AF is finally here!! What now...?

[ttc97]

So! After a long and tough few weeks of nausea, cramping, sickness? Headaches and mood swings from hell following the removal of my Nexplanon implant early August, AF IS FINALLY HERE! 🎉
I had been waiting and worrying for a few weeks now, after having pregnancy like symptoms, getting 4 false positives and still no sign of AF I was really concerned as to what was going on, but alas AF has arrived and I'm so glad as it means I can try to track my cycles better..
Now for the 'silly' bit 🤣
We are TTC our first baby, and I wondered if anybody could explain to me how to track ovulation, how it all works and when to expect ovulation following AF! It's the first time I've ever had to track before and I really want to make sure I'm getting this right and ensuring I'm giving us the best chance to conceive 🙈 any help, tips advice and guidance would be much appreciated 💓

Thank you!

Just bumping up my post - would be great to get some advice 💓

Hi :) it’s my first month of trying too but I‘ve tracked my ovulation a few month now and use OPKs and sometimes temping my basal body temperature (although I think my sleep pattern is too irregular for this). What really helped me is watching different YouTube videos on tracking ovulation and everything related :). Hope this helps a little

OPKs are a great way to track when ovulation is starting to happen (your OPK will be positive when your LH levels are strong enough to result in ovulation), and tracking your temperature with a basel body thermometer (BBT) is the only way to confirm ovulation has happened (as you should see a sustained temperature rise).

You can also keep track of cervical mucus (CM) and the position of your cervix... delightful I know !

Hi @ttc97
I had my implant removed on the 5th aug and had my period on the 9th, I was surprised it happened that quickly.
As I had barely any af when I have the implant, I just left the cycle length as a standard 28days to give us a rough fertility window.
I know loads of ladies on here like to the opk, but I'm hoping if I track each month just using a cycle calculator, even if we're not successful this time round, it will at least give us a bit more info to make future cycles a little more accurate. If that makes sense?

Thank you all so much for your help so far 💓
I'm a little confused now, as yesterday I was in absolute agony with AF starting, got a little heavier through the day, and some clotting etc (sorry for the TMI) and now today it's light pink, barely there..
Could this be withdrawal bleeding? Even though it's been this long since removal? I'm so confused as to what's going on now..

I'm so desperate to begin TTC and I'm now worried that this is a withdrawal bleed, and therefore I won't ovulate.

Ahhh, bodies are so complicated 🤣😅

Hi @ttc97

I stopped taking my pill in June, got a casual ttc thing going on at the moment! But I use the flo app to track ovulation, I’m not using OPK at the moment but you can get cheapos in places like savers if you wanted to use them. I’m not entirely convinced I’m ovulating at the moment.

Apparently your first bleed is a withdrawal bleed but you could still ovulate, everybody is different. I think the only way to tell it you actually ovulate is by temping (may be wrong) the OPK detect a LH surge but this surge could be if your body is attempting to ovulated but doesn’t successfully do so.

Its all a bloody mystery to be honest! I don’t do the temping and OPK simply because i think it would drive me mad. 🤣🤣🤣

@Sarahp2308
Thanks so much for your help! I'm so confused at the moment as I've pretty much finished what in thought was my 'period' it's turned into absolutely nothing, not even any pink blood anymore. So strange, I'm really confused..
Maybe it was just a withdrawal bleed after all. Gutted as we wanted to track ovulation from here to TTC. I'm guessing I probably won't ovulate this time around! 😣😩 xx ahhh so frustrating

@ttc97 I started tracking my cycle after my withdrawal bleed & it was pretty accurate! You may ovulate everybody is different some people ovulate straight away! It is really confusing & i think it can take a while for you body to readjust! The only way to know if you’re ovulating is to check for the signs like temping, OPKS and certain cervical mucus. It depends on how you want to go about it like I said I’m trying the laid back approach not sure how long that will last though 🤣🤣

@Sarahp2308 hoping I will still ovulate! Fingers crossed. I've had the WORST 'period' pains of my life yesterday, I was in terras and doubled over so really thought this was it! Sadly I don't think it is as it seeks to have disappeared just as soon as it arrived. So annoying but hey ho! I've got some strip ovulation tests actually, so will begin with those perhaps from tonight onward. Xx

• in tears! I'm obviously half asleep today haha!

@ttc97 My withdrawal bleed only lasted a couple of days too! I had forgotten about the joys of period pains! If you put yesterday as you first day of your cycle in one of those apps, I use flo but theres loads out there it will give some kind of indication when your fertile window is, but its not going to harm to test from today as alot of peoples bodies are all over the place when the first come off contraception and you don’t wanna miss it if it comes early....I find the most frustrating thing is not know whats going on inside 🙄

@Sarahp2308 thank you! Glad to know I'm not the only one 😅 I have put my 2 days bleed In my Flo app, feels weird only having been two days but it's given me a fertile window which is good. I will probably begin ovulation testing from tonight and see how I go 💓 xx

You’re welcome @ttc97 hope it all goes well...keep us posted xx

Morning all!
Okay so I'm super confused. Woke up this morning with severe stomach cramping again, went to the loo and I'm bleeding once again, and fairly heavily now too.
What on earth is going on?! Is this a withdrawal bleed.. is this a period?! I have no idea what to think now. So confused..

Hey!

Hope it's okay to join this thread - I'm also waiting for my first proper AF after coming off the pill in early August (after 13 years!). Had my withdrawal bleed as normal two days later and now I'm CD29 so hopefully due AF any day now - bring on the hot water bottles and long hot baths!

@ttc97 - It does sound like you're on your AF - even when I was on the pill, I'd start like clockwork but sometimes it would be a stop/start period, sometimes it would be heavier at the beginning, sometimes it would be lighter all the way through - I could never tell! I would carry on tracking in the app and treat it as your first AF! 😊

@RBCoxie

Ahh no problem, welcome to the thread! 💓
It's great to hear that you've had similar - and I hope your AF comes soon!

I think this must be AF for me.. it's really painful still this morning, and heavy again at the moment but then again by later on it will probably have turned into nothing. So confusing! Haha xx

Thank you! 😊 I think I'm starting to feel signs, but then again I don't know whether I'm reading too much into every little sign!

Yeah completely agree with how confusing our bodies can be - why can't it just be simple?! I'd keep tracking in the app as your AF and then at least it'll give you an idea of your fertile window and you can TTC from there! Hopefully this will be the first cycle for us both!! x

@RBCoxie ohh I know, it would be so much easier if things were just straight forward wouldn't it?? 🙈😆

I've got my fingers crossed for us - I'm tracking in FLO app so it's given me an idea of when I will ovulate, assuming this is AF. X

@ttc97 yes!! it really would! and to think, this is just the beginning! I'm determined to make it as fun and exciting as possible...ask me again in a few months time and I may not be so positive! haha!

Ah nice, I'm using Ovia which has been pretty good - in August I got ovulation pain and the right CM as you'd expect for the fertile window so it looks like it's tracking it right so far. We just thought it would be better to wait for the first AF to properly start TTC but now I wish we'd just started as soon as I stopped the pill. Are you taking any vits or anything? x

@RBCoxie I'm taking folic acid, but that's all at the moment :) xx

Hi, can I join in with this? TTC #1

I came off the pill at the start of July, had my withdrawal bleed straight away and AF came after 35 days although it was very light. Now I'm on day 23 of my 1st proper cycle but no sign I've ovulated yet

I've been using OPKs which are all coming back negative and my CM doesn't seem to be changing (thick and creamy colour constantly - sorry for TMI ). Does this seem normal after being on the pill for 6 years?

I'm a massive over-thinker so I'm already worrying about what I'll do if it never happens! X

@ttc97 sounds like you may have gone straight to AF in that case, i think withdrawal bleeds are generally fairly light!

@Hufflypuf Hiii! I’m exactly the same as you I came off in June, been on the same pill for about 5-6 years but been on some form of contraception for over 10 years! I’m not sure I am ovulating, I’m not using OPKS but there is no change in my CM throughout my cycle 😕

Are we all TTC number 1? xx

@Hufflypuf happy to have you join! I'm hoping you will get your positive OPK soon 💓 xx

@Sarahp2308 oh I hope
So, I've got My fingers crossed that this is AF 😅 if not it's really heavy and painful for a withdrawal so I dread to think what AF will be like haha! 😂🙈
Xx