What does the purple box mean?

Yikes! I could spend hours answering this :) I actually dedicated an entire blog post at www.ovacue.com to this topic (see below!). In writing this blog entry, my intention was to clear up some common questions and concerns about the purple box. I had “the purple box” come and make a guest post. . . . (clever, I know!)

“Dear OvaCuties (my pet name for all of you OvaCue users),

I think we got off on the wrong foot. I’ve heard a lot of things lately that have led me to this assumption….for example, “Oh no! Not the dreaded purple box!”, “I’m afraid I might see the purple box this month”, “Is something wrong with me? I got the purple box!”, and the list continues. I’m not sure how I became this scary idea. Can we start over? Let me explain how I can help…yes, I said help!

I understand that in a “perfect world” you would have your fertile window of blue days and a pink box, end of story. Well, unfortunately, as you all know, it’s not a perfect world and you won’t always have a textbook cycle. Luckily, I’m here!

Let’s back up for a minute and quickly go over why and how the pink box is produced. We’re actually related and provide very similar information, you’ll see! Once you are in your fertile window (produced by the oral sensor) and your approaching ovulation, we expect to see declining vaginal readings. These declining vaginal readings indicate that your estrogen levels are increasing which occurs just prior to ovulation. So remember, the lower your vaginal reading, the higher your fertility. Then when the monitor detects a rise in your vaginal reading, the pink box is produced (assuming that the switch from estrogen dominance to progesterone dominance has occurred). After the pink box, the expectation is that vaginal readings will remain relatively elevated. If they dip again…..That’s where I come in!

To say it simply…When I pop up, I’m just letting you know that your vaginal readings didn’t follow the typically pattern of remaining elevated. There are many reasons why your vaginal readings may not follow the typical pattern and dip down…hormonal fluctuations and secondary fertility are the two main culprits. It’s not a bad thing to see me, it just takes a bit more interpretation. I’m seen more often in long or irregular cycles but even women with relatively regular cycles may see me from time to time. Case and point, Sarah has pretty regular cycles and she’s seen me in a couple cycles recently. After I pop up, then you’ll want to again monitor your vaginal readings. Similar to the pink box, we expect to see your vaginal readings remain elevated. If they remain elevated, it’s a great sign that ovulation has successfully occurred. It’s important to remember that there will also be cases that even when I pop up, the true ovulation day is the pink box. I know, I’m sorry…it can be a bit confusing.

Luckily, I know that Sarah LOVES to help explain me and why I popped up…so please don’t hesitate to email her with any questions or interpretation help!

I hope that I’ve cleared some things up and the next time we meet it will be a positive experience!

Sincerely,

The Purple Box”