Charters Anonymous : Volume 2

[chocciechip]

Volume 2 starts here ladies!

Hello, have been pointed in your direction. Here is my post from other thread if anyone wants to help me:

This is our first month TTC (well we had a practice run last month but given it was my first AF for 2.5 years it was a bit half-hearted/unknown) and I am trying to monitor my cycles but:

• had EWCM from CD10-17
• no positive OPK - tested once a day from CD9 (usually in the evening but at the weekend I did it in the afternoon)
• temps have been fluctuating, had 3 rises on CD13-15 but now back down again but using DS's digital thermometer and range is only 1 decimal point plus if I take my temp 3 times I get up to 4 decimal point range over the course of a minute so not sure how accurate it is. I have just bought a proper BBT for next cycle
• had sharp pains in right side of abdomen on CD13 and pains lower down on CD17

I'm using FF but it can't determine anything yet.

So, what do you think? How likely is it that I have OV-ed this month?

So hello all!!

Can you post your FF chart? If you go to the menu and then Sharing and Home page set up, the link is there labelelled "Your charting web page address" and I think you need to tell it to publish the chart?

www.fertilityfriend.com/home/315eb3Here it is

But, this morning my temp was 35.6 in one ear and 35.8 in the other. Which should I use??

Oops... try again

Just seen your chart on other fred.

You've definitely not ovulated yet. It's still early days though, just keep monitoring the cm and time will tell. You may just have a longer cycle.

If you look at mine the temps fluctuate a lot as still pre-ov , my OPK has just gone positive so am waiting for a temp shift.

[[http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/2fee7f
]]

Even if my temps aren't right (if the higher ones are applicable)?!?

No, definitely not, not at all biphasic. Be patient, you have EWCM so you're def thinking about it (I'm the worst, most impatient person waiting for ov so can empathise). Will prob happen soon, keep up the SWIing.

Thanks to MummyAbroad and LadyG for your opinions, I'm glad you see my confusion!

The dotted lines mean FF isn't certain about the ovulation date, and that is because I had quite a lot of hollow circles on the chart (which are temps that were taken at not quite the right time, half an hour out or more)

Will see what they say in a couple of hours!

Also, forgot to say OPK on CD 13/14/15 had a very faint line whereas other days there was absolutely nothing. That's why I was wondering if I had missed the testing window?

Does it mean anything that I had no line at any other time but a faint one on those days??

Still have EWCM, no shortage of that!!

Whats biphasic LadyG?

Hello Terrys

Are you using cheap OPK's from Amazon (25 for a fiver?) because if you buy cheap enough/can afford it I would really recommend you do two tests a day, one in the morning with first pee and one in the afternoon. At least until you start to be able to predict what is going on. I say this because I got a positive in the morning test which was gone by the afternoon, sometimes that LH surge is hard to catch! You can get a weak line just before or just after the positive but until you actually get the positive you cant count on a weak line meaning anything (hope that makes sense)

Biphasic means your chart can be chopped in half, each half showing two distinct phases one before ovulation and one after. When FF thinks you have ovulated it will stretch out your chart and show you the biphasic pattern by drawing in the red lines.

Very good news that you have EWCM, keep having sex and dont stop!!

splitthetea good luck at your scan!

Biphasic just means that you have two distinct sets of temperatures on your chart - a lower range before ovulation and a significantly higher range after ovulation as the progesterone is released by the corpus luteum that released the egg. So you will know when you have ovualted because you will tend to see a sharpish rise in temps that are sustained until your next period comes.

On your other question LH fluctuates through your cycle a bit randomly at low levels so some days you will see faint, some days nothing, doesn't signify anything. Then you will see a surge when line on opk is same or darker than the test line. But you can only confirm that you actually did ovulate by temping because you will see the sustained thermal shift a couple of days after the positive opk if you did.

MummyAbroad I am using cheap OPK's from babymad, but I don't know how to do 2 a day when you need to leave pee to "rest" for 30 mins first, I am at work 4 days so can't do it here (and don't want to). I may splash out if there are instant ones?
Acutally boots are having a 2 for 1 offer on all First Response tests and ovulation kits so its £19.99 for 40 OV tests - not as cheap but I think they are the instant type??

So confusing!!! Will keep SWI-ing for now! Its a tough job.

Thanks MummyAbroad and LadyG!

Terrys Yes it is bloody confusing but lots of us here to help (have been through same learning process!). You don't need to leave pee to rest for 30 mins even with the cheap ones unless it has been in the fridge. But all OPK's need the pee not to be fridge cold. I work 5 days and just do them at work and surreptitiously pop them in handbag and read the result 5 mins later. Or you could just do them when you get home from work, this would still be a good time to test.

I have been doing them when I get home LadyG but no positive yet. Some people suggest doing 2 a day. I have been following OPK instructions religiously - pee and leave for 30 mins, dip for 10 seconds, lie flat and read after 5 minutes but not after 15. Am I being too anal about it???

Are you sure I haven't OV-ed - how much % (if it was a Who Wants to be a Millionaire question)?? I REALLY REALLY want to!!!

also, if you are right should I keep POA-OPK-S?? Until when should I do this?

Terrys I've got to say I agree with LGG - I think you need to keep at the SWI for a while yet (I know how demoralising that can be though!!!)

Tea - I had the same thing with Mini O. The first scan brought me forward by 9 days I think it was, which was impossible as I had been charting etc. I too worried about being denied a homebirth and being induced and all that. However, as it was Mini O cam even earlier than the hospital date (he was 4 days early according to hospital dates, so even earlier than I thought he would come!), so I got my homebirth . You can always refuse an induction too, something which I was quite prepared to do. No one can make you go nto hospital, or be induced, they can only advise.

I'm hoping that my SWI time is coming up. We've been managing every other day for the past week, but if things go to plan and my body behaves, I should be good to go this weekend. My temps have dropped off so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a +ve OPK in the next few days. Chart is here

Seriously, 100% you have not ovulated yet. Your peesticks have not gone positive because you have not ovulated yet.

Continue to pee on the sticks until you have a sustained thermal shift.

Look at my chart - I've just had to pee on 12 sticks before seeing a positive (and I started doing two a days probably unncessarily).

I've never heard of the leave for 30 mins thing. Does it say *Leave for 30 mins to come to room temperature"? That only applies if you are using wee that has been in the fridge NOT if using fresh from body.

Just be a little bit more patient and am sure you will ov soon. Keep us updated!

Oooh WIIMT, your cervix has opened up? How exciting. I really struggled the last cycle I was charting to notice changes in my cervix because it felt like it was always slightly open - but having felt it now on the day of positive OPK it's positively gaping open. So now I have another sign to rely on which I'm pretty about.

My temps better blooming go up after all these signs! MrGG away now for a day or two so hope we did enough before he went. We tried again this morning before he went but think he's literally shaggged out bless him

Why on earth would anyone use pee from a fridge, are these instruction writers deluded?!?!

Have urge to stick my tongue out at you LadyG - in the nicest possible way!!

Right - will stop monopolising thread now (well, after this post ) and post when have more updates.

Thanks lovely ladies for your helpful advice, even if it isn't what I wanted to hear!!

Good luck with charting/conceiving to all!

You too Terrys . Let us know though. I've a bit of a longish cycle so tie myself in knots every cycle trying to work out if I've ovved or not and convincing myself am anovulatory and clearly barren when actually just need to be patient (not my forte) so do sympathise - esp. when you have to keep SWIing. Hope egg comes soon for you!

terrysno2 haven't looked at chart yet (at work). But I always had fluctuating temps before ovulation - by as much as 0.4degrees C. The first cycle is always the most frustrating as you have no idea when you'll ov or even how high your temps are supposed to go. The advice I was given was to not really pay much attention to your chart on a day to day basis as it's much better for giving you an overview. This cycle ff thought I'd ovulated before I actually had. It changed it's mind 3 times before eventually settling on the day I thought was most likely which was 4 days after it's original estimate. If I'd believed FF first time round I would have stopped SWI-ing and probably not got my BFP.

Try not to stress over each temp change until you've got a really obvious biphasic pattern showing up.

Faint lines on OPKs don't mean anything either. I used to get faint lines then nothing, then faint for about a week then the LH surge would kick in. It was my body's way of spluttering out hormones unevenly till eventually the balance would tip in favour of ovulation and an egg would hatch around CD23-25.

Best of luck to you. And we're all here to help decipher your chart once FF starts throwing those cross hairs into the mix!

oo and fingers crossed you caught the egg ladyggg, wide open cervix always a great sign. Even better when you actually find it's slammed shut the next day! Incredible what happens inside our bodies.

Thanks guys - digitalgirl I have seen the cross hairs, for one magical day on Monday, until the next day it disappeared again. Was quite !

Patience is NOT my forte. Can you tell??

BTW - LadyG and WIIMT how do you know your cervix is open???