Charters Anonymous Volume 7. Charting and shagging our way to victory!

[digitalgirl]

Previous thread here

Join us in egg-hunting, cm analysing, chart-stalking and plotting our way to a bfp. Or just generally losing the plot. All welcome!

Your temps will stay high most of your luteal phase (mine usually drops about a day before af arrives).18 high temps is usually very positive sign of pregnancy.
All the coordination of charting takes some time! I got rather excited today as its the first time I've been certain of ewcm! I was like 'ooh ewcm quick, quick time to get some swi in!'.
Re twinges, I tend to get them a day after it suggests I've ovulated.
Keep the new symptoms coming in to us and add them to your chart so you can see if there's a pattern!
I am pleased with swi in 'faith' household, so far so good!

Morning - and spot the obsessed charting newbie, posting pre-8am :)

Congratulations on spotting your EWCM yesterday Faith

I got a new one from FF this morning: 'Your new data input has modified your pattern enough for Fertility Friend to re-assess your interpretation. Your ovulation day was moved from Cycle Day 13 to Cycle Day 14.'

And still getting left ovary twinges. I am now worried it is a) the small cyst that was found last time I had a scan or b) the beginnings of an ectopic pregnancy. Am sure these sort of feelings passed completely unrecognised before. And why didn't I know I spent two weeks of the month warmer than the previous two weeks?!

Ahh, what fun...

karbea It's difficult to know for sure, and I'm no expert, but day 13 looks like a definite possibility... I see FF still hasn't given you an ov date this cycle.

duckdodgers it looks like either CD14 or 15 this month, doesn't it? It's so tricky when temps go up and down such a lot; I like it better when they behave themselves! I'm the same as you when it comes to CM so apart from EW, which I normally only get on one day, I can't really tell. Do you check cervix condition too? I just haven't managed to get into the habit of doing that. I find it difficult to reach without some sort of contortionist act so tend not to bother.

freelance Hi and welcome. Think I may have come across you on another thread, maybe one of the mc ones. Wow at all the SWI and don't worry about missing the occasional day ? most recommendations are to do it every other day, so you've more than covered the fertile period imho. If you tell FF to discard your CD5 temp then your chart would look a lot clearer... you said you were up and active for a while before you took it, so it's not really valid anyway. When I was pg earlier in the year I kept getting left ovary twinges but it wasn't ectopic. It may be just the corpus luteum churning out its hormones (???). FX anyway.

faith Exciting times, ewcm and good swi ? sounds promising!

I'd appreciate some advice from you lovely ladies on when I should use the opk this month. I've never used opks before; I have a pack of five and I don't really want to waste them but better to waste them than miss the big day, I guess. I can't remember what make they are. I'm still not convinced about my May cycle ? that chart's a right mess. Does anyone else think I could have ov'd on CD14 rather than CD10? If it was CD10 then I had ewcm after ov rather than before. Chart is [http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/35876b here].
The more recent cycle (starting 29 May) was much clearer, even to me, and the current one is behaving so far, so should I start POAS tomorrow lunchtime (day 8) do we think? I'm going to be working hard at seducing DP on Friday night and Sunday irrespective of the opk results. Unlike most men, he's not overly bothered about sw (or without) i so there's zero chance of dtd all three days of the weekend; even two would be good going. I'm really envious of all of you getting lots of swi in! I guess you don't need to know that ? sorry if tmi! Meantime, I'm just popping out to buy some grapefruit juice. It's quite refreshing in warm weather, don't you know... that's what I'm telling dp, anyway.

Sorry, this turned into war and peace!

Mitzi, I know, it still doesn't think I've ov'd, I think this cycle is doomed. Typical its the one when I've been having my blood tests!

I'd say wait til cd10... But I'm not expert!

Hi Mitzi yes I think we might have 'met' on another thread. I started a few when/after miscarrying, picked up a lot of new friends in the How Are You Feeling After MC thread and am now official thread starter of the Travelling Hopefully Bus, currently travelling on the Chat thread as not many of were ready to ttc for a while or the ttc post mc boards :)

I will indeed discard my CD5 temp. I have added a few bits now too, still getting left ovary (occasionally a right ovary guest appearance...) twinges. I had to look up corpus luteum

duckdodgers and karbea I am too much of a novice to put my twopence in but I will scan through your posts and see if I can work it out! Also, the way am obsessing I am going to be a charting expert by Monday... Although it might take me a couple more cycles to get going properly.

Mitzi I can give you my twopence about poas for ovulation only that I bought a load of internet cheapies and didn't get a positive at all this month! I am pretty hopeful from the brass band that's been playing in my left ovary and the temp changes that I HAVE ovulated. There was a VERY faint line on the stick on CD13 but they say not to count these so I haven't charted it. I would say for next month (IF you need them next month) get some internet cheapies rather than spend loads of cash on them, BUT they haven't worked enough to tell me anything so far. I know there are different thoughts of what time of day to test etc so maybe might faint line would have been darker had I tested at a different time. Don't test in the morning, so they say.

Ah yes, I have been SWI a lot and I am trying to treat it as fun... but DH is getting a bit annoyed with me always thinking about the whole thing (not sex of course, I think he would be happy if I thought about that the whole time. He was moaning a bit about me being on here and charting etc etc. But I tried to explain to him I am really trying to be upbeat about what is potentially a rather scary situation (miscarriages, hard core drugs, very high killer cells, trying to get pregnant, trying not to kill it again etc etc) and something WE ladies live with every second of the day as it is OUR bodies. So as far as I am concerned they just have to be a bit more understanding!!

Waves at freelance

mitzi the general consensus is to use opk's between 12 and 4 as those are the peak times for LH. But everyone is different - some women, like me, get a long 48 hour lh surge and would get a positive opk for two days in a row (because of this I can test any time of the day). Others may only surge for 12 hours and can miss the surge if only testing once a day. I'd start testing from 9dpo at about 4pm if you only have five - and try to hold your wee for about 3 hours before testing so any hormone in there will be concentrated. But don't worry if all of this sounds like too much hard work - your temp charting will probably help confirm that you have ovulated even if the actual day itself is hard to pinpoint.
And please don't put yourself under extra pressure to swi more because of what you read on here. My dh and I have agreed up front to swi as much as possible for the next few cycles as, like freelance, I'll be on steroids from ovulation so it's in our interest to put as much effort in as possible in an attempt to minimise the number of cycles I need to take these drugs. If I wasn't on this treatment plan we'd probably be a little bit more laid back. Mind you, I've had 4 mc's in the last two years so we're pretty desperate to make it work soon and put ttc behind us.

Nothing much to report here. Appt went ok yesterday - scan shows ovaries still polycystic. All I can do is continue with the Metformin and acupuncture as Clomid won't help shorten my cycles.
Cd5 and still on af - a good 2-3 weeks away from ovulation so all quiet on the swi-front for a while. Although dh will probably want to get some practise in soon. Anyone else feel 'obliged' when not in the mood as you hope they return the favour when we are -ovulating- in the mood?

Oh yes! digital I definitely initiate when I'm sure I'm not fertile and tend to treat him (iykwim!) cos I read that saliva can affect sperm motility! Not sure he's twigged that bless him. He's been very receptive this cycle to my initiating swi. Not telling him exactly what's going on, just encouraging more sex! If he's certain I'm fertile it can cause performance issues. So far so good! I'm expecting a temp rise anyday
Glad to hear the appointment was ok digital. How long have you been having the acupuncture? Have you noticed any changes?

Arghh!!!

Karbea are you ok?

BTW folks has anyone seen this gizmo link here - a friend mentioned it to me and made me wish I had thought of it first...yours for the princely sum of £495 (I could have made a fortune). They reckon it is as effective as a cycle of IVF, haven't checked the small print on that one, but as my friend pointed out if you're having IVF for say blocked tubes, more accurate temp data is not going to help much...

Good idea but can't help thinking that it is overcomplicating things a wee bit - bet a man came up with it (could be wrong, haven't read the whole site)

No very frustrated... Will cut and paste my post in here.. One sec.

poppyjen that sounds amazingly fantastic! As I once read on the back of a toilet door...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

havealittle have been having acupuncture for a year now. I'd say it's been very helpful. It regulated my cycles during my longest gap between pregnancies (4 cycles). And I've been pregnant twice since having it. I didn't have a session till quite late into my last cycle and I suspect that might have had something to do with my late ovulation. I continue to have it when pregnant too. If you have irregular cycles or a short luteal phase I would recommend it.

poppyjen wow, what a hugely expensive way to take your temperature!! Wonder if you would end up arguing with it like we do with ff...

digital its better than that - apparently you get a team of experts in Cambridge analysing the data for you so not only would you have the joy of arguing with software, but a real person as well

IMHO I think that this seems a bit like a way of cashing in on the vulnerable...I think if this did the job as well as they say then they would at least offer it on a monthly basis sort of like a rental/subscription. The fact that they want you to pay so much money up front makes me suspicious...

Karbea still can't see your post, hope all is well

Hi all, this thread really is catching pace again
A special welcome to all the newbies!

Just a quick update from me, my HSG on Tuesday showed everything was normal, so now it's just a case off chasing the consultant for blood results and Appt. Will catch up proper over the weekend. Mad week

mitzi I start using OPKs from day 9-10 as I'm an early ovulator (have been known to Ov on CD11)

Having a little chuckle on train to Glasgow (free wifi in first!) about saliva increasing sperm mobility Thanks Faith :) I also heard something about, er, consuming sperm helping your body get used to your OH's body make up and therefore making it less likely you will have any immune problems (apologies for early morning references to such niceties!).

I could do with a team of experts in Cambridge analysing my data right now. Every bloody day I am getting what I can only feel has always felt like ovulation pain. I've had it since day 10 and I am now on day 18! It might be the small cyst I've been told I have playing up.

Hello Digi, Karbea, Mitzi, Poppy and Scrummy and others, thanks for the newbie welcome! If anyone ones to stalk my chart it's HERE. I've been adding lots of pretty colours to it :)

Aargh! Temp has jumped this morning and it's only CD8. I CAN'T have ov'd already, surely?

karbea, what's your own aargh about? If you did a cut & paste, it didn't work.

Mitzi I have no idea, but that is really irritating if it has happened that early. Have you tested at a different time? Are you wearing lots of thermals...? There is still chance to SWI isn't there, as ok if you have ovulated surely it's still 'good to go...? I don't really know to be honest. Others do I am sure!

Could be a blip mitzi! Mind you I ovulated cd8 last month (according to FF, I wasn't so sure!). You know you need to wait to see a pattern. Plenty of swi in mean time of you can!

We can't swi until tomorrow night at the earliest! That's why I was hoping for a CD10 or 11 ov like the last two cycles - it would be perfect timing. My dp and I live 200 miles apart and only see each other at weekends and rare occasions in between. (There are plans for me to move up there, which would be brought forward if I were pg.)

I took my temp at the same time as normal this morning. I'd gone to bed quite a bit later than normal (getting on for 3am) so had less sleep than usual, but I would have thought that would make my temp lower rather than higher (kind of like taking it a couple of hours earlier.) No drinking yesterday or anything like that, to explain it.

I really, really hope it is "just a blip." Going to poas this afternoon and see what the opk says, but if I've already ov'd then the LH surge would be long gone, wouldn't it. I like some things about charting but then things like this happen and it makes me wonder if I'd be happier not doing it!

Am I the only one who finds POAS really difficult? Tomorrow I'm going to P in a pot and dip the test in it. OPK is negative. Faint line, but instructions say it must be as dark as, or darker than, the test line to be a positive.

I have a special pee pot.

Hmm not sure why I pushed send straight off! Anyway no I always ruin pee sticks. Therefore I pee in a pot then dip. Never had much joy with opks and since I've got ?pcos chances are I won't get a true picture anyway.

:) feeling quite positive this month....
see my chart

I discarded the crazy high from last Sunday which was taken a) really late b) when I'd been drinking the night before and c) I'd got up for a wee and it put my ovulation date up!

I am making a concerted effort to try to understand that Faith! But it seems to be going in the right direction. I too have a special pee pot too Mitzi (as that what my pack tells you to do - hold it in for 10 secs) but not sure whether it worked as this month I only got the faintest of faint tiny barely there lines on one day so either I didn't ovulate, I got it wrong or the sticks are crap. Next time I intend to do it at different times of day around the time of ovulation to see if I might catch the surge. It would be somewhat reassuring to have one.

Faith your chart is looking good, I think!

I had a weird temp thing today. Am in a hotel in Edinburgh on my own so when I woke up (mobile was charging on other side of room so didn't know the time) my temp was same as yesterday 36.75. But I got up to check time and it was 5.20am! I went back to sleep, tested again at 8.20am and it was 37.09! Highest ever! Futilility Friend doesn't seem to like it.

www.fertilityfriend.com/home/35dcaf

Can't work out why I was so warm!! My day before temp is a circle as I was up at 5.30am (and had to stay up) but it was still similar to other temps.