Charter's Anonymous

[LittleSilver]

I thought I'd start a thread for all of us who worship at the shrine of Toni Weschler, spend whole seconds analysing cervical mucus, slip over in the shower checking cervical position and spend two minutes every morning flicking their heads from side to side in a valiant attempt to stop a baby pulling the thermometer out of their mouths. Ladies, this thread is for all of us, may it see many many BFPs!

ooh Ivy just seen your other thread, are you new to Mumsnet?

Sorry to hear about your miscarriage, that's really crappy luck.

Do you have an approximate cycle length or is it all far too irregular still?

Thanks spilt x

thanks spilt, don't worry, we all have our pity parties. ~hands out cookies~
and yeah, I'm new to mumsnet. the whole format of things here is still confusing me a little, so bear with me, please

the cycle I conceived the bub I mcd on was (based on scan dates) about 45 days, but it seems to be all over the place.
I don't even use OPKs on a regular basis because I'd be peeing away waaay too much money, but I had an inkling and thought I'd better check, so I know at least something happened this weekend. 2WW it is, I guess, though I'm not daring to get my hopes up again just yet.

OK. So, after three years and a miscarriage it's war - and I've decided I need to do things with a thermometer that make me pregnant (keep it clean ladies). So I've been shopping (god help me in explaining this to husband) and I've got a thermometer and a copy of that book that resembles a house brick in size - and from a quick flick through resembles those damned More Position of the Fortnights we all used to read avidly when we were about 14. (I've put off going down the charting route until now because, well, it requires waking up in the morning and that's not my strong point)

Give me the idiots guide where I start please!

I'm not very good at the whole charting thing, so I signed myself up to FertilityFriend, and it pretty much teaches you all you need to start with..
I think basically you take your temp orally (or vaginally) every morning at the same time before moving or anything.. then you write that down, along with your cycle day and the time, then you can add extra bits like your mood, any physical symptoms you might be experiencing, the consistency and amount of your CM, cervical texture and positioning, medication you are taking and whether/how often you dtd.

does that make sense? hth.

Hi empty, the -bible- book isn't all that bad, honestly. I found it quite fascinating really (although I do have to restrain my inner geek on occasion)

Do you get up at the same time every morning? DD has varied waking times, so I found it easier to set my alarm for 5:30, take my temp and then go back to sleep. Sounds worse than it is! I'm not a great faller-asleeper, but I can just about manage early morning half-asleep temp-taking, and nod off again. Most BBT thermometers store your last temp, so I make a note of it when I get up properly. I deliberately don't look at the result at 5:30 because then I'd just lie awake worrying/excited/with a feeling of dread etc.

I plot by hand on a TCOYF printout (inner geek, told you!) and also enter my temps into Fertility Friend to double check my ovulation date.

Sorry, bible

Hello empty!

Charting is dead easy, and you can make it as quick or as involved as you like. The most basic info is recording when you have your periods so you get cycle length/regularity info.

Then you can fill in a bit more detail by watching symptoms to see when you appear to be ovulating.
This could be by checking your cervical mucus (you are most fertile/about to ovulate when it's most wet, clear, abundant and stretchy).
You can use OPK tests to try and spot the LH hormone surge which happens about 24-36 hrs before ovulation.
You can check cervical position if you can face it (it is higher, softer and more "open" around ovulation).
You can also record your waking temperature. The day after ovulation it should jump up due to the progesterone your body makes.

You don't have to do all of these things, I don't, but putting some of them together helps build a clearer picture of what's going on. It might help you spot possible issues, and it should also help you time the sex right.

3 years is a long time though, have you seen anyone to run any routine tests on your hormone levels/ your DH's sperm?

They won't run anything other than the most basic tests because my BMI's too high.

Right I am here tonight with positive vibes after showing my mum my chart and she thinks I am def ovulating which is great as this is my greatest fear what with having PCOS!!! I have bought some EPO and am going to go all out this month, lots and lots of SWI!!!!

I am sending my positivness out to all of you as well!!

Good luck charting empty, it does become addictive!!

Oh empty , that seems very rude of them!

That is terrible empty

My BMI is high but I still had blood tests which is how I found out I have PCOS. I am going back to the doctors tomorrow to see if they can do any more tests just so I know what I am up against so it will be interesting if they tell me they won't due to my BMI! I will keep you posted.

Oh empty,

Perhaps charting will help you feel more in control. It might make you feel like you're doing something positive. Alternatively, it could just make you feel obsessed

Have you had basic bloods done - testing for LH and FSH, prolactin, thyroid problems etc, and progesterone to check that you're actually ovulating? I am assuming that you have after 3 years. And your DP has had a semen analysis?

My heart bleeds for you, really it does. I can't imagine how heartbreaking it is for you. I hope that charting helps - read the book, it has several hopeful case studies in it. And fingers crossed, it will help you to get your baby

I've had some basic hormone blood tests done, a scan with the dildo cam which they reckoned showed a ripe follicle, hubby's had semen analysis done - that's all they can do with me at my weight. Been trying to lose it for over a year now, still nowhere near NHS guidelines.

There's nothing they can/will do to help us and I'm now nearing a breakdown point after finally concieving last month and then miscarrying very very early.

Feel so angry that I pay my taxes into the NHS yet it refuses to help us.

Presumably you have had thyroid function tests, so that can be ruled out?

Have you been using your own diet/exercise plan, or did the GP help with that?

Empty, I so feel for you. I have only been trying for 6months and feel crappy!

I went back to the docs today and (although I was worried when an annovulatory cycle was news to him) he said he doesn't think I have PCOS at all!! Didn't really trust his judgement but he has sent me for a scan which is what I wanted!

Empty, believe me I know what the whole diet thing is like. I am overweight, a healthy size 16 but my BMI is way way above what they say it should be and would need to lose about 4-5 stone to be in the normal range!!

There is the Cambridge diet, a diet which some people don't agree with and I can understand why but that I have done before and it is easy to lose the weight and I felt great on it and lost 3stone in 3 months and (it took me 4 years to put it back on) which would mean you could go for further tests? I know it is a real pain but thought I would suggest anyway incase you wanted to look into it. Please don't all shout at me for suggesting it! I think if you can do the whole healthy eating and exercise thing then yes that is of course the healthier option but for me I need to bearly eat to lose weight and ruling out food and being given exactly what you can have works for me!

Danilou22 I know nothing about the Cambridge diet and don't want you to think I'm shouting . But I feel I must caution you - if the diet involves eating barely anything then that might be very bad for ttc.

I'm the opposite of you gals - up until recently I maybe ate one meal a day (dinner), and was casual about it because I am ideal BMI for my height.

But my scenario is not as good as it may appear: my one meal a day was giving me crashing low moods, headaches... all this I think affected by sugar levels, which affects insulin, can trigger cortisol, which makes you feel more stressed than you should (and TTC is stressful enough), which affects progesterone, which affects ovulation ... etc. I've had two MCs (maybe as a result of this...?), so was desperate to get my body in order.

What I've done is gone to see a nutritionist and I found one who specialises in fertility. It was not cheap but I wish I'd done it ages ago.

I was gobsmacked by how much she said I should eat. Three meals a day and snacks, aiming for 5 portions of veg plus two portions fruit a day (yup, 7 a day - not 5).

I was convinced I was going to pile on the pounds after years of hardly eating but the opposite has happened. I've lost a bit of weight, and I've noticed my 'muffin top' shrinking. But lots of other good stuff too - my skin is looking better, energy is good, moods so much better its unreal ... Must add that she's also got me on a bunch of supplements. I'm blown away to be honest, that I can eat that much and not put on weight and it has had such a direct impact in such a short space of time.

Sorry if this sounds super-lecturey-preachy. I'm honestly not critical of other people's choices ... but I know TTC is something you care about, which is only reason I'm saying this. Be careful hun - or at least run the diet past your doctor or a nutritionist before you do anything that might make ttc harder.

Hi,
I don't think you sound lecturey or preachy at all. I think you have to think long and hard about any eating plan and get the right medical advice before embarking. I think different things suit different people. I had a friend in the same position as you and she had to eat more and even went from being a vegi to eating meat and she fell pregnant as soon as her bmi was right
With the cambridge diet you get 100% of the nutriants you need in as little calories as possible and you have to run it past your doctor first anyway.
It was just another alternative thats all

OK - so I took my temp today and I'm definitely right toward the bottom end of all the graphs around (and basing on my normal cycles - I'm definitely into the second half of the cycle aka PMT hell) - am I just naturally a snowman or something? If I'm meant to be warmer that half - I'm not going to fit onto the charts the first half of the month!

Also have absolutely tonnes of creamy (like runny suntan lotion) CM. Normally it's a desert down there but I feel like ewwwww.

Having read all of the housebrick that is TCOYF, I'm now stumped since I'm on about day 18 of what's likely to be a somewhat wonky cycle anyway post miscarriage (although very early so I'm taking it as a period for bonking purposes).

empty I think low BBT can be indicative of hypothyroidism, which might explain your difficulties in losing weight...check in TCOYF; might be worth mentioning to the GP?

Is that the first temp you've taken? What was it, BTW? Try not to get too hung up about one temperature, you really need a few in order to see any pattern. And I'm no expert, but I'm sure that your cycles will take a bit of time to get back to normal after a miscarriage.

decaf - how is your symptom spotting going?

I'm on DPO 10 and am getting the usual pre-AF mild cramping and backache that I always get - which seems a little unfair as I might not even get AF for another 8 days! Still frantically looking for other 'signs' though - hate this bit.

BabyValentine it was 36.12 this morning - just worried me slightly since it's the second half of my cycle (it's definitely THAT since PMT/obsessional pregnancy symptom imagining is out in earnest) and it's almost the lowest values you can plot on the TCOYF charts!

Hi ladies, thanks for asking BabyValentine obsessive symptom spotting going well - still bloody constipated, felt sick on and off all day but feel really sick at the mo & the boobs still hurt when I pokethem-- on and off.

My temp was higher again this morning too but as we all know it could just come crashing down at any point so will definately not POAS till Sat as that would be 14dpo.

emptyshell 36.12 isn't that low, but if you're post ov I suppose it is on the low side. Pre ov I'm usually between 35.90 - 36.15 then post ov I'm usually between 36.25 and 36.45. I was 36.60 this morning tho so what the hell do I know?!

How's everyone else getting on? xx

Just hope there's no underlying issue with low temps because I can't imagine getting much joy out of my GP with a "Hi I'm too obese for NHS treatment, I've started neurotically charting my temperatures and the internet says this might be wrong with me."

I know I'm post m/c, but I generally have an incredibly regular 28 day cycle, but no cervical snot of the good kind.

It does sound a little low - I take my temp in farenheit, and I am 97.9 on DPO 10 which is about 36.6C.

Do you know whether you were checked for thyroid function when you had your blood tests?