Ovulation help!

[K8eee]

Right I'm totally confused and have googled my brain out. Please can someone explain how ovulation works and when. I think I am ovulating at the moment as CM (sorry if tmi) is watery than last week and my sex drive has increased. Trying to figure out from my last AF when I am ovulating as I don't want to get my hopes up

At the age of 23 I still can't figure out how ovulating works. Dumb ass...yes!

You're not a dumb ass, it seems none of us learn this until we need to know. It sounds life you're doing a lot of good things. You can also temperature chart, use ovulation predictor kits, feel your cervix and chart the regularity of your cycles. There may be some more. I use cheap opk's and watch my cycles so that I learn when I'm likely to ovulate. Good luck!

Thanks twentythirteen so how so opk's work? Are they expensive?

Kbee you can buy cheap OPKs from eBay/Amazon for a few pounds although I splashed out on the more expensive Clearblue digital when I was starting out as these are far easier to read. How long is your cycle? Average time to OV is 14 days before AF but I must stress this is only a guide. Mine is usually 13/14 days before but many women's are different. Have you considered charting your BBT?

Well I've only been TTC for a month now and had AF a week after stopping contraception which lasted a week. When you say cycle is this the time between AF? What is bbt? Sorry I'm pretty new and rubbish at abbreviations still!

Welcome to ttc!

The first day of af is cycle day 1 (cd1). Your cycle is split into two distinct phases. The first is from cd1 to ovulation, the second is from ovulation to your next af. The first phase can vary in length from cycle to cycle and can be affected by illness or stress. So, if af is late, it means that you ov later rather than the bleeding not arriving, ifyswim. The second phase, known as luteal phase or lp, will stay the same length, but can vary from woman to woman. It is usually around 14 days long, so you ov 14 days before af. For example, if you have a 28 days cycle, you could expect to ov on cd14, but on a 35 day cycle, it would more likely be cd21.

Bbt is basal body temperature. This is measured on waking with a thermometer that is sensitive to two decimal places. If you chart your temperature every morning at the same time, you will see a pattern of dips and peaks that will indicate the phases of your cycle. A great book to read about all of this is 'taking charge of your fertility' by Toni Weschler.

CharmingCats thank you so so much! Wow I never knew there were two phases. Makes a lot more sense. I think as of tomorrow I'll be whipping out the thermometer and recording my bbt then! So the higher your temp the nearer you are to AF making an appearance or it has made an appearance?

May have a look for that book, will definitely come in handy!

K8ee do you know what cycle day you are on now? (ie how long since AF arrived?). You will need to take your temperature for a number of weeks to see a noticeable pattern. Do you know how long your cycles were before you were on the pill?

I am on CD 25 today. I downloaded an app to keep track of everything and it is estimating I'm ovulating over the next few days but how true this is I don't know.

When I was on the pill my periods were regular but lasted two weeks. I'd go prob 3-4 weeks without one then have a two week bleed.

I would start charting straight away in that case. Might take a while to see a pattern but it can't hurt. Also dtd every 2-3 days until you manage to pinpoint ov. Good luck!

Thanks! Yep were like rabbits haha. Shall start charting as of tomorrow I think:)

So I've woken up this morning and my temperature is 35.2 degrees Celsius. Sounds a bit high to me or is this normal?

Hi k8eee everyone's temperature range is different. Mine is around 36.20 - 36.40 mark pre-ovulation and then around 36.70-36.90 post ovulation.

I would recommend temping as a way of understanding your cycle. You should get a BBT theremometer (£4.99 from Amazon) as it will give you your temp to two decimal paces. Input your temperatures everyday so you can track them. I use Fertility Friend which is free for the basic package and it has a good tutorial to get you started and help you understand how to temp and what it all means. You can have a look at other members charts to get an idea.

Good luck!

You definitely need a basal body thermometer if you are going to chart. Ideally you should start charting on the first day of your cycle, by not starting to chart until part way through your cycle you may find it difficult to find an average temperature.

It is very important that you take your temperature before you do anything in the morning - take it whilst still lying in bed - and also at approximately the same time every day.

Charting your temperature will not tell you when you will ovulate, it can only tell you after it has happened. Ovulation is confirmed by at least 3 days of a higher than average temperature. Your temperature will stay high during your luteal phase and will start to fall if your period is on the way or will stay high if you are pregnant. You cannot take any individual day's reading in isolation, by themselves they mean nothing. You must take a view over several days before you can build a picture.

My average normal temperature is about 36.2 Celsius. When I ovulate my temperature rises to 36.5 and can go as high as 37.0.

You really should sign up to www.fertilityfriend.com as that will analyse your temperatures for you and help to identify the thermal shift. You can get a basic package free of charge, but if you pay you get access to more features. Fertility Friend also offers apps for smart phones, so you can enter your details on your phone and sync it with the website.

Good luck and ask lots of questions if you are unsure.