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!

Thanks for taking a look Mitzi. It's lovely to have this support here!

Yes, it was taken at 6.30 and most of the others have been at 7.30-8.30. I was going to try to get back to sleep and test later but I couldn't. I think it is these bloody steroids making me wake up earlier.

I guess, if I am charting again next month, what I need to do is make a concerted effort to set the alarm at a consistent time every day. It's such a hard thing to do for a freelancer who is used to rocking out of bed at whatever time I please! Needs must I guess...

I've found my temps are so much clearer since I started temping at the same time using an alarm. Also since I started crossing my legs and not peeing in the night!
I'm just twiddlling my thumbs on cd18. Feeling pretty run down but I am due a holiday! Who knows?!

made a mistake am on cd 23 so 8dpo, fx for all of us in the 2ww xx

Sorry for the temp drop poppy . My last cycle was 'well-timed' too I know how you feel.

freelance an hour's difference can affect your temps. I go back to sleep after taking my temp - it's a learnt skill after a year of temping!

Temp was ridiculously high today after yesterday's record low. Good thing I'm cross-checking with cm and cervix position which are both saying 'not fertile' and the fact I'm only 11dpo means I'm not really paying attention to my temps just trying build up a picture of my pre-ov range. Had acupuncture today so will be interesting to see if temps behave themselves for the next few days.

Hi Peeps,

Can I join? :) I've been charting for 3 months now, the first month of charting resulted in a BFP, second month was my sad miscarriage, and then last month my first cycle post miscarriage.

I've been using a cheapie superdrug digital thermometer as it's what I had lying around. Would I be better off with a proper basal thermometer - if so, any recommendations?

I was gutted to get AF this month as my chart looked quite promising (nearly triphasic) and, as yet, i've not had a temperature dip for AF, ho hum!

hi all! x

Hi piemistress, welcome! I'm fairly new to here too. To be honest, I think any thermometer will.do, the accuracy relates more to doing it consistently. I switched to a Fahrenheit thermometer a couple of cycles ago (found it just had slightly more accurate readings). Sorry to hear about your mc. How long have you been trying to ttc?
I know what you mean about temp drop, last cycle my temp was still

havealittle AF arrived for me yesterday evening too following the temp drop in the morning.

That means 11 day luteal phase. That seems a little short, what do you ladies think? Could just be that this is first cycle post mc and things are a little messed up. On the plus side my cycle was 38 days long this time instead of 55 so I am happy about that (had taken agnus castus before ovulation this month so could be that - I'll certainly try it again this time.)

Hi Piemistress sorry to hear of your mc, I had one too last cycle and like you I had high hopes for this one but sadly AF paid me a visit yesterday so it wasn't to be, felt very down last night as it brought sad memories back...

Still onwards and upwards, FX that this month is the month for all of us

Morning all, a weird rise from me today but I (shamefully, for someone in the 2ww I know) consumed over half a bottle of wine last night so I imagine that's the cause. Oh well, I just can't beat myself up about these things!

Digital I will indeed stop moaning about my sleep and start setting the alarm at 7am every day. I feel 7am is a good time, and I am waking up easier on the steroids too. Am seriously impressed with your charting skills! How are you cross-checking with cm and cervix position? For some reason I have had really crappy cm signs this month (the only month I've ever started to really take a note of them of course) and I don't think I have ever found my cervix. Must have a dig around. A really awful pervy doc once told me I have a 'very profound vagina' so it might be hard to find.... Loving the sound of your acupuncture guy! I realise this is another thread so will post there.

Pie welcome to the charting thread! I hope you are feeling a bit more upbeat than yesterday. Lots of us have had miscarriages and can relate to how you feel. I have a triphasic chart this month I think but I am not sure it means anything for me this month either. Try thinking about it in a positive way as it gives one more month for your body to get back to normal after the miscarriage. I know it doesn't help.

Am having a good stalk at your chart link Faith. Did FF move it back to Day 13? I notice there is a rise this morning. I love the fact that I know what temp yours ways this morning :)

Is anyone else in the 2ww lurking on that '2ww imaginary symptom spotting' thread? Am really enjoying it :) Not posting though and it's gone a bit quiet unfortunately. Maybe they are all coming to the end of their 2ww.

HERE'S MINE if anyone is interested. Pretty sure that record high today is down to last night's wine...

Hi, like a lot of people I have been trying to step back now in 2ww. But my chart has been looking absolutely fantastic I couldnt help get my hopes up. Here if you want a look

(Take out my temp today and you can see it was looking great!)

Especially since I have a LP of 10/11 days on average so you can imagine getting excited making it to 13 DPO yesterday but days of BFNs put a dampner on that plus big drop today can only mean 1 thing and its not good, wish it would just come now.

Not going to give up - how can I, I would always be aware of roughly when Im ovulating (and would want to swi just in case) but its a year next month since I got my coil out and 13 cycles later nothing. Dont think its meant to happen now, I should be thankful for what Ice got.

So hello to everyone and welcome all the new folk!!

Dont think that worked.

www.fertilityfriend.com/home/3053f2

Morning Peeps,

For the first time over 3 months I didn't take my temp this morning. A combination of being woken up at 5am by DH stealing the covers and then I couldn't get back to sleep for mulling things overs. AF is definitely back with a force though, I feel better that it's heavy rather than being so light though (IYSWIM!).

havealittlefaith I had to have 2 x CD21 checks as they insisted I came in on CD21 but I know I ovulate on CD17 so the results were low, I then went back on CD27 so the results wouldn't have been right either! Ho Hum. Must make another appt this month for the right day!

poppy I also had an 11day LP this month with day 11 being light spotting. I read in the TCOYF book that this should be okay but it's the first time ever i've spotted so lightly 2 days before AF started. I've conceived twice with a 10/11 day LP (one successful, one not) so am hoping it's not a problem 3rd time, fingers crossed! Sorry to hear about your m/c too, it's awful isn't it and seeing AF does bring back lots of horrible bleeding memories :(

freelance I find also checking the CP quite useful. It definitely does move up and down quite a bit although i'm never sure about the open or closed bit as I can't tell?! Am hoping this is the month for all of us! M/C sucks ass big time!

Here is my chart anyway for last month. I was gutted to get BFN as from my inexperienced eye it looked quite promising (last month's June cycle, in fact it looks more like a pregnancy cycle than the one I actually did conceive in (March!)

www.fertilityfriend.com/home/piemistress

x

Sorry af got some of you yesterday.

poppy & duck I remember reading on ff that most pregnancies implant at 7-10dpo. Any later and there's a greater chance of mc. So I reckon an 11 day lp is absolutely fine. I've heard less than 10 may reduce your chances a little but still very possible to get pg with a short lp.

piemistress welcome. I use a bbt I bought from boots but you can get them cheaper online. I used a regular fever thermometer while charting when ttc#1 and it was only to 1 decimal place so not as accurate. Someone said on mn (can't remember if it was this thread) that fever thermometers are more accurate for higher temps but not so accurate at lower temps which is what we're charting. No idea if that's true or not but see how you get on and if you find you can't make sense of your charts then could be worth swapping.

freelance are you testing soon? I had to learn to check cp because my cm can sometimes be unreliable (ewcm for several days) not to mention the headache opk's can give me. It can be a little confusing trying to tell the difference between open and closed - but once you've felt it open during ovulation and then closed post ovulation you start to know what you're looking for. This is prob tmi now - but I check in the morning after a shower. If you can't find it standing up then sitting over the loo might help. But really you have such regular cycles you prob don't need to do this. My knowledge of charting fertile signs is honed from years of ttc through a combination of breastfeeding, co-sleeping with a wriggly toddler, irregular cycles and WTF cycles following miscarriages. I really wouldn't expect everyone to be as clued up as I have unfortunately have to be.

Only cd12 here and cervix still well and truly shut so nothing to get excited about. Bring on next week when proper swi can commence.

I only know about cross checking signs from Taking charge of your fertility and often consult it if I'm at all unsure! Temp has crept up last two mornings...feeling quietly confident! my chart
Re the plantation to back up digital I read on the FF website about a study of all their charts submitted they looked at implantation dips from 5dpo to 10dpo so is agree that 11 is a long enough luteal phase.
Comiserations where af has arrived. Always rubbish but here's to this cycle.

Morning Peeps,

Just a quick question - how do you take your temperature? I stick my thermomter under my tongue? Is that right?

I have real problems with the erraticness (is that ever a word!) with the time of taking my temps in that it's rarely after 3hrs sleep. I never sleep through the night (have a very very restless DH it's most annoying) so usually take it about 6am (after having been awake between 4 - 5am). Will it matter? I think as long as I can see a shift change in my chart it's okay?

Yes I take it under my tongue and have it next to the bed to do as soon as I wake up. I have got used to doing it now. The trouble is for me is that I get up at different times every day. The suggestion is to set the alarm for a time that you can get up every day but for you, with the erratic DH etc, that might mean setting it for 4am every morning and then going back to sleep! Not much fun...

pie dont worry about lack of sleep, I never get 3 hours straight sleep, Im a light sleeper plus Im up for the loo several times during the night. I have worked out the best time to take my temp is 5am, Im always awake. Probably only actually asleep for an hour and a half before this to. To me it makes no difference, I always notice a thermal shift - and yes this is all that matters as it indicates you are ovulating and when.

It may make a difference to others, just saying it doesnt for me, but chart and see, as long as you see the rise you are fine.

For me AF arrived as predicted yesterday. Its just not going to happen I fear.

Welcome to the newcomers, this thread has moved too fast for me recently! I haven't had much to say as I only charted CM this cycle. No temps was liberating, as I think scrummy said too. Although towards the end of the cycle I was dying to know when I had exactly ov'd... I caved today and tested - and got a BFP! Six months charting and then I get my BFP on my first month off! Obv early days, but pleased to have something to show for the last seven months. Sorry to be me,me,me when I haven't been here for a few weeks but I thought it would be rude not to tell you all!

islandisla BFP, well done!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brilliant news islandisla! Congratulations!

Great news IslandIsla

Congratulations Islandisla that is fantastic news!

Congrats islandisla brilliant news! Whoop Whoop! :o

Fab, brill, whoop, whoop! Another BFP! Massive congratulations islandisla

Islandisla congratulations! Great news!