Charting-to-Avoid? Come on in!

[lawgirl4]

QOTD - I also try to be vigilant about vitamins! I have been taking a supplement with folic acid fairly regularly, and I try to take my chewable calcium (hate those huge pills) more regularly...

[Sabriel]

QOTD: Do y'all take prenatals and/or folic acid supplements, just in case something should happen? What/how much do you take?

Yes, I take a Women's One-A-Day everyday. It has 400 mg of folic acid. I only have a couple of weeks of them left, so I bought some Target prenatals to start after that. They have 800 mg of folic acid in them. I want to start taking prenatals in case of an oops, but also in case I can convince DH to TTC sooner! ;)

[orchidrose]

QOTD about vitamins: I mean to take them and I have taken them, but this summer I've been really slack about it. Thanks for the reminder! Mine are Target women's multivitamins.

Here's another Q: Have you gotten the hang of checking your CP to the point where you are confident of feel, position, and opening? I've been checking it and today I actually thought I could recognize the opening for the first time. I think my cervix feels different from what I thought it would based on the pictures in TCOYF. I wish I could see it. LOL! :o

[Quartercentury]

How about a QOTD? Do y'all take prenatals and/or folic acid supplements, just in case something should happen?

I prefer not to operate in "just in case" mode, but I will start taking a B complex supplement that includes 400mg of folic acid in September, which is three months before we're moving to TTC.

My temp was definitely up this morning, after being up just a bit yesterday. I'm debating about whether yesterday's temp should be counted, as I had a wee bit much to drink on Monday evening... :o

[Clattercote]

orchidrose - Do you know, I never check CP...I feel like I should but I tried it out the first cycle but it hurts (makes me achy) - so I don't like it.

[Sevilla]

Another Q: Have you gotten the hang of checking your CP to the point where you are confident of feel, position, and opening?
I like my cervix sign a lot b/c it is really clear and consistent. It doesn't follow the TCOYF pattern exactly (for example, when i am most fertile my cervix is high, open, and *rock hard* instead of soft). But my body is consistent about it cycle to cycle which is cool.

[cat_loverpq]

QOTD ~ I've been taking prenatal vitamins since about 6-8 months before our wedding. (I was hoping it would help my hair to grow a little faster. ;) ) Since then I've just continued to take them, along with a calcium supplement. Unfortunately, I usually forget about taking them on the weekends, but I take them regularly at work after lunch. :)

BTW, DH and I have decided to start TTC next month, so I only have a few weeks left in this thread! :D:eek:

[jenji]

QOTD
I started taking Folic Acid right after we got married, even though I was on BCP... just in case. Now I also take a multivitamin

[kanga1622]

QoTD - I try to remember to take my multivitamin and folic acid supplement every day. Since we rely on condoms during the fertile phase and often wind up DTD on O day, I wanted to be sure we were prepared in case of a condom break. I've been extremely forgetful lately about taking my pills. I think I need to leave them next to the bed so I see them before I go to sleep each night. I also take 2 calcium chewables when I remember because I HATE milk and never drink it. I do eat cheese and ice cream so I get some calcium but I take the chewables because I know I don't get enough from food sources.

Other QoTD - I don't check CP because I can't tell a huge difference and it just makes me tender. I don't check anything internally anymore because I can feel the difference in CM without even looking.

[kemaji]

I take a folic acid supplement fairly consistently and have for a number of years now. I also (somewhat less consistently) take a couple of other things including cod liver oil (yuck), vitex, reishi and some things specifically for my immune system. My mom is an acupuncturist and she makes her own line of herbs, so I take what she tells me too.

I don't check CP consistently and haven't started tracking it so I have no idea what my body's natural pattern is.

[ABirney]

I check my CP daily, usually in the early afternoon. The first couple cycles it was uncomfortable but I've gotten the hang of it now and it definitely follows a pattern throughout my cycle. I have to check CM internally because even when I have EWCM, I don't get much externally and would be easy to miss. I do that early afternoon (when I check my CP) and then again right before bed. I also check external every bathroom break just in case I notice something.

[ADSigMel]

First QoTD: I keep a multivitamin, calcium, and magnesium on hand, but I almost never remember to take them...I should really try to do better about that!

Other QoTD: I check CP and internal CM right before bed and external CM on every bathroom break. External CM is pretty much nonexistent, but the internal is fairly normal. And CP is an awesome sign...I've felt so proud of myself ever since I learned to read it!

In other news, AF finally came to visit, after a 63 day hiatus. Just when I thought my body was starting to be friends with me... :rolleyes:

[lawgirl4]

QOTD - I have such a hard time with CP... I just don't feel like I really have a handle on what I am touching!!

cat_loverpq - congrats!!! :D

[Graffy]

QOTD #1: I take a multi with 400mg of folic. I always wonder about taking it in a multi though, and whether it would be absorbed better if I took it separately.

QOTD #2: I checked my CP for a while before I was married, but then I got out of the habit. I never could quite tell what was going on up there anyway, so now I just stick to temp and CM. I need to be more diligent about the CM though, too. I've gotten kinda lax about checking it throughout the day, so starting this cycle I'm going to do better! :)

[mandersald]

i finally made the switch. i didn't post much on the other site, well, because my charts are fairly by the book. but, regardless, i still really enjoy having this as a reference. i hope to follow along! you ladies move quite quickly! anyways, here are my stats

mandersald (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/98b9d)
name: Mandy (25)
DH: Scott (25)
occupation: PhD grad student (acoustics)
married: 8-27-04
started charting: 4-05
TTC: who knows, 2007?


but, in respose to the QOTDs...

i do take a multivitamin that has folic acid among other things. i suppose i should look into other suppliments as well. i'm pretty good at taking them in the am, so that's always good.

i try to be consistent about my cp, although i'm finding that difficult. i used to check it many time a day, but always got confused because it kept moving around so much. i read somewhere (maybe the art of nfp?) that you should check it once a day at the same time of day. i'm having a hard time sticking to that, but i do see a pattern in my cycles.

actually, i have a question for all you charting pros...my last cycle my lp was kinda short for me. (9 days) so, i'm wondering if maybe i misread my cm on cd 18. i remember seeing a wet patch in my underwear which made me think it was watery...but an o on cd 18 is pretty late for me, and i'm wondering if i miscalled an o on cd 18? i typically have a slow temp rise, and even sometimes a fall back rise. not that it really matters for tta purposes, but i'm just curious more than anything.

[orchidrose]

AdSigMel-Yay for AF after a long break!

Cat lover-Congrats on TTC!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's unsure about CP. I think it would be very cool to be able to read that sign, so I'm going to try to keep working on it. I do check CM internally anyway.

[Clattercote]

mandersald - I don't know whether you miscalled the CM or not - I mean, the quality of your CM wouldn't be out of line with the EWCM you saw the day before - it does mean that you have short LP last cycle but even if you discount the last wet day, by your calculations you still have a 10 day LP - and I don't know how much that extra day really means. I'm curious (because I'm always interested in how other people deal with their own charts) - since your temps rise quite a bit past the CM, how do you figure out when Phase III begins? Do you just use CM only rules, or have you come up with some other way?

FWIW, I generally pay much more attention to what's on the TP than what's on the undies. The reason is because the quality can look different after it's on the undies a while - e.g. something that was a more fertile quality can look tackier, and vice versa, so it's more difficult to detect what is fertile or not. At least this is the case for me, with my all the time CM - so one of my learning curves in this whole charting business has been to figure out the best most accurate way possible to look at my CM. I think that CM detection is the hardest part of charting, because it's really a matter of personal preference and figuring out what your body does. Anyway, what I do is a TP wipe before and after every time using the toilet (ok, sometimes the before is impossible...but as best as I can) - and I record the most fertile that I see on the TP only. This has greatly enhanced my being able to figure out where I am in my cycle since before I started doing this I was seeing EWCM all the friggin' time!!!! :eek:

DISCLAIMER, because I'm sure that for some people, what's on the undies IS an accurate depiction of CM - Being consistent is really important in my method of CM detection - before and after EVERY use of the toilet. And I'm sure it wouldn't work for those who have very little CM.

[angelraven]

I had quite the weird AF. Tell if this has happened to any of you. It started out pretty heavy, continued to be for three days. Then I had a medium day. Then NOTHING. Then yesterday, some brown spotting, almost enough to be considered a light flow. Today, still a little brown spotting.... is this something I should be concerned about?

[ABirney]

Angelraven AF is like that for me pretty much every cycle. I think it stops, then bam, it comes back again for a day. I've come to expect it now.
I do have a ? on mine though.... my temp dropped a full degree today (down to 96.7) and I've been "spotting" for the past 4 days. Not enough to even get on a liner, only on the tp. My question is this: sometimes it will be red blood on the tp (maybe 1-2x/day), but then the next time will be brown. Do I count that small amt red blood as the start of a new cycle even though it's a very small amt? Or do I start counting day 1 when it is actually flowing? I've been doing that (counting when starts flowing) since I started charting but not sure if that's right because of the occassional red blood before. TIA!

[orchidrose]

Angelraven-my af was like that this month, with the light brown spotting for a couple of days.

[angelraven]

Thanks, girls. It was just really weird because I've never had anything like that happen. It's never started, then stopped, then started. I'll just have to keep an eye on it I guess.

[tlew12778]

I tried taking multivitamins one cycle and they gave me, um... intestinal issues. They lengthened my LP by .5 day though. Now I don't take anything, but watch my diet pretty closely. Eventually I will take folic acid I guess, but well, that isn't really an issue anymore since I'm not O'ing. ODdly enough, I don't know any pregnant woman here in Italy that takes folic acid supplements. Pregnancy isn general is just very much more relaxed in terms of limitations and whatnot compared to the US.

I never checked CP and will never do so. I found it moves around too much throughout the day for me to get a reliable height reading. I can feel the difference but I don't note it.

[mandersald]

clattercote
thanks for your insight. last cycle was definately the wierdest i've had, and the temp rise much slower than normal. as it turns out, i didn't even think about when phase III starts last time, as DH and i used a barrier method the first few days of the slow temp rise (we practice FAM). usually, i like to see my temps high and consistent for 3 days cross checked with dry days, and low cp. this usually means that we wait till 4 or 5 dpo to dtd unprotected.

i try to check my cm internally as often as i can, but for some reason last cycle i went with watery only because i saw some in my undies. i guess i should really just be more consistent with this. hmmm. :p

i guess this brings up a new question though...how many days is too short for an LP? i usually am 10 or 11, and i always thought that seemed fairly normal...should i be concerned? i even do the green tea, multivitamin thing...

[tlew12778]

Anything 9 or less is considered short. I always had 11 day LPs as well. I asked my gyn about it last time I had an annual and she said "it could work" when it came time to TTC. My plan was to always start taking B6/zinc/magnesium when it came time to TTC anyway though.

[kemaji]

mandersald ~ Welcome!

cat_loverpq ~ Congrats on TTC! Be sure to come back and let us know when you're pregnant!

Updated to here.

[ABirney]

OK this is getting weird. I have been slightly spotting for 5 days now. (none on liner, just a little on tp). It has been getting less instead of more and I'm starting to think AF will never show up. I did have a very small amt of red spotting on tp a couple days ago, been brown since, and getting less amts. Had a huge temp drop yesterday. Any ideas as to what could be going on?
http://www.ovusoft.com/forum/chart.asp?id=mrsabirney

[FEIrider]

Speaking of LPs...

I know in theory my LP should be pretty consistent each cycle. My seem to vary between 11 & 14 days. Is this normal? I got the impression from TCOYF that maybe it's not.

TIA! :)

[cat_loverpq]

Thanks for the congrats ladies! I will definitely come back and give you all an update...when we get one. ;) Until then I will probably still be hanging around, lurking. :)

[jude29]

Abirney-

I JUST had the same thing happen to me. What CD are you? I had spotting for 11 days before AF showed up. MD told me it was due to low progesterone at O.

[Sabriel]

I do not check CP. My thermal shifts are usually pretty obvious, so I haven't felt the need to.

Threadmistress, could you please change my stats? DH and I have decided to move TTC up to September 2005. :D

[ABirney]

and it arrives. After wondering about my AF not showing up after 5 days of wierd spotting, it showed up today. Finally!!!!!
jude29 I wonder if maybe that (low progesterone) was the problem... my temp rise wasn't as strong as it usually is this cycle and progesterone is what causes the temp rise, right? (don't have my book handy). Today was CD33, now CD1.

[Quartercentury]

Wheee, sabriel, September is just around the corner!

I should know, as FH will be leaving me for his Fulbright in Asia in early September. Which is sad, but also means we really only have one more avoiding cycle to go!

[Clattercote]

Abirney - I think your suspicion may be right - judging from the temps last cycle and the way they dipped below the coverline quite a bit, I would wonder about progesterone levels....

[kemaji]

Threadmistress, could you please change my stats? DH and I have decided to move TTC up to September 2005. :D

Sabriel ~ Congrats!!! I've made the changes in the stats and will move you over next month. You don't have much longer to wait!

[Sabriel]

Quartercentury and kemaji I'm am so excited about TTC! DH originally wanted to wait until May, but the other day he asked if we could start in September. Woohoo! Of course I said yes, I was ready as soon as we got married. :D I made an appointment with a midwife today for my annual and a preconception visit. It is making this seem very real!

Sorry to hear that DH is leaving in September, Quartercentury. I am going away for work the end of August, and I am already dreading being gone. :(

ABirney Glad to hear that AF finally showed. I hope that the spotting ends up to be no big deal.

[lege]

Hi all! I'm way behind on the boards b/c I had a family emergency and haven't been online in a week!

Please look at my chart - I'm sure I O'd last week - seems like I have a pretty clear thermal shift b/t CD 18 & 19 - with a C/L of 97.8 or even 97.9. FF is calling the O at CD 18, but Ovusoft has reset my c/l to be above my shift! Based on my body I'm sure I've O'd, but after the week I've had, need a few other opinions before over-riding Ovusoft.

Thanks!
L

[Sabriel]

lege I agree that you Oed on CD18. Hope everything is okay with your family!

[Leigh0918]

Quick question (and forgive me if it's already been asked - reading every post is a bit daunting for a beginner!!)...

Do you really see an advantage for paying for the online software to chart? Is the paper chart too awkward or old-school? Reason I ask is that I am 2 weeks from finishing my last pack of pills (after almost 11 years on it - YEAH!!! Man, that sounds like a looooong time when it's written down). I'm 99% sure I want to try this FAM thing, but don't want to waste the moeny if I find it doesn't work for me.

Any thoughts or advice for a newbie?! I'm already about halfway through TCOYF. Which is fabulous, by the way. This is all so exciting! DH and I are probably waiting until this winter to TTC, so I want to TTA until then.

[Sevilla]

Do you really see an advantage for paying for the online software to chart? Is the paper chart too awkward or old-school?
I have always charted both online and on paper. I personally do not see an advantage to paying for online software, some other women like to. But remember you can use Fertilityfriend.com for free :). Remember to NOT trust the software to interpret your chart for you though, that's really important.

Congrats on starting to chart soon! I've done it for almost 3 years now and love it :).

[Leigh0918]

Thanks, Sevilla. I didn't realize Fertilityfriend was free - I see the links people are posting to that site. Must go check it out. 3 years, huh?! I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated and nervous, but definitely excited to rid my body of faux hormones... Just hope my first cycle isn't in the triple digits :rolleyes:

[Aletheia]

Leigh- Wow! 11 years! I find that using FF and this thread is really all I need to do.

Which is why I'm here-- would you ladies look to see if I'm annovulatory this cycle? Otherwise, am I just having a super-slow temp rise?

Thanks.

My Chart (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/a0c60)

[chinadoll]

I guess I'm the odd one out, but I LOVE Ovusoft. It was totally worth the $40 to me. I still use Fertility Friend to compare, but I think Ovusoft is much more user-friendly and easier to understand. [FF often has wacky interpretations which you can't figure out why...] You can download a free trial from their website.

[Clattercote]

aletheia - I wouldn't call an O yet - you may indeed have a slow rise, but I would perhaps count it starting on CD 19 - it all depends on whether it rises more, and whether your CM keeps drying up.

fertility software - I guess I'll just say I use good ol paper and pens - I just don't trust FF or Ovusoft to give better interpretations of my chart than I do (with the help of my charting friends here of course! :D ) I do fill in my FF charts, especially when I need help with interpretation - but I don't keep that up very well... :o

[MrsKinnison]

Believe it or not, in 7 months this is my first issue with FF! FF called O on cd13. I missed my temp on cd14, but had a definate rise after that and all the other signs supported cd13 plus I had my usual O pains. Today, on cd28 my temp dropped right on schedule to indicated AF will be here soon and FF told me that now, TODAY, with this temp, cant call O at all anymore. WHAT??? Does that make any sense at all?

http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/89c6c

[Aletheia]

clatter- thanks. my temp went up a tenth of degree this morning, and cm is gone. so I guess i'm just having the slowest rise ever. :) Thanks for the reassurance, though. I know it is stupid, but I'd be somehow disappointed to have an annovulatory cycle.

[kemaji]

lege ~ I agree that you O'd on cd18 and I'd put your coverline at 98.8. I hope everything is okay with your family!

Leigh0918 ~ I use Ovusoft and really like it. I don't depend on it to be 100% accurate, but it generally coincides with what my interpretation is and it is definitely more accurate than FF. If you want to post your stats, I can add you to our members list.

Aletheia ~ I agree, I wouldn't call O just yet...

PS: Is that Take Tahoe in your avatar?

MrsKinnison ~ Based on your CM, I would say you O'd on cd18. There is definitely an O in there, so it's weird that FF is saying they can't call it. Also, if you want to post your stats, I can add you to our members list. We'll still answer any questions if you don't want to though. ;)

[kemaji]

As for me, things are looking normal. I'm excited because next month marks one year of TTA for us. DH is finally getting comfortable with the idea of no hormonal BC and not having to use protection every single time.

[Leigh0918]

Thanks for all of the advice so far... Aletheia - I know, 11 years is a crazy long time. Can't even tell you how excited I am to finally give my body a rest. One more week - AF is due on 8/9 so I guess that will be my new cycle day 1 :D

My stats:

Leigh0918
Me: Leigh, 29
DH: Michael, 33
Married: 9/18/03
TTC: maybe this winter, but no official plans

Thanks :o

[Clattercote]

MrsKinnison - This is just an example of how FF tracks things in a crazy way - it overemphasizes temp changes in pinpointing O. In your case, you definitely O'd, and I'd say AF is on the way today or tomorrow - the drop in temp is due to estrogen levels rising (among other hormones) even though the progesterone levels haven't yet dropped off and caused AF to appear.

There are times when a temp drop after an apparent shift would be cause for concern - but this is DEFINITELY NOT one of them. Happy AF! ;)

[Leilynne]

HI I'm finally following from WC
Name: Leilynne 23
DH: Jon
Occupation: Dietary Aide
Married: May 12 2001
Started charting : March 1 2004
TTC Date: Never

Can I please be added over here, I havn't had any WC time in months, and returned to find a nearly dead thread and a very crappy new format. :eek:

[Aletheia]

kemaji: nope, not lake tahoe. a tiny lake in BC canada called Emerald Lake (gee, you think?) It's a honeymoon picture. :)

[orchidrose]

Leigh-Hi! I was on BCP for about 8 or 9 years and now I'm BCP-free. This is my second cycle using FAM (we're using a barrier method the first three months post-pill, basically). My DH was a little skeptical at first, but he's getting more comfortable. He still needs to learn more about it though.

[MrsKinnison]

Name: Hillary (30)
DH: Chris (33)
Occupation: Realtor
Married: 11/27/04
Started Charting: 1/14/05
TTC: maybe fall 2006???


How do I add my chart as a link/sig??

[kemaji]

Updated to here!

Welcome to all the new joiners!

MrsKinnison ~ You'll need to go into the User CP at the top of the page and in there is an option to edit your signature. Then just put in a link as you would anywhere else.

Aletheia ~ Well, it's a gorgeous picture. Now that I look at it, the water is definitely too green for Lake Tahoe, but it's name is definitely appropriate. :) It looks like you guys had a fabulous time!

[Quartercentury]

Believe it or not, in 7 months this is my first issue with FF! FF called O on cd13. I missed my temp on cd14, but had a definate rise after that and all the other signs supported cd13 plus I had my usual O pains. Today, on cd28 my temp dropped right on schedule to indicated AF will be here soon and FF told me that now, TODAY, with this temp, cant call O at all anymore. WHAT??? Does that make any sense at all?

http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/89c6c
FF will insist it can't call an O unless it has back-to-back low then high temps. here (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/3313f) is my chart this cycle. I clearly O'ed on CD19 or 20, but since I don't have a reliable temp for CD19, FF says "ovulation not detected." In your case, I think you probably ovulated on CD13 or 14 and AF should be here soon!

[Leigh0918]

Orchidrose - Um, yeah, you could say my DH is skeptical, as well ;) He's supportive, but skeptical. We'll see how it goes, but he's really not looking forward to the barrier method for the next few months. It will be a first for us during our 9 year relationship!! It's just been so easy to pop a pill every morning and never worry about getting pregnant. But, personally, I'm feeling more empowered by taking the control back and not being lazy any more.

[jenji]

Speaking of skeptical DHs... yesterday I got TCOYF and started reading it. I had been talking about going off the pill and using FAM and DH seemed ok with that until last night when I was telling him more about it. he doesn't seem to trust it.
I've been charting temps this cycle, but we won't start relying on FAM until after next cycle when I'll have finished all my pills.
here's hoping I can convince him this is a good thing.

[ABirney]

My DH was skeptical at first also but when we took the class through the CCL and he understood it, he's totally on board now. He lets me do most of the chart interp though and just let him know if it's a safe time or a back-up time.

[mandersald]

hi ladies-
so, here's a quick question. how can you tell the difference between CM and arousal fluid? and, how long after DTD does arousal fluid hang around? i know there's a trick for telling the difference between semen and CM...but i'm not sure about arousal fluid? i'm in the tricky part of my cycle and want to make sure i'm not misjudging my signs. any thoughts?

skeptical DH i'm soooo lucky that my dh has been on board with charting from the beginning. he saw what the bcp did to my health and is much more comfortable with charting than i ever thought he'd be. :)

ok, that's all!

[Clattercote]

mandersald - According to TCOYF (p 61 and 215-216), arousal fluid and semen exhibit similar characteristics and so you can tell the differences between them and CF in similar ways - arousal fluid breaks apart, is much thinner, and dries more quickly. It looks like the best test is the air-dry test: if it dries quickly when you wave your finger in the air it is likely arousal fluid.

[tlew12778]

mandersald - There is a water test as well. One is water soluble and one is not, but I can't remember which right now. Maybe someone else will remember.

jenji - My FH was and still is skeptical with FAM although he warmed up to it after a while. He knows about the mestrual cycle and everything bc he's a dr. but he doesn't believe the body is a machine that can be trusted 100%. We still use it though. This is TMI, but he likes to w/d usually. I think it gives him peace of mind or something.

Welcome to all the new people btw!

Question: For those who have taken progesterone to bring on AF, did your temps stay high for a few days after you finished your course? I finished 10 days worth 2 days ago and my temps are still elevated. I am 99% sure I am not pregnant as I had low temps and no CM until I started taking the progesterone so I don't think it's that. And I refuse to POAS until I pass at least 18 days of high temps.

[lege]

Hi all - thanks again for checking my chart. Ovusoft has now called the O at CD19, and while I still think it was at 18, it's close enough to know we're safe to UDD :)

Things are OK with the family, my mom had a couple seizures on a plane last Monday (a week & a half ago). She's still in the hospital for observation, but is doing fine. The first week was very tense and scary, but things have levelled off. So now I'm just recovering from the emotional rollercoaster!!!

On a much happier note - DH and I celebrated 1 year on Sunday!!! (Well, not much celebration since we were in the hosp with mom, but it's a milestone and we'll celebrate as soon as we can!)

[lege]

Leigh - I was on BCP for 10 years when I had to stop for medical reasons. I've been off for almost a year now and LOVE it! My best advice is to be patient with your body - it will "normalize" but it may take a while b/c you've had hormones in your system for so long. Charting can get frustrating during that time, but stick with it, it's well worth it! :)

[lege]

skeptical DH - I'm lucky like mandersaid, DH has been on board from the beginning, and for the most part, I talk to him about it through the month, but day to day he'll just ask whether it's a safe time or not. For us, though, it wasn't a question of BCP or FAM - I had to come off BCP b/c of a mass in my liver, so it was FAM or only barrier. He figured once we got used to it, some UDD was better than none :)

And, we've had a number of friends who had trouble TTC and we're told to start charting...so we see this as a head start!

[kanga1622]

My DH was skeptical at first also. It took me 1 1/2 years to get him convinced to UDD. Now if I tell him I just need another day of high temps to confirm O, he'll want to wait so we don't have to use condoms. ;)

I had my annual exam on Wednesday. The nurse asked me a bit about my cycles and I referenced my FF printouts that I brought with me. Then she asked if we were strictly NFP or were using barrier methods as well. :D She got it! No recriminations, just asking so she could be more correct in my chart. Of course, the rest of the visit didn't go as well. The doc noticed that a mole on my back was funky colored so I have to have that removed in 2 weeks and I had to see the respiratory therapist today and will start an inhaler tomorrow. I was hoping for just a rescue inhaler but it sounds like I'll be on this inhaler twice a day for a month and then back to RT for a recheck.

Anyone else on Advair? Just wondering if that affects CM or cycle length (at least at the onset). Today is CD17 and I usually O CD20-27. I'm guessing it will delay O just a bit until my body adjusts.

[Clattercote]

My DH knew about NFP and liked the thought of it before he ever met me! I always laugh about that because I think he learned about it from two of his devout Catholic male friends (but he himself is not remotely Catholic) - I've always imagined them drinking beers at the local pub, chewing on cigars (which they did a lot in their grad school days), and talking about NFP! LOL!

DH likes the natural aspect of it - he's always been into natural things, natural food, etc. I got into NFP because I read about it in Vegetarian Times - so I guess we both come to it from similar angles! :D

[lawgirl4]

my DH is definitely glad I am off BCP (made me very depressed/moody) but from time to time he worries... TMI warning - either he will try to "pull out" (not that one can necessarily avoid PG that way!) or wants me to stand up and "clean up" as soon as we are "done"... but that is mostly because my cycle is not normalized yet...

SIL, on the other hand - when I told her I was charting and DH and I are planning to TTC early next year she was like "oh, you'll be PG before then! charting doesn't work!" whatever. it only doesn't work for her because she can't be bothered to take her temperature daily!

[lawgirl4]

forgot to ask this question, though...slightly TMI.

do any of you find yourselves getting VERY turned on at a particular point in your cycle? This happened to me yesterday and I literally attacked DH when he got home... and wanted to just "get it on" right away (usually I am very big on foreplay). it totally hit me like a ton of rocks, out of the blue. When in the cycle does this happen (if, indeed, as I am suspecting, it is related to hormonal activity)? thanks :)

[Sevilla]

forgot to ask this question, though...slightly TMI.

do any of you find yourselves getting VERY turned on at a particular point in your cycle? This happened to me yesterday and I literally attacked DH when he got home... and wanted to just "get it on" right away (usually I am very big on foreplay). it totally hit me like a ton of rocks, out of the blue. When in the cycle does this happen (if, indeed, as I am suspecting, it is related to hormonal activity)? thanks :)
When i am fertile, DH is often the first to mention it b/c i'm all over him ;).

[Clattercote]

Hi - I would appreciate some help with chart interp. this month because I missed some crucial temps before what I thought was O (travelling). I use the Art of NFP rules usually, but so far, nothing is hitting the HTL line but CM has dried up. I usually have a temp spike a few days before O, followed by some very low days - which is what I think the high temp on CD 10 is. But of course, I don't have the other temps to back that up. What do you think I should do?

Many thanks! :)

[chinadoll]

do any of you find yourselves getting VERY turned on at a particular point in your cycle?
For some reason I always get like this during AF. I can be kind of grouchy and not interested during PMS, but once AF shows up I end up attacking DH. Maybe TMI, but he doesn't mind getting messy either. ;)

[jenji]

For some reason I always get like this during AF. I can be kind of grouchy and not interested during PMS, but once AF shows up I end up attacking DH. Maybe TMI, but he doesn't mind getting messy either. ;)

Same here

[kemaji]

My DH was skeptical as well for the first few months. He definitely supported my decision to go off BC and loved the fact that I immediately stopped being moody. He knows what I'm talking about when I discuss my cycle and where I am in it, but he usually just asks if we need protection or not.

For some reason I always get like this during AF. I can be kind of grouchy and not interested during PMS, but once AF shows up I end up attacking DH. Maybe TMI, but he doesn't mind getting messy either. ;)

Me too.

[lawgirl4]

well, we had our first "potential oops" cycle. anyone want to look at my chart and let me know if I should start getting "worried"? I know it's way too early to know anything (even the date of my ovulation, but I'm pretty sure it happened) but I kind of feel like we couldn't have timed things better if we were trying to get pregnant!!! Oy!!

my chart (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/a6770)

[Clattercote]

lawgirl - I'm a bit confused - are you talking protected DTD or UDD when you use the abbreviation PM on your charts? Given that there's no temp on CD 37, we have to consider the temp shift starting on CD 38, which means that UDD would be possible tomorrow night assuming no temp dips or fertile CM appearances. I don't know which of the PM designations you're considering as an oops - I think that any of them would be considered risky, particularly with no protection, and the ones on CDs 36 and 37 might well result in pg, especially if it was UDD. It's not 100 percent, of course, so as you say we'll just have to see how the temps go - but you've got nice strong shifts, so that's really helpful for figuring out when possible O was. Best wishes!

[lawgirl4]

clattercote - I am so bad with the abbreviations. We had unprotected sex for both of those "PMs," hence my "oops" concerns. Getting PG now really wouldn't be the end of the world, although our planned trip to India in December would definitely be canceled... so I'm not too concerned... TTC is in Feb 2006 anyway, so this isn't super early for us.

[Clattercote]

lawgirl - thanks, that helps. I'd say it's possible (even highly possible) that you might be pg, since you UDD right around the time of O, but it's not necessarily so. I mean, plenty of people TTC in these kinds of circs and don't get pg.

If you were to be pg, you'd only be 4.5 mo in Dec - so I'm just curious why you'd necessarily cancel that trip? Only curiosity though... you don't have to answer.

Best wishes! I'll be interested in what happens!

[lawgirl4]

clattercote- thanks for your feedback. I'd cancel for a few reasons - it's such a long trip (two back-to-back 8-9 hr flights), the sanitary conditions are less than ideal in the places where we'd be going, and also because I'd have to be on malaria medication... just too many factors.

[granada]

Just checking in! My cycles are pretty boring, very regular, which I'm glad about, but it doesn't make for very interesting discussion on a TTA thread, lol. I'm still getting break-outs, and I've been really careful to use a medicated body wash and a face scrub every day. I'm going to make an appointment to see a dermologist today, although who knows when I'll actually get in to see her. I would hate for that to be the reason I have to go back on the pill.

lawgirl4 ~ Keep us posted! DH and I are talking about going to Vietnam in the next year, but if I were pg, I'd probably cancel, too. I wonder if travel insurance covers pregnancies...

[lawgirl4]

granada - I'm trying to keep this quiet elsewhere ;) so just fyi! by the way, I am happy to report that the acne/oiliness situation has definitely abated this cycle - so I hope the same will happen for you. It's still oily, but not as crazy as last cycle. My OB/gyn also said that it is the type of thing that usually calms down after a few cycles.

[granada]

lawgirl4 ~ Oh, mum is definitely the word. ;) I've been off BCP since January, and the breakout business has only become an issue in the last few months. Just when I think it's getting better, it becomes a problem again. *sigh*

In other frustrations, I'm *still* looking for an ob/gyn. It seems I can't get anyone for several months out. I had to cancel an appointment for this week (that I made back in April) because of my crazy work situation. Now, I can't get another appointment until November! *double-sigh*

[lege]

I've been having terrible breakouts too - no idea what's going on! I've been off BCP for almost a year, but the breakouts have just gotten bad in the last couple months. GRRRR! :mad:

[lawgirl4]

lege and granada - I wonder if your recent breakout situation has been brought about by the hot weather? just an idea...

[lege]

I wonder if your recent breakout situation has been brought about by the hot weather? just an idea...

it may be...it's just so wierd...I've NEVER had acne like this, even as a teenager, and I lived in NC for a couple years where this heat is normal for the summer. BUT, when I was in NC, I was on BCP. So I don't know :confused: I'm going to see a dermatologist and see if they can help me out. Just have to get the referral...

[tlew12778]

The reason they tested me for PCOS was due to an insane breakout. I have never had acne in my life. Not even as a teen. Then one day I had a face full of it. It was due to excessive androgen levels apparently. FWIW, I o'ed every month except for my last cycle (70+ days with an induced-AF in the end) so I had no classic PCOS symptoms other than the acne.

Of course, I am not saying it's a symptom of PCOS. Merely that acne can be caused by hormone levels bouncing around a bit much.

[Clattercote]

The acne conversation is interesting because I've been having a lot too, lately - like way more than usual. Add my recent weird cycles in the mix and I am starting to think about having a hormone check-up or something. But DH and I are in the process of moving to another state, so that will have to wait till we get settled. I just wish I felt like I knew what was going on with my cycles!!!!

[lege]

I think some of mine is stress - between my surgery, trying to get back to my life post-surgery, my mom's seizures, etc., it's been a ridiculous 4 months for me. And then throw in the heat and humidity, and maybe I never stood a chance! Oh, and AF arrived yesterday with a vengeance. Just wish I could come up with a way to control it!

[Leigh0918]

A very recent development - looks like my charting to avoid has made a turn for seeing what happens. :eek:

DH and I just decided last night that we are not going to avoid with any barrier methods or anything and let the dice roll over the next few months. Ironically, this conversation comes with today being my new CD1 of my very first cycle off BCP. I'm excited, but it's funny because I've never been the mushy gushy type over babies so I guess it's more of a matter-of-fact decision than an emotional one. I am really happy, of course (not to mention scared/nervous!!) and just cross my fingers that my body cooperates.

See you all around some other threads, perhaps... :)

[orchidrose]

Wow, Leigh, Congrats on TTC! They say women are often extra fertile right off BCP, so maybe that will hold true for you!

Lawgirl-I hope whatever you really want to happen happens. :)

[lawgirl4]

leigh - good luck TTC!!! how exciting!

orchidrose - the problem is that I don't know what I "really" want to happen!! I think part of me wants to be PG not because I want to be PG right now, but because I want to see that my body can really do it, you know? however, i am starting a new job in 2 weeks and truthfully, it would suck to have to deal with the nausea, etc.. in the first month of my job... but again, I really will be happy either way! and regardless, I am simply excited that this cycle I ovulated on CD36/37 as opposed to sometime around CD 76-81 last cycle!!!

[orchidrose]

lawgirl-I know what you mean. I was thrilled last cycle when I had a temp shift. It was great to know that after all those years on BCP, my body still "worked." We're planning to TTC around next July/August. I am excited. I think it's really amazing what our bodies can do.

It's looking like I O'd again this cycle (!) although I didn't really have much EWCM. I hope my LP is longer this time. We'll see.

QOTD-Is your sticky CM actually sticky? I think maybe I've been recording sticky sometimes when I should have been recording creamy. The problem is my creamy doesn't exactly fit the creamy description because it is a little clumpy, but yesterday I actually had some truly sticky feeling CM. Although I recorded lots of sticky this cycle, I did notice that it got thicker and more slippery. Maybe it will become more normal creamy later or maybe this is just the way mine will be. I need to keep really detailed descriptions I think so I can tell what's happening.

[kanga1622]

QoTD - I don't get much in the way of Sticky CM. My Sticky is sort of like half dried out rubber cement. Sorta forms clumps rather than a more fluid lotiony peak. I call anything Creamy that has the color and look of lotion. I don't use CM as a very valid sign because I have lots of CM all the time and it can be hard to tell. The big thing is to make sure you can tell when you get to your most fertile CM.

[lawgirl4]

QOTD - I get sticky CM very rarely. Mostly it's lotiony/creamy, or very wet/slippery. I have yet to get that super long EWCM!! But then again, it's only cycle #2 post BCP...

Question for you all - what does it take for FF to call an O? I'm curious as to why it hasn't happened yet on my chart... is the missing temp on CD 37 the culprit?

my chart (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/a6770)

And for those who are following along on my "oops" situation - feeling a very distinct ache on the left side of my abdomen today - no idea what that means, but I've never really felt this sensation before, so who knows!

[kemaji]

Updated to here.

Leigh0918 - Congrats on TTC!!! Be sure to keep us updated!

lawgirl4 - I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it works out for you, one way or the other. Also, I've had two months that that could have been "oops" months and I was imagining every single twinge and ache to be symptoms of being PG. My mind went wild. I'm obviously not PG, so we know how far those sypmtoms got me.

QOTD - I have a fair amount of CM throughout my whole cycle so unless it is EW or very obviously lotiony or watery, I just characterize it as sticky. For me, sticky will include clumpy, the rubber cement looking stuff and truly sticky CM. It just makes it easier for me to categorize it that way. My biggest reason for doing it like that is that I never have the book with the pictures in front of me when I'm checking my CM, so it's hard to make it more specific.

[lawgirl4]

kemaji - it's amazing what the mind does, no? it was really making me laugh the other day...

interestingly, however, I went to the bathroom and there was a light pinkish/brownish stain on the toilet paper when I wiped... I think it is WAY too early for AF, so of course my mind goes "implantation spotting?" - we'll see. It could very well be AF since I don't think my cycle is normalized yet - but who knows... (if I am becoming annoying to anyone, please let me know - but it is really helpful/comforting to post here :) )

[ABirney]

qotd: My sticky CM before O is usually like half-dried rubber cement like someone else said, but then after O I have sticky until AF comes and that is like tacky glue. I never get creamy CM, but I do get definite EWCM for several days before O.
lawgirl Good luck with whatever happens!!!!
DH surprised me a couple night ago, and said "You know, if we shampoo the carpets in this apartment we could start trying now." I was just in shock!! Then he went to sleep so when he got home from work last night and asked him about it, he's like "Oh you remember that? I was having a moment of weakness". LOL I guess he was frustrated with thinking we'll never get a house, etc... So we had a long talk last night. We are currently in homebuyer's ed classes, get done at the end of the month. When classes are over we are going to talk to a banker or two and see if we can get pre-qualified. IF all goes well there and we are ok'ed for a house loan we might start trying!!!! I was hoping to lose some wt first too but having trouble in that area.. if we wait until I'm close to goal at the rate I'm going it will probably be another 3-4 years (I'm 140# overweight) and I'm already over 30, and we are hoping for 3 kids if we are so blessed. So I guess we'll see what happens. Sorry for the long post but I'm just excited!! (and nervous!!)

[kemaji]

kemaji - it's amazing what the mind does, no? it was really making me laugh the other day...

interestingly, however, I went to the bathroom and there was a light pinkish/brownish stain on the toilet paper when I wiped... I think it is WAY too early for AF, so of course my mind goes "implantation spotting?" - we'll see. It could very well be AF since I don't think my cycle is normalized yet - but who knows... (if I am becoming annoying to anyone, please let me know - but it is really helpful/comforting to post here :) )

Nope, you're definitely not being annoying...I'm sure all of us knows how it feels. I know I've driven DH crazy with my FPS, to the point where he just starts rolling his eyes every time I bring it up. It's just hard NOT to obsess about it, it doesn't matter what you want the outcome to be.

ABirney - Congrats on the TTC conversation and on the homeowner possibility! Keep us updated on both fronts.

[angelraven]

How long after BC did it take to notice patterns with your CM? I'm having such a problem. There's either nothing or it's watery, at times it's sticky. No EWCM, and any form of CM is rare lately. :( I have to check internally to get anything. I'm getting very frustrated.

[Clattercote]

QOTD - I count my sticky as globby, dry gummy, or rubber cement consistency. Creamy is anything wet and lotiony - EWCM is, well, EWCM.

Random funnies - So, this am my temp dipped to 96.9 - signifying, probably, that AF will start tomorrow. But DH dutifully recorded the temp and then gave me this big ol' smile and asked if this meant we might be pg. I was cracking up but I tried to keep a straight face and said, no, the low temp this morning probably precludes a pg (though I have heard of implantation dips - anyone else heard of this? Can't find a reference in Art of NFP, and my TCOYF is packed for my move) -

Anyway, I was like, does this mean you want to get pg???? He said, "well maybe, yeah, I don't know. I mean it'd be cool. But we should definitely wait...."

So this was an out of nowhere conversation - wow.

[lawgirl4]

angelraven - BCP can actually affect the body's ability to produce EWCM, and it can take a few months before the body can produce it again. Same with getting a regular pattern of CM. If there is one thing I have learned here, though, it's that everyone's body is totally different. Patience is a must when going off BCP!!!

Clattercote - yes, implantation dips do happen. there's quite a bit of info about it on FF, and if you peruse the PG charts you'll see it happens frequently. Of course, like everything else, most of what I have read indicates that some people get it, some people don't - no real rhyme or reason as to who gets it and who doesn't. :rolleyes: Why can't PG symptoms be clear and definitive?!?!!! ;)

[tlew12778]

CM - My sticky CM makes tiny little peaks. Kind of like elmer's glue that is half-dried. Anything smoother than that gets marked as creamy... I distinguish creamy from watery by the pattern it leaves on my undies. My EW never stretches more than .5 inch usually with the exception of my very first cycle of BCP when it was like 6" or something.

As for a pattern, I had a pattern right after going off BCP. The longer I was off BCP, the less pattern I had actually... I stopped getting EWCM totally in the last couple months, however, I think this correlates with appearance of the PCOS as my cycles started getting a couple days longer each time.

[chinadoll]

I get creamy CM quite a bit, but I've only had EWCM once since I started charting in December. I guess my body just doesn't do that. I do notice a definite decrease in CM when I take antihistamines. I think they dry my whole body up.

Re: owning a home. How many of you are homeowners? DH and I are. We bought our house about 1 1/2 years ago. It is a lot of work! I never realized how much. But we were fortunate to be able to put a nice down payment on it, and our mortgage payments are less than we would pay if we were renting, so it works out pretty well.

[jude29]

Angelraven-

I'm on my 7th month of charting after BCP and I can honestly say this is the first completely normal cycle I've had. This is definitey the first time I've seen EWCM. I've seen the entire cycle of CM this time around. I started taking prenatal vitamins. I wonder if that's helped at all?

[kanga1622]

Not a homeowner here. DH doesn't have a full time job which makes it kinda hard to get a home loan. Although, I am interested in talking to the bank to see what we could qualify for (maybe for low income/first time home buyers). Unfortunately, we live in a college town and housing prices here are ridiculous. I don't want something huge but something decent.

http://homepics.realtor.com/image8/http/siouxcity/submit/large/003/f428049a.jpg
This house is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 816 sq feet on Main St. Selling for $59000. This is the cheapest house I could find in this town that isn't a mobile home. I have no idea what the inside looks like since they've posted no pictures.

[Quartercentury]

I count sticky when it actually feels sticky between my fingers. Or when it has a 'pasty' consistency. When it's smoother, it's counted as creamy.

[tlew12778]

Oh man how I WISH we owned a home! I just hate paying rent every month. We were thinking of buying at the end of this year when our lease runs out actually. The main problem is that our mortgage payment would be higher than our rent for the same size apt! Housing prices are insane here... we will need to fork out btwn 200-250k euro ($225-300k) for a 1BR apt in an OK area... not even prime area. And while buying in the suburbs would be cheaper, we only want to buy for investment purposes right now (as we can't afford anything bigger anyway!) and it needs to be in an area where there is a rental deman market.

[kemaji]

We are home owners and bought our house just about 1.5 years ago as well. We were fortunate enough to be able to put a sizable down payment on it and it kept our payments fairly close to what we were paying in rent. It is a lot of work, but I love it. I've had so much fun putting in a garden and doing projects around the house.

Clattercote - It seems like conversations like what you and your DH had just seem to be the thing lately. We haven't had one like that, but the idea of 'baby' is becomming a more frequent topic of conversation. We'll probably stick to our plan of waiting at least two years but it isn't so scary an idea for either of us anymore.

Well, I think I O'd. Ovusoft will probably call it for Tuesday based on my temp, but I really think that yesterday was more accurate if you include my CM pattern. I had pretty clear EWCM yesterday and my CM and temperature are coordinated very closely and once I O, my CM dries up almost immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if I went to sticky or even dry today.

[lege]

Lots of TTC conversations going on!!! Congrats to those of you who are starting - and good luck :)

CM - I have almost no dry, and I count sticky until it starts to look like lotion. And I ususally have a couple days of EWCM, but none of the "swimming in it" like I know some women have.

We are homeowners - we bought our house in April 2004, and love it! It's a lot of work, but we're having a great time & really feel like it's becoming more and more "ours". My big project this summer has been getting the gardens under control and looking better (with the wedding last summer I just let it all go). I've found that I love it - I never thought I'd enjoy working in the yard so much!

UGH - I've been SO exhauted the last couple days, I've overslept AND forgotten to temp :( It's not like me - even when I'm sleeping in I ususally wake up long enough to temp b/t 6-7a and then roll back over. I'm on day 4 of AF, so not a big deal, but I've got to start getting temps in again so I'll be able to see the O shift!!! My body is just so out of whack :(

OK, time for more coffee ;) Have a great day ladies!
L

[Clattercote]

TTC Conversations - I don't know if it's a TTC conversation per se - but it is kind of cool that he thinks about it. I still think we'll wait till summer 06. I was just really shocked to see that grin on his face - he was irrepressibly happy to think about being pg. It's amazing to me - I'm not actually sure, myself, what I think about TTC. :o

Home - We don't own a home yet - but we're moving this weekend (!) to a rental house which is pretty cute - it's a 2bdrm, living room, dining, kitchen house with a nice large yard we don't have to share with anyone - that was key for DH.

Anyway - my chart is flooey - my temps dropped yesterday and remain down today - I'm expecting AF, but no sign yet.... Argh!

[granada]

TTC ~ DH and I just celebrated our 1st anniversary, so for some reason that's brought up a lot of TTC talk. Right now, we're thinking maybe early 2006! And DH, who usually gets very nervous about the thought of TTC and starts talking about how it's very expensive to raise children, actually seems to be getting used to the idea. He's been asking me things like how many children we're going to have and insisting that these are important things to talk about before TTC. :cool:

Home ~ We don't own a home yet. We've thought about buying, but we're hoping the CA market cools a little in the next year. In the meantime, we'll just continue saving. :sigh: I am envious of my friends who have bought homes, but I also tell myself it's a lot of hard work, so I should just enjoy being home-free for now.

CM ~ I usually don't get sticky CM. I usually record wet, creamy or EW. For me, anything I'd consider close to sticky is that clear stuff that dissipates very quickly. So, I record that as dry. (If that makes any sense.)

[Sabriel]

Ladies, it seems that we are moving on to TTC! DH and I haave been talking a lot lately. We first decided September, but yesterday DH decided why wait? For now, we will not be stressing to much. I think that we will be "seeing what happens", but I do not think that I'll be able to stop charting. I just love it! Thanks for everything you guys have taught me in the last 13 months! I hope that it will make our TTC journey easier.

[lege]

Sabriel ~ CONGRATULATIONS!!! And best of luck!

[angelraven]

Congratulations Sabriel!!!


Home: We've owned our home almost a year now. Actually, our house anniversary is August 21st. :) We're in the midwest, so housing is reasonable here. We're starting out with a 3 br, 2 bath split level with a big back yard, formal dining, and a breakfast nook. We've put a lot of work into giving it more character. We put waiscotting in the dining room, beadboard in the kitchen, chair rail various places, crown molding in the guest room, etc. We love our house. :) I have lots of pics in my journal if anyone wants to look.

TTC Conversations: None here really. Before we got married, we were talking about starting TTC early, like after the first year. Well, I ended up going back to school and DH decided he wanted to do some things first, so we're waiting a while, at LEAST until winter of 2006, maybe even longer. We're young, so I'm not worried about it too much. The only worrisome aspect is my PCOS, which was part of our reasoning early on for wanting to start early. Now we've decided (well mostly him) that now's not the time and that if we're meant to have babies, then God will provide.

Thanks, everyone for your insight on my CM issues. I'm trying to be patient, I really am, but it's so difficult! lol

[ABirney]

CONGRATS SABRIEL!!! Let us know what happens!!!!

[Clattercote]

Hi all -
I am now officially waaaaay confused about my cycle - would love your opinions. Had what I thought was a temp shift - lasted a week. Now my temps have been down to pre-shift levels for 2 days and today I had the wettest, most copious amount of EWCM.

What gives??????????????????? :confused:


ETA: When I calculated the temp shift for this cycle I shaved down the temp on CD10 because I usually have a temp spike before O - I also used the averaging rule from The Art of NFP.

Sometimes I have fertile CM before AF, but only for a day - and a downward temp shift like this would never last more than a day before AF.

[Angelfish]

I'm new and I'm not sure how this thread works, but can I join?

I'm on cd28 and I think I'm getting ready to ovulate. DH and I are not planning to TTC until at least 2007.

I went off the pill at the end of January with the hopes of preventing my recurrent yeast infections. When it didn't work, I went on the Candida diet and I think that contributed to the long cycle (73 days) I had last. Before I went on the pill, my cycles were 36-42 days, so only my first cycle off the pill was normal. The second was affected by end-of-term stress.

Here is a link to my chart: http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/ttc/index.php

p.s. We don't own a home yet and definitely want one before we TTC.

[Quartercentury]

angelfish, if you post your stats in red in the style of those on the first or second page, our thread mistress will add you to the roster. Welcome! :)

On the home front: We rent a student families appartment (FH is a PhD student) and will keep doing so until he's finished his PhD (summer 2007 at last count). Then we may think about buying here (in the UK), but only if something radical happens to make us be able to afford it. If we were two academics (best case scenario), our combined incomes would only qualify us for about half the mortgage we'd need to buy in this town. If we move back to the US, we'll definitely be buying a house.

On the TTC front: THIS IS MY LAST AVOIDING CYCLE!!! :D
Technically, we're only not avoiding from September through November because FH will be in China while I'll still be here. We decided nearly two years ago that we'd stop avoidng this winter while we're travelling in Asia. Hard to believe that December is actually on the horizon!
And yes, we're hoping to have a baby before we get married. If things work out according to plan, we'll have a baby next fall, I will be able to take 6-12 months off work, and FH will be writing up and so have a very flexible schedule. It's just always seemed to us like a good time for a baby, married or not!

[kemaji]

Sabriel -- Congrats!!!! Be sure to come back and let us know when you are pregnant!

Clattercote –- It is hard to say difinitively what is going on without more data … could it be that your body tried to O but didn’t and is now gearing up to try again? From what I can see is that your post O temps don't generally break 98 degees so it's just not an issue of not getting high enough. I'm sorry, I wish I could be of more help...

Angelfish –- Welcome to TTA! Definitely post your stats and I can add them to the roster. For now, all that is there is your chart.

QC – I’m so excited for you, I’m beside myself!!! But I’m not moving you yet. ;)

Updated to here.

[Angelfish]

In red? Okay...


Me = 27
DH = 26
Occupation - Student
Married - November 2001
Started charting - February 2005
TTC date = Summer 2007 (?)

[ABirney]

Welcome angelfish and feel free to ask anything!
Congrats qc ! Have fun traveling and hope things work out for you in the TTC area!

[chinadoll]

We had a little scare around Christmas last year when I thought I might be pregnant, but wasn't. I was so stressed out about it while waiting for AF that I felt relieved when she finally came. DH was kind of bummed though. I think for him, he just wants to know that he *can* get me pregnant.....he doesn't want it to actually happen, but I think it is part of the male ego thing.

We are undecided as to TTC -- when, if ever. My doctor has advised that while it is possible for me to get pregnant, I would have to go off all my medications before/during the pregnancy, and during breastfeeding. It's not that I can't live without them, but it would make life really hard and I probably wouldn't be able to work at all. We're still contemplating that since neither of us is dying to have kids right now. We've definitely given some thought to adoption, and we might end up going that route somewhere down the road.

[kemaji]

Updated to here.

[lawgirl4]

hi everyone!
I've been out of town so I haven't had a chance to post... anyone want to look at my chart and give me some opinions? I've been spotting for the past several days - mostly just after going to the bathroom - not really enough to call it a "light" AF. And my temps are still up... weirdness!

[mandersald]

hola everyone!!

congrats to everyone who has moved onto TTC!

speaking of which, i was surprised by my DH this weekend as we too had "the talk" about when we want to move on. i didn't want to wait too long after getting married, but our circumstances just aren' favorable. who wants to have a baby, write a dissertation, AND teach a class all in one year? i sure don't. but, the baby bug has hit me, unfortunately. UGH!

clattercote i'm not sure about your cycle, but it almost looks to me like you might have o'd on cd 14 given the temp shift on cd 15, but that doesn't seem to line up too well with your cm. but, still, if you call o on cd 14, that would give you a 10 day LP, which seems about right. i usually get EWCM before AF, and my temp drop sometimes comes 1-2 days before AF. so, it could be...

lawgirl i wish i could be of more help about your chart. i'm not sure what spotting during the lp would mean. i'd give it a few more days, or you could call your doc to see if they have any advice or words of wisdom.

ok, so i need some advice on my chart as well. i'm kinda confused. i usually o around cd 17 or 18, and i originally thought i o'd this time around on cd 14. i also usually have a post-o dip, which i thought might be cd 17. but, ff is calling it on cd 22, so now i just don't know what to think. i know i can't trust ff, but an o on cd 14 just doesn't seem to fit very well, and my cm confused me as well. boo! any thoughts?

ok, that's all. thanks girls!

[LIZNKEITH]

Hey, girls! I just wanted to get my stats in as I will be joining you as soon as AF returns.

LIZNKEITH
http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/30d9c
Name: Liz (26)
DH: Keith (34)
DD: Caroline, June 15, 2005
Occupation: Claims Assistant
Married: July 28, 2001
Started charting: April 2003
TTC #2: June 2007 or 2008

A little history...I began charting in April of 2003 and fell in love with it right away. It was so cool to know exactly what was happening with my body. DH didn't trust it at first, but after doing it for a few months, he was sold. Our original plan was not to begin to TTC until around July 2004. In October of 2003, we had a little slip up and began to throw caution to the wind. We were in a "see what happens" frame of mind, but tried to stick as close to our original plan as possible. On Valentine's 2004, we had another "oops". This time, we were convinced we wanted to go for the gusto. We began actively TTC. About a month or two in to it, I began using OPK's as charting alone wasn't doing the trick. Then in April, began using the Clearblue Fertility Monito in conjunction with my charting. Nothing. Nada. Zip. By August we were pretty bummed and DH went to have a SA. Passed with flying colors. In September, I had bloodwork, a sonogram, and HSG, and a post-coital test. All looked normal...except for the post-coital. I failed. My Dr. told me my odds for conceiving that cycle were slim to none, prescribed me Clomid for the following cycle, and I set up an appt. with an RE. Things were looking grim. Then, I got my surprises of surprises on October 12th. A BFP! We were in shock. The pregnancy was normal without any complications (except I was sick the whole 9 months), and we delivered a beautiful, perfect daughter on June 15th.

DH and I have no doubt to continue with charting. He enjoyed it as much as I did. He enjoyed feeling like he was a part of our birth control method. And well...he's very anal and analytical like myself. We love charts and graphs. :D

Though I am BFing, DD is pretty much sleeping through the night. I plan to start charting again as soon as AF makes her appearance. I've been having some fertile CM the last couple of days, so I'm thinking she may be about two weeks out. We'll see! The plan is to TTA until DD is about 2 or 3. I'm leaning more towards her 3rd B-Day.

I look forward to sharing this time with you all. As sick as this may sound, I MISS charting! Quite often during my pregnancy I'd pop in the therm "just to see". I'm a freak, I know! :p

[lege]

Liz- Congratulations on your baby girl! And welcome (back)!

[LIZNKEITH]

Lawgirl,
Have you taken a HPT yet? Spotting during your LP could be implantation spotting. Especially since you had, er..."relations" the day of your temp shift.

meandersald,
Tricky chart, indeed! I'm think CD 14 as well. Your Cm and temps seem to support it. Have you tried toggling the settings on FF?

Thanks, Lege!

[Angelfish]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone. Unfortunately, my husband is not particularly happy with the charting. For one thing, he doesn't trust it and for another... we have major issues with condoms. This wasn't an issue though until the past week, when my sex drive returned after an extended leave of absence and (of course) it was during my fertile time. To make a long story short, he wants me back on the pill.

[lawgirl4]

liznkeith - welcome!

thanks for your feedback. I haven't done a HPT yet, I wanted to wait until I was further along in terms of DPO (plus, DH and I are apart until next Tuesday and I would hate to get a positive result and have to tell him over the phone!!! :) ). Also, I keep thinking I'll wake up "tomorrow" and have a temp drop... or heavier AF... so I'm just waiting for now. just wanted to hear some opinions!

[Quartercentury]

lawgirl, with the long cycles and daily spotting, I am inclined to think there is some sort of hormonal issue going on. Implantation spotting would usually only last for a day or two, not consistantly through your LP. If you have the coverage/are worried about it, I would see what your doctor/NP thinks.

mandersald, I am not seeing a CD22 O at all. CD14 would be early, but matches with your dry-up. And I have had a few cycles where my post-O temps hovered around my coverline, so even that doesn't seem *too* weird to me.

[kemaji]

Updated to here.

LIZNKEITH -- Welcome back!!! Also, congrats on the birth of your daughter.

Angelfish -- I'm sorry that you feel like you need to leave us. If you read back a couple of pages, a bunch of ladies have shared stories about how their SO was a bit freaked out when they started charting. I know for mine, it was a matter of educating him and it took time for him to become comfortable enough to want to UDD. He also noticed a dramatic difference with my moodiness and sex drive as soon as I stopped taking BC. If you practice FAM, they recommend that you use protection for at least 3 months after coming off BC. If your cycles normalize quickly however and your DH is very against condoms, you could always abstain during your fertile time. Ultimately, you need to choose something that works for you but I do hope that your DH gives charting a chance.

mandersald -- I would have to agree with what QC posted...I too have had cycles that weren't much above my cover line.

lawgirl -- I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for you. I tend to agree with what QC said about a possible hormonal issue, however that doesn't mean that you couldn't still be PG. Have you decided which way you want this cycle to end?

[kemaji]

LIZNKEITH -- One more question...should you be added to the TTA master's list? I'm not sure how long you were charting before you got pregnant.

[Graffy]

I had a weird thing happen this week. I'm pretty sure FF has my O date correct since it corresponds with my CM, but Sunday (5 dpo) my temp dropped WAYYYYY below my coverline. My heart skipped a beat since we'd just UDD'd the night before and my first thought was "oh no, I didn't really O when I thought I did", but my CM had been dried up for several days, so I really think I was safe. We'd driven for a few hours through some bad storms the night before and didn't go to bed 'til after midnight, but I still had more than 3 hours of sound sleep behind me when I temped, and I only temped about 20 minutes early. This has never happened to me before so I'm a little stymied by it. My temps have been a little random this month anyway, and I do often have a temp drop a few days after my O, but not that much. Yikes. Oh well, the 2 days since have been normal, so I guess I'll just chalk it up to a fluke and continue clinging to the knowledge that my CM was dried up... :rolleyes:

[chinadoll]

graffy -- I agree with you on calling an O. I've had it before where my fourth or fifth post-O temp dropped, but the general trend was a rise. Since your EWCM was before O, and you've been drying up you are probably infertile (although technically I think you have to wait for 3 dry days before you can say that).

[Graffy]

Chinadoll: Thanks for the response. I pretty much know it was fine, but it's nice to have someone else say that, too. :rolleyes:

[lawgirl4]

hi everyone!

still got the weird light spotting going on, but my temp has dropped over the past 2 days so I'm wondering if this is just going to be a really light AF... I don't think I necessarily have a "hormonal issue" - I am only on my 2nd post-BCP cycle and the more I talk to friends (some of whom are doctors) the more I am realizing that it is just as "normal" to have these weird cycles right off of BCP. I'm not really concerned about it at this point - nor is my doctor.

I think it's still possible that I could be PG, but it seems more and more doubtful - which is fine with me. I am starting a new job in a week and a half, and truthfully, as much as I would like to be PG it would absolutely suck to be in my first trimester, sick all the time, while at a new job - not to mention we'd have to cancel our trip to India for december - so I truly will be fine if I am not PG.

I won't need to test if my temp continues to drop and/or I have a no-doubt-about-it AF, but if the signs continue to be odd I'm not going to test until next week since DH and I are apart until next tuesday - I wouldn't want to find out I'm PG and then have to tell him over the phone!

Again, just going by my "gut," I really don't think I'm PG - just pretty sure my body is trying to readjust! But thanks to everyone for your help/support/opinions - it's been very helpful!!!

[ABirney]

Question for you guys... was hoping to be in phase 3 by our camping trip so temps wouldn't be a big deal, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. We are leaving Saturday morning to go tenting for a week, and I just started having EWCM a couple days ago, so it looks like I"m probably going to O the first part of our trip. I'm wondering how the temping will work since I won't be in a climate controlled room and the temp in the tent will be dependent on the weather. Any suggestions to make sure I get accurate temps? (I am bringing a battery operated alarm clock so I can at least try to temp on time.) We had an "episode" last night... I jokingly told DH when I checked my CM before bed, "hey wanna make a baby tonight?" because I had 3+ inches EWCM... well he apparently took me seriously because we threw caution to the wind and UDD... he even said after hmm I wonder if we have a little Hannah on the way now. (yes we have tentative baby names picked out for when we do TTC.. we're wierd.) SO now that we came to our senses this morning I definitely want to see when I O so I know how close to last night it was.
OK now that I wrote a book... sorry!
lawgirl your cycle sounds like mine last cycle... I spotted forever and thought AF would never come, and when she did it was very light.. first day just medium flow, light flow the morning of the second day and that was it. Very unusual for me but oh well. Good luck to you in whatever happens though!

[Sevilla]

Please move me to the graduates. DH and I started secretly TTC after our anniversary and we're expecting! My due date is April 2, 2005. :)

Charting really does work! We uesd it to avoid for 2 years, and then as soon as we started TTC we ended up pregnant.

[MrsKinnison]

Sevilla Congratulations!!! Please keep us updated through your pregnancy. I hope you have a healthy and happy 9 months!

[kemaji]

Sevilla, Congratulations and have a healthy and happy pregnancy!!! Please keep us updated.

Updated to here.

[ABirney]

sevilla Congrats!!!

[Quartercentury]

hi everyone!

still got the weird light spotting going on, but my temp has dropped over the past 2 days so I'm wondering if this is just going to be a really light AF... I don't think I necessarily have a "hormonal issue" - I am only on my 2nd post-BCP cycle and the more I talk to friends (some of whom are doctors) the more I am realizing that it is just as "normal" to have these weird cycles right off of BCP. I'm not really concerned about it at this point - nor is my doctor.

I think it's still possible that I could be PG, but it seems more and more doubtful - which is fine with me. I am starting a new job in a week and a half, and truthfully, as much as I would like to be PG it would absolutely suck to be in my first trimester, sick all the time, while at a new job - not to mention we'd have to cancel our trip to India for december - so I truly will be fine if I am not PG...

lawgirl, I didn't realize this is only your second cycle off BCP! In that case, I wouldn't worry at all! Nor did I mean to use "hormonal issue" is an insulting way at all. Just meant that prolonged spotting can be caused by whacky hormones. But since you're just coming off the pill, some degree of whackiness is to be expected! And... Very exciting that you're going to India! For work? For fun? What parts will you be visiting?

And big big congrats to Sevilla!!! :D

[Graffy]

Congrats Sevilla!

[Clattercote]

Congratulations, Sevilla! - I am so thrilled for you! HAH 9 mos!

I moved over the weekend, so I'm just getting around to checking boards again - it's so fun to come back and find good news! :D

[LIZNKEITH]

Congratulations, Sevilla! You are in for a wild and crazy ride. Wishing you a H&H 9 months!

Lawgirl,
I would definitely attribute the spotting to the fact that you've just come off of BCP's. You'll probably be a little whacky for the next month or two. Your temps looks nice and biphasic though. Looks like it's getting out of your system!

ABirney,
I do a lot of camping, and truth be told...I never really noticed a change in my temp when we camped due to an environment change. The only thing that affected mine was not waking up on time (which it sounds like you are taking care of), and the drinking that tends to go with camping. ;)

Thanks, kemaji! What is your definition of a "Master"? We charted to TTA for about 10 months and TTC for about 8 months.

[lege]

Sevilla - CONGRATULATIONS!!! Best wishes for the next 9 months :)

[granada]

Sevilla ~ Congratulations!!! Hope you have a h&h 9 months!!

[Angelfish]

Congratulations, Sevilla!

[kemaji]

LIZNKEITH - You've definitely been at it long enough... I'll go add you now.

[kanga1622]

CONGRATS SEVILLA! Have a happy and healthy pregnancy. We'll miss your wonderful advice on this thread.

Still no O on my chart. I think taking the Advair for the last 2 weeks is what's causing this. Today is CD32 so I'm sure that when I go to the doc today she'll want to do a pg test before she'll give me any meds. I printed my chart to take in with me so maybe she'll believe me without having to take a pg test.

[Quartercentury]

Hey charting nerds, what would you make of this (http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/cc9a2)chart? (doesn't belong to anyone here, but is one I saw in someone's sig at MDC)

If it were mine, I would have felt safe calling an O with a weak thermal shift at the same point FF does, but all those lower temps later would have me freaked out!

What do you ladies think?

[cat_loverpq]

Congratulations Sevilla! I hope to follow in your footsteps!

Today is officially CD1 of our 1st TTC cycle, so I am saying my goodbyes to this thread. You've all been a great source of information! Thanks ladies!!

[KeliAnn]

Please add me! :)

Keli's Chart (http://www.ovusoft.com/forum/chart.asp?id=keliann78)
Me: Keli (27)
FH: Ken (37)
Occupation: Marketing/PR
(To be) Married: 4/29/06'ish
Started charting: May 2004 (took a break for a while and am starting back up)
TTC: ???

[LondonMo]

I came across this site through Sevilla's bio on the nest
I'm thinking of starting charting, i just finished reading TCOYF and I REALLY want to get off of hormal bc.

Question for you all though - we're going on a 3 week safari in Africa then 10 days in Australia over Christmas, do you think I should wait until after this trip to start charting due to camping & time difference issues???
(africa won't be a time change for me cause I'm in London, but it will be summer there & we'll be camping in heat!, then the time change to Australia is 10 hours)
?????

Thanks!

Real name: Monique (26)
DH's name: Murray (30)
Occupation: project planner
Married : 28 May 2005
Started charting (date, if known): haven't started yet
TTC: not for a long time - 5 years +

[Clattercote]

Quartercentury - Ok, I'll check in as a charting nerd :o Looks like she's using a fertility monitor, probably one that detects LH and it detected a peak read and THAT was the reason FF detected an O on the day it did. LH reading monitors have a varying degree of accuracy, but given that she's on CD15 I'll say she may well be pg and the temp dip on 7 DPO is consistent with an implantation temp dip that some women experience. Plus with her rising temps the last few days I would really suspect pg. The dips in between CD 7 and CD 15 I might chalk up to more hormonal shifts.

If she were TTA and was waiting for Phase III, I would wonder if this cycle were actually ovulatory because the temp shift is not strong, and by NFP rules she's only got a .3 rise. Of course, the monitor stats would suggest that she has O'd, so for me there would be a conflict between the monitor and the temp record. But the temp record is explained pretty well by possible pg, I think.

Welcome, LondonMo! - If it were me, I wouldn't wait to begin charting; I'd just dive in. The first chart or two were difficult for me to interpret when I was just starting and it wouldn't have mattered whether the temps were all in the same time zone or I'd been camping or not - so on my view, it wouldn't matter much whether you were in London or in Africa. The point is to practice charting and start getting the hang of temping and checking CM. Who knows? You might be able to discern a pattern. WRT Australia, well, many of us on this board have struggled to figure out how to chart when the time difference is WAY off - I've charted during those times, as well, but using a CM only method rather than relying on temp patterns. So, fwiw, I think gaining familiarity with the method is worth it. You can always ask for help in interpretation of charts here. The recommendation is that people new to charting use back up anyway, while you figure out how to interpret charts. Best wishes!

Welcome, KeliAnn, as well - were you over at the WC board before?

[KeliAnn]

Thanks, Clattercote -

I was on WC for a while, but I don't think I participated in the TTA thread other than just lurking. :p

[kanga1622]

QC - I agree that the slight temp shift and dry up seem to coincide and suggest an O. Since we are strongly TTA, we would use backup for the entire cycle because there isn't enough of a temp rise for me (and I usually get fairly obvious temp rises). I think this is either annov or a pg chart (those last few high temps are throwing me in that direction).

[Sevilla]

Welcome to the thread LondonMo! I hope it's as helpful for you as it's been for me over the years :).

[ABirney]

Maybe this isn't the appropriate board to post this on but I don't know where else to post it. I have baby fever really bad but I know I don't want to raise a baby in this apartment and it would be nice to lose some wt first too. Today I know I was fertile (6" EWCM), DH and I DTD and I was secretly hoping for a rip. Afterwards I started crying because I knew we could have potentially concieved and purpously didn't. (Poor DH!! He didn't know what to do!) I guess I just needed to get my feelings out because in my head I know we need to get closer to buying a house (Hopefully in the next few months!) but in my heart I want a baby NOW. Has anyone dealt with this before or am I really not normal to be feeling this? Any ideas with how to deal with it?

[chinadoll]

ABirney -- << big hugs! >> I don't think you are abnormal at all! In my experience, a lot of women have "baby fever" at one time or another, and a lot of them have it long before the men do. It's very, very normal to want a baby! I also think that most people have a wishlist of things they want to do before having a baby -- whether it is buying a house, travelling, losing weight, saving more money, finishing school, etc. That's normal too. However, I also know that if everyone waited until the "perfect" time to have children, most people never would. There is never a "perfect" time....back to the wishlist.

My advice: first, realize that your feelings are normal, and valid, and being emotional is normal too [especially at certain points in your cycle when the hormones are raging....this applies to some people more than others]. Second, take a look at your own wishlist and try to see what you can do about the things on it. Take little steps toward the goals, even if you can't do the whole thing right away. Personally, I'd like to lose a little weight. But instead of trying to lose it all right away, I'm trying to eat healthier, be more active, and drink more water. I'd also like to pay off some of our debt. So we are trying to set aside a specific amount each month to do that, and slowly chip away at it. Sometimes it is about taking manageable steps to make the mountain seem a little smaller. :)

[kemaji]

Updated to here!

Abierney -- I have definitely felt twinges of wanting a baby, even though I know we're so not ready to have one. Our wishlist has a lot on there that I'd like to take a chunk out of before we get pregnant. I focus on small steps... rather than doing everything at once, we are taking small steps towards being ready to start a family. I have started talking to DH about hypothetical babies just to get him used to the idea (he really wants them eventually, but when I actually talk about one, he gets a deer in the headlight look) and so we can start discussing various options from birth choices to parenting decisions. That helps me from wanting one too badly because the subject isn't off limits.

LondonMo -- Welcome!!! Please feel free to ask any and every question you might have, there are no stupid questions. I would agree with Clattercote, just jump in and start charting to get the practice. I know when I started I was confused for at least the first 3 months and we used protection until DH felt comfortable with me telling him I was infertile which lasted much longer than 3 months. I was lucky, my cycles normalized fairly quickly but that just gave me the chance to really get used to my CM pattern and when I travel, that is what I pay attention to more than my temps.

Hi Keli!!! Welcome back to charting :)

[kemaji]

Ooops, forgot to say congrats to catlover_pq! Keep us updated when you get pregnant!

[ABirney]

Thanks kemaji and chinadoll ... I'm feeling better today. I think yesterday I was just down because TTC seems so far away, plus hormones, plus we are leaving on vacation (camping for a week) today so I was stressed out about getting everything packed and ready. I seem to be on a little more level emotional plane today! Thanks for making me feel better though and for the advice! DH and I have talked a ton about babies and we are both ready emotionally (I think I may be a little more than DH.. lol) but we also know we need to wait for a while to get some stuff in order. I've been working on the losing wt thing but I've got a ways to go, but as for the house, we plan on starting to house hunt this fall if we are approved for a loan. So hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer!
Welcome to londonMo and Keli!! This really is a great group.
Congrats catlover , let us know when you are pg!

[LondonMo]

Hi! Thank You everyone for your warm welcomes!
Any advice for when I should come off bc pills then? I have 2 weeks left before my 'off' week, should I just quit now, or wait until this pack runs out in 2 weeks?
I'm scared to go off the pill, but I'm really hoping it will be worthwhile, I think it will:)
TIA!

[Angelfish]

LondonMo, what I did was that I started taking my temperature every morning just to get into the habit of doing it, but I continued on the pill until the pack ran out. I started officially charting on the day of my first period after coming off the pill.

ABirney, I have been dealing with feelings of baby fever too, even though I recognize that the timing isn't ideal. The worst thing was dealing with DH though when I said, "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if I got pregnant right now. We could handle it it." To which he replied, "Yes it would and no we couldn't." That hurt my feelings a lot.

[daftgirraffe]

Real name: Renae (18)
FH's name: Ben (30)
Occupation: whatever work is available
Wedding Date: 21st Apri 2006
Started charting (date, if known): haven't started yet
TTC: I say April 2007, FH says Jan 2008....we'll see.

Hi Everyone.

FH and I have been investigating birth control...and it seems like FAM is the best method for us. Checked my cervical mucous for the first time today, quite exciting lol (never thought i would be excited by THAT). Waiting for FH to buy me a bbt thermometer. Would love to join in the convos here. :)

[Sevilla]

Welcome DaftGiraffe! This is a really helpful group, and be sure especially to check out the first page for tons of info :). Congrats on checking your cervical fluid for the first time too!

[kemaji]

daftgirraffe -- Welcome! We'll be happy to help out with anything you need. Everyone here really appreciates how great it is to know what their body is all about.

Updated to here.

[Clattercote]

daftgiraffe - Welcome! Glad you've found this group - It's welcoming and helpful!

angelfish - Ouch - sorry he said that. I'd be hurt too. Sometimes I think it must be a bit like plunging into cold water though - I mean, those first few seconds are quite shocking and you want to just get out, and then eventually you get used to it and it's fine. I wonder if having children is somewhat like that.

[lege]

Welcome to all the newbies!!!

It's so funny that the chat is about baby fever - we were in Houston for the weekend and stayed with college friends who have a 10 month old. And then had brunch yesterday with them and other friends who have a 5 month old. All I could think was "I WANT ONE TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" :D I told DH this, and he understands, we're just better off waiting a few more months for a lot of reasons. And within a day or two, I'll feel better - it's when I'm playing with them and cuddling with them that it really hits me hard! I'm dying to be a mom!!! We're planning to TTC starting in January, and I know it will be here before I know it - just some days it feels further away than others :(

I see my primary dr again tomorrow - for the first time since right after surgery - so my fingers are crossed that she doesn't tell us we have to wait longer!!!! From what my friends who are drs have told me, it's a matter of how I'm healing/recovering b/c it can be dangerous to have another major abdominal surgery before your system is healed enough, so they need to make sure I'm far enough along in my healing that if I have to have a c-sec, it won't be a problem for me. (I had 1/2 my liver removed at the end of March for those of you totally confused) Clearly, I'm not going to argue on that one if they tell me I need to wait longer than January, but I hope I won't!!!

Hope everyone has a good week...
L

[pickle]

Hi guys--

I haven't posted much, but I have been reading along faithfully and have learned quite a bit from all of you. I'm going to be leaving the thread, though, because we really aren't TTA anymore!!

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge,

pickle

[Graffy]

lege: Keep us posted on how your dr. visit goes!

As far as bouts of baby lust, I definitely have my moments. I know now is not the greatest time, but I sure wouldn't be upset if it happened. DH on the other hand is a little more, shall we say, petrified of the concept...

[mandersald]

sorry it took so long, but thanks to everyone who helped with my chart last week. i was away on vacation and couldn't respond earlier. turns out, everyone excluding ff was right in calling my o last cycle. (silly computer programs!!)

anyways, welcome to all the newbies!

and congrats to everyone who has moved on! good luck and keep us posted.

and speaking of moving on and baby lust...i so wish that we could move on because i have baby lust bad too!! sometimes with a pg "scare" it really helps put thing into perspective as it did for me and my whacky cycle last month.

[KeliAnn]

Baby lust - I don't have it, but FH does. Weird, huh? He's adorable in the sense that he wants a baby, and he's great in that he understands my desire to wait. At least until we're married. :p

[lawgirl4]

hi everyone! I've been away this past weekend so it's been a while since I posted.

as you can tell from my chart, I did finally get AF - and I am sure now that all the spotting was just my cycle regulating itself. At least this past cycle was far more "normal" than the 1st one off of BCP, so I do feel happy about that!!

on all the baby fever talk - I think it's totally normal. many of us are just a few months away from TTC and I think in these last few months it's going to be hard to convince ourselves that "it's not the right time yet" or "TTC is so close, so it's easy to wait these last few months" etc... I know that flat out, I want a baby! Yes, I would like to be thinner/in better shape. Yes, I am starting a new job next week. Yes, we have a great trip to India planned for December (to Rajasthan and Kerala, for those who are interested ;) ). But it doesn't matter - I still want a baby! Every "guess what, I'm pregnant" announcement that I will hear between now and January is going to be tough to hear - no doubt about that. I just try to not let it consume me, and it does make me feel good to know that these months will fly by, and hopefully, like Sevilla, charting will make it easier/quicker to get PG!

[lawgirl4]

p.s. Sevilla, congrats!!!! hope you have an easy and healthy pregnancy!! :D

[lege]

We just got a "guess what - we're pregnant" call last night that selfishly bummed us out :( It was from one of DH's cousins - Dave's the oldest, and even though we were the last to get married, everyone was sure we'd be the first to have kids. But last night, we got the word that the next oldest just found out she's pg. (Interesting, since 2 months ago his mom said he wasn't anywhere near ready!) Even DH said "aw man...that means we're not going to have the first grandchild on that side!" DH has baby fever more than he admits ;)

My dr's appt got postponed until next week...so still no confirmation on how I'm doing. Oh well! At least it gave me a good reason to work from home today :D

Question: have any of you tried South Beach Diet? I've put on 20 lbs since my surgery, and can't stand it!!! :mad: I know part of my trouble is a terrible sweet tooth, and while the first 2 weeks of South Beach are supposed to be hard, they're supposed to be good for curbing sugar cravings...anyone have any thoughts??? Thx!

Off to lunch...talk to you later!

[granada]

lawgirl4 ~ Thanks for the update! Looks like your instincts were correct. :)

I have a bit of baby fever, too. But DH and I finally made a TTC plan (we're thinking early next year), so I think that helps with the uncertainty part of it. And I think DH is getting more used to the idea, too. He's actually talking about baby names ( :eek: ) and having kids in general.

[lleemills]

Hi!
screen name: lleemills
Real name: Lori (27)
DH's name: Ken (29)
Occupation: Consultant
Married (date of or date planned): May 14, 2005
Started charting (date, if known): About to start!
TTC: 2007-2008


Just bought TCOYF and got AF today on my last cycle on BCP. I have insulin resistance and need to get off BCP to see if I have PCOS (not to mention the hairloss, weight gain, lack of sex drive, and dryness that I'd like to also attribute some to BCP). DH and I are a little nervous about getting pregnant right now, so we will be using 2 forms of barrier BC until I get the hang of this and my cycles are regular (condoms and a diaphragm). But seeing that I could have some "issues" I'll probably need lots of help!

I have been on the pill for about 10 years. I took at 2 year break about 3 years ago, but I can't remember anything about my cycles! I do know they weren't especially long and were usually on time.

Looking forward to getting to know you girls!

[Gia]

Hi everyone and welcome to the newbies!

I am still here lurking along, but not posting much. QOTD: I definitely have the baby bug. However, I opened a business back in April and I have also still been working full time, so it hasn't been feasible to think about TTC... the good news is that I am leaving my job next month!! I am thrilled. So our TTC plan is once I am breaking even in my business then we will start TTC. So, hopefully by January. :D

By the way, CONGRATS Sevilla !

Lege - I never tried South Beach but my father lost about 30 lbs on it. He slacked off and gained some of it back so he is going back on it again. I think the key to keeping the weight off is probably staying on a modified version of Stage 3 long-term. HTH!