank you so much. I needed an ELI5 clearly and this was it.

 

[aster302516]

@sunee1 Reading your question, I think you knew that DPO stood for "days past ovulation," but you still might find the acronym list in the Wiki helpful.

 

[richardparker]

@sunee1 Closest to C.
So the tests and the fertile window can’t confirm your actual ovulation day (O). Temping will be able to give you the closest at home estimation of that but your right that typically ovulation happens 12-36 after your first positive LH test.

(#)DPO is # (of) Days Past Ovulation.

Once you know your ovulation (O) day, you can then number the days past. This helps you estimate your next expected period date if you know your usual Luteal Phase (LP) length. Also gives you an idea of when to take a pregnancy test (HPT).

 

[frances6098]

@sunee1 So I’m also fairly new to the TTC journey with only a couple of cycles under my belt! There are loads of acronyms... Others have answered the question about ‘days past ovulation’, so I thought I’d build on the other responses as I think you knew what DPO stands for - you’re looking to understand how other people typically measure it?

In summary, DPO is the number of days from the day you believed you ovulated. How accurate this is will depend on how you are confirming ovulation.

Your ovulation date is what will tell you what your actual fertile window is. Your ‘predicted’ window will help you to plan when to have sex - you usually get an estimate for when this would be in whichever app you track your cycles with. Your ‘actual’ fertile window can only be known once you’ve confirmed that you ovulated. The only way to confirm ovulation for sure (without an ultrasound) is by measuring your basal body temperature. If your temperature spikes and stays up for 3+ days then you have a confirmed ovulation. Other methods (E.g opks) can also give you a relatively good estimate. At this point you can see (with hindsight) whether your predicted fertile window matches your actual one - and therefore whether you hit the best days for baby-making!

 

[darcyerin]

@sunee1 i think most people answered this pretty clearly, but i thought i'd expound.

so my RE insisted that i use the Clearblue digital ovulation monitor. it makes things super simple. when the smiley face stays solid it means the next day will be my ovulation day. the monitor even stays with a solid smiley and won't let me test again. i am to test first thing when i wake in the morning. if i get the solid smiley then they will schedule my IUI for the next morning, hope that helps

 

[tinkerbells]

@darcyerin I use CBAD and consistently ovulate the night of the morning I receive my static smiley. Everyone is different but usually pretty consistent within themselves so you just need to work out your own patterns

 

[namlien]

@tinkerbells I use both CBAD and pregmate LH strips. I start CBAD per the instructions and when I get the flashing smiley, I start using the LH strips in conjunction with my CBAD. When I see those getting darker I know O is coming. The static smiley and first positive LH are usually the same day, next morning. I also temp for O confirmation. It all seems like a lot but it narrows down your FW pretty well.

 

[benjammin13]

@darcyerin Some people get a weeks worth of more of a flashing smiley. For those doing timed intercourse if they wait until O day to have sex they've already missed out on the days with the highest chances of success. That's why people like the strips - because they can see the line getting darker and they can more accurately time sex.

 

[onedayworthy]

@benjammin13 Not everyone gets a progression with OPKs though. More times than not I’d go from very very negative to BOOM positive, which is not an uncommon pattern. If I had waited to see darkening lines I would have been effed. Yes some women can get prolonged flashing smileys but it is beneficial in signifying the beginning of FW and aiming for sex every other day once the flashing starts.

 

[benjammin13]

@onedayworthy Yep, fhat's why the recommendation is to start having sex EOD at the start of your fertile period.