do u *really* understand af's,ovulation,luteal phase....

[maisyt]

because I don't...please tell me when to bd! I do have books, and I have googled, maybe I am just thick but i find this really confusing...
I can't work this out....when do I ovulate (thats if i do...)? I have recorded my last 3 af's....
nov 18th 5 days
dec 29th 5 days
jan 26th 5 days
but I cant work out my ovulation dates they seem to be different I am sooooo confused...please can someone post a dummy thread on how to chart this stuff....please....

(sorry to use new name to post under,but I don't want my freinds who come on here knowing i am BD, hope you understand )

Do you have Toni Weschler's book?

Are you charting anything - basal body temperature, cervical mucus, saliva microscope, cervical position, using OPKs, that kind of thing? Logging your AFs is interesting but doesn't tell you much about when you are ovulating - in your case, it's telling you that your cycles are irregular, which will mean that if you are ovulating every cycle then you're not doing it at the same time each cycle.

Signs you may be about to ovulate:

Egg white cervical mucus - influenced by raised oestrogen levels. Can be easier to spot if you've had a bowel movement (because the pushing pushes it down too). Unfortunately, can easily be confused with semen if you've BD in the last 12-24 hours.

Saliva producing "ferning" patterns if you dry some on a slide and look at it under a microscope.

Your cervix becomes higher, softer, and possibly more open.

You get positive results (test line as dark as or darker than control line) on an OPK.

Signs you may have just ovulated:

Your basal body temperature (which you need to log at the same time every morning if possible, immediately you wake up and before doing anything else) jumps significantly above what it's been for the last 6 days and stays at the new higher level for at least three days.

The luteal phase (time from ovulating to start of next AF) is generally pretty much the same from one cycle to the next (normal range 10-16 days). So if you chart several cycles, identify when you ovulated in each one and establish what your LP is then you will be able to predict when AF is due after you've ovulated in a subsequent cycle.

Some women find that they consistently ovulate on or around the same cycle day, so their cycles tend to be a consistent length and after they've charted a few they can predict roughly when they are going to ovulate in any subsequent cycle. From the brief snippet you've given, it doesn't sound as though yours are like that -- so if you want to identify ovulation then your best bet is either full-on charting or (another popular approach) BDing every other day for a week from when you first notice egg-white cervical mucus (assuming you do).

According to my GP, you usally ovulate around 14 days before the start of your next period - so you would have ovulated on 4/11, 15/12 and 12/1 (or therebouts). The other technical stuff has been very well explained by Leah!

BD two or three times a week throughout your cycle is fine. Do not give any thought to timing intercourse because it mau stress you out and just as importantly could do more harm than good relationship wise.

Women can ovulate earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle even if their periods are regular. Only around 12% of all women have a 28 day cycle and some of them will not ovulate 14 days beforehand. The 14 day thing is just a guide.

Generally speaking you are more likely to be ovulating if your periods are regular in nature (as yours seem to be). You are less likely to be ovulating if periods are irregular in nature.

OPK's are problematic as they work on two misleading principles - namely that women have only one rise in LH (luteinising homrone) every month and that such a rise is immediately followed by ovulation. Both of these statements are certainly not true. The advertising may be persuasive but they are really best avoided.

You can actually get a rise in temp in the second half of your cycle when an egg has not been shed so charting as well is not infallable. If you want to try charting do so but bear in mind that this has problems as a method too. Many docs will not take any notice of such charts primarily because they are so unreliable.

How long have you been ttc for?. The general consensus seems to be that if you're under 35 and have been ttc for 12 months without luck then you should seek medical advice. If you're over 35 and have been ttc for 6 months without luck then again medical advice should be sought.

I suggested to another Msnetter to download a year calender off the web and colour in when Af comes etc.
calenders here you can then simply mark things on it. you need to count the days of your whole cycle, not just how long AF lasts
day one of your cycle is the first day of AF, no matter how light it is. I keep posting a good site and will do do again
here This will tell you about charting, CM and other indicators e.g cervix change. This site also has temp charts on it if you were to go down that route
LeahE explainded it all really well

the website even has pictures!!!

bollocks to all that .. this is all you need to know

mark down the first date of your period (when the red blood starts .. ignore any brown blood spotting that might occur first) .. you do not need to know how long you bleed for

get ovulation predictor kits (yes they are expensive unfortunately) and use them .. when it shows that you are due to ovulate have sex

every 48 hours is best for sperm

oh and paolosgirl your GP is an idiot

I used Zita West's book to identify signs of Ovulating and then confirmed my suspicians with OV test kits - had a real surprise as I was told by GP that it would be 14 days before AF and discovered that I was actually only 8 or 9 days before! Was BD on days 13 - 15 mainly and should be around 18!! No wonder nothing has been happening! Now looking into ways to lenghten the number of days between ovulating and AF. Been given some good advice on here already!

How do you work out my GP is an idiot?

"According to my GP, you usally ovulate around 14 days before the start of your next period - so you would have ovulated on 4/11, 15/12 and 12/1 (or therebouts). "

bollocks .. total bollocks .. ovuating 2 weeks prior to the start of your period is a statistical average which means there are many people who will ovulate much earlier in their cycle and many people who ovulate much later ... when GP's expound such mindless drivel they cause heartache in those women who aren't lucky enough to be statistically average .. I for one ovulated around 8 days before the start of my period (on day 24) and would never have conceived DD if I hadn't identified that as an issue

hence .. your gp = idiot

C0206 - I had a luteal phase defect too

I conceived DD first cycle on 50mg Clomid

However if you prefer a 'natural' approach you can try the following supplements that a woman can take that are 'supposed' to be helpful in optimising conception on top of the standard pre-natal vitamins (However it can take up to a year to get your body responding):

Baby aspirin (less than 81mg) daily throughout cycle

Vitex Agnus Castus from period to ovulation (although some theories that can be taken throughout cycle but should be stopped when pregnancy established)

Evening Primrose Oil (1500mg to 3000mg per day) from period to ovulation (do not take past ovulation)

Vitamin B6 (100mg to 200mg) most B6 supplements have a lot less so should ask specifically for this

HTH

Agree with Twiglett about your GP, paolosgirl - sorry.

Even the medical staff that do dating scans ignore all this about ovulation and luteal phases and just use standard 14-day charts based on last menstrual period. I tried explaining using my basal temperature charts how my dd was not small-for-dates because I ovulated later in the cycle than normal and they just ignored me. I got the same silly advice from a GP.

My preference now is to look out for the first sign of stretchy cervical mucous and then BD at least every other day for the next 10 days. In fact, I would start BD 2 days before the first sign, if you are regularish enough to predict. The times I got pg were the months I had hardly any stretchy cervical mucous!

Oh for Gods sake - thereabouts and around does not mean you will ovulate on such and such a date. I know perfectly well you won't ovulate on a specific date, having been one of the women who had fertility treatment, assisted by my wonderful GP. 14 days is a rough guide - but then as I said there are other more detailed things that Leah dealt with so well. Sheesh.

of FGS back .. the 14 day or thereabouts advice is just bollocks .. based on statistical averages .. its wrong .. so for an educated front-of-line physician to be mooting it is idiotic IMHO

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ideally luteal phase (time between ovulation and start of period) should be at least 10 days to allow a fertilised egg to implant in the womb .. so I don't think you have anything to worry about there spod

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Twiglett - thank you! Have printed off your advice and will follow it up.
Called my consultant today and he doesn't recognise LP defect so it's really good to have some of your more 'natural' ideas to try.
Spod - I wouldn't worry if I were you. I only have 8 or 9 days at most and took 5 years to fall with my first! Didn't wnat to repeat that and so investigated my ov. times and was surprised that i was ov around day 18/19 rather than 14 that my GP suggested!

Need your advice ladies! Had more pains so this morning did a first response ovulation test which I think was positive. To check (cos it was if this line is daker senario) I did a digital one about 1 hour after the first and it was negative. Wats going on???!

My advice.....stick to the digital one - cheaper in the long run (coz you don't doubt it and need to do another!!!)
Do it at roughly the same time each morning - I have had some advice not to rely too heavily on them but it definately made me feel a bit more in control when I saw the smiley face on the digi test!!

Also......(just thought)....if you ovulated at night time the LH may show up on test one but not later on on test 2.
I think that's why you should test at roughly the same time each day.
So.....(I'm getting there!)...your first test could show you are and your second not because you have!
That's what I was made to understand anyway!!
Hope that makes some sense at least!!

what does that mean your consultant 'doesn't recognise it' ??

my consultant was top dog at Kings ACU and she diagnosed it in me ..and prescribed clomid

Thanx.... i think!!!

oh and you're welcome .. it was gleaned through internet research .. HTH

gemmaseascout .. you need at least 4 hours (I think) without urinating for a test to show the hormones .. if you have urinated an hour ago it won't work .. hence the advice for first thing in the morning