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October 2009 Charting to Avoid Thread - Page 2

post #21 of 379
10/1/09 at 7:15pm
hi, just jumping in with a question if you don't mind. i'm looking to get started charting but don't know much about where to start. i'm bf and haven't had a period yet but we still need to use other methods to be super safe and make it to the deadline for a hbac in our state but i would like to get in the habit and know what's going on with my body, ykwim? does anyone have any advice for a beginner? what kind of thermometer do you use/like?

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post #22 of 379
10/1/09 at 9:06pm
Well, I know I'll need more temps to tell for sure, but I'm pretty positive I O'd yesterday. And DH didn't want to try to make a baby ... though we did have a long conversation about FAM/fertility signs.

We're planning on flying out to California (from Virginia) on Saturday to visit family for a week. I'm thinking about not temping the 4th - 11th. That would give me 3 post-O temps (though the 3rd would be an hour earlier than usual). Here's my chart if you want to take a look. I "ignored" one day after we played The Great Bink Hunt at 3am. And between forgetting my allergy meds for a few days and DS climbing into bed with me at 3am a few days my temps were a bit funky, but I think the temp shift/CF/secondary signs were pretty clear to me.

One other thing I noticed is I had a long stretch of sticky/creamy CF. I wasn't sure what to mark it, so I marked it creamy, but my feeling is if it's the same next cycle I'll regard it as non-fertile. Thoughts?
post #23 of 379
10/2/09 at 10:01am
vermontmama: on the first post of this thread, there's a resource list. And we all live and breathe by Taking Charge of Your Fertility. My favorite thermomenter so far has been the purple basal one from CVS. Not walgreens; CVS. (my DH made that mistake when I sent him to go find a new therm when that one died).

Eresh: I'm not an expert, and BFS and MW probably have a better idea...but your chart only shows 4 days of S/C before super fertile CF. That is normal; and that "gearing up" CF IS FERTILE. The sperm can still survive in that, although their favorite is obviously EWCF. Also, I'm not seeing a clear O day on your chart...if you did O on CD 20, then it is not "classic" that you would have 2 days of EW or W CF after that...I'm sure someone else on here can be of more help than I am!

AFM: CD 35. I changed my interpretation to FAM. Today's temp was higher than the previous 7, but because of those rocky temps before I'm just not sure...I'm hoping that yesterday was an O dip and that tomorrow's and the next day's temps are even higher, but I'm obviously not holding my breath! chart
post #24 of 379
10/2/09 at 10:19am
I guess in retrospect it wasn't that long with creamy/sticky -- it just seemed forever. I guess you're right, for avoiding I should regard it as potentially fertile. *Sigh*

I'd thought I O'd on day 21 though FF says day 20. I had another Bink Hunt at 0300 again on day 20, so I was up and out of bed in that 3 hr window before temping. And while it's hard to show gradients between EWCF on days 20 and 21, day 20 was definitely the peak of fertile CF. Also from last cycle, I never got EW (1st cycle after removing the Mirena IUD), but I still had a day of more fertile CF after O. Maybe that's just me?

Anyhow ... thanks for feedback. I'm still learning this.
post #25 of 379
10/2/09 at 10:29am
Post me as a graduate. I'm in the 2ww. ETA: DH is certain he will get me pregnant this cycle. The conversation was hilarious.

Liz
post #26 of 379
10/2/09 at 10:40am
vermontmama ~ When I'm waiting for my first PPAF, I only track CF. I don't start temping until after that first PPAF starts. You can always start temping at any time but there might be some issues. First, you may not get enough temps to confirm O if you start temping just a few days before. Second, if your still a ways off from O, you could end up with a very long chart with a bunch of useless temps. You only need to pay attention to the 6 temps immediately previous to your thermal shift. Of course, you don't know which 6 temps those will be until after the fact.

WWC ~ Like I just said, you need only pay attention to the most recent 6 temps when trying to determine your thermal shift. Right now, your CL would be 97.4 and you have one temp above that. So, this could mean O. As always, you need to more consecutive temps above 97.4 to confirm.

Eresh ~ I think it's too soon for you to confirm O yet. I'd put your CL at 97.3. You only have two temps above that. If tomorrow's temp is above that, I'd set your O day to cd21. It's kind of iffy, though, whether to keep your CL at 97.3 or 97.4. It looks like your temps are not quite on the lines. Are you recording temps to the 1/100th degree? If so, you don't need to. I think TCOYF actually advises against that. You need only record your temp to the nearest 1/10th of a degree.

WRT to the fertile CF after O, that does happen with some women. Not everyone completely dries up right after O. As far as determining your peak day, if you have watery after ew, I think you consider the watery as your peak day. If you have creamy after ew, even though creamy is considered potentially fertile, you count the last ew as peak day and the creamy as first dry up day. That would mean your peak day was cd22. Quantity doesn't matter, only quality. A week of CF is pretty typical.
post #27 of 379
10/2/09 at 10:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dachshundqueen View Post
Post me as a graduate. I'm in the 2ww.

Liz
Huh? How does that make you a agraduate? Are you in the 2ww or are you pg?
post #28 of 379
10/2/09 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarineWife View Post
Huh? How does that make you a agraduate? Are you in the 2ww or are you pg?
We decided to quit CTA and to intentionally have unprotected sex in the hopes of achieving pregnancy as I'm ovulating and we've decided we want a third.

Liz
post #29 of 379
10/2/09 at 11:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dachshundqueen View Post
We decided to quit CTA and to intentionally have unprotected sex in the hopes of achieving pregnancy as I'm ovulating and we've decided we want a third.

Liz
Ah, ok. Cool! Good luck! Can your dp have a heart-to-heart with my dh?
post #30 of 379
10/2/09 at 11:10am
DH has always wanted a third but I've got mild prolapse and I've been nursing or pregnant or nursing and pregnant or tandeming since 6 weeks after we were married in 2004.............so I've wanted a break understandably. But if we want 4, maybe, we need to get on it! I'm 30 and with 2-3 years between kids it needs to happen.

Liz
post #31 of 379
10/2/09 at 4:02pm
Good luck Dachs

whitekole-I have low temps too. I'm only half charting this cycle, but if my temps are low again next month, I think I'm going to see a dr just to see if that's regular for me.
post #32 of 379
10/2/09 at 9:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dachshundqueen View Post
Post me as a graduate. I'm in the 2ww. ETA: DH is certain he will get me pregnant this cycle. The conversation was hilarious.

Liz
Congratulations! <hums pomp and circumstance>
I bet that was a hilarious talk!
post #33 of 379
10/2/09 at 10:43pm
I'm having weird CF this cycle so far. I'm on cd14 and haven't had any CF today. I've only had a few days of sticky but they haven't been consecutive. This would be perfect for tta if my dh were home.
post #34 of 379
10/3/09 at 8:55am
I know I'm missing temps, but if tomorrow temp is high, I'll say I O'd d16. That would make this cycle a "normal" one for me, like the one's I had prior to the m/c. I marked down creamy yesterday, because had some in the a.m, but the rest of the day went from sticky-dry.
post #35 of 379
10/3/09 at 9:29am
bbm ~ You are missing some temps but I think you could still be relatively certain of O if your temps stay up and your cf dries up.

AFM, I broke down and took my temp today. So much for trying to go all cycle without temps so I could focus on CF. I think this one temp will tide me over for a while, though. Here's my chart. Nothing to see.
post #36 of 379
10/3/09 at 8:48pm
Subbing.
post #37 of 379
10/4/09 at 2:44pm
Thread Starter 
whitekole - How are your temps looking now? It looks to me like you are safe. If your temps stayed above 97.4, I would call O CD 50 though. Those are really low temps...

Eresh - I don't think I would call O yet, but I don't see your last two temps on your chart either. I suppose you're on vacation now though...so hope you're having fun! Oh, as for the sticky/creamy CF, yeah, what WWC said. Potentially fertile. Unless you have that same CF from the time you're AF ends, you are supposed to play it safe.

WWC - darn, that one temp looked very promising. But no O yet huh.

Good luck TTC, dachshundqueen.

bbbm - Looks like we're almost cycle buddies again. I have a beautiful chart this month if I do say so myself.
post #38 of 379
10/4/09 at 3:50pm
I can't find my thermometer... My daughter likes to grab it off my windowsill by my bed and bring it out to me where ever I am in the house and I seem to have misplaced it. Hopefully I can find it today, and only be missing one temp.
post #39 of 379
10/4/09 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BarefootScientist View Post
as for the sticky/creamy CF, yeah, what WWC said. Potentially fertile. Unless you have that same CF from the time you're AF ends, you are supposed to play it safe.
Except that creamy is supposed to always be considered fertile even if it goes on for weeks. Creamy is never supposed to be considered a BIP.

Your chart does look good. One more high temp will confirm O.

I still don't have any CF to speak of. I think I may be coming down with something. My head kind of hurts, my sinuses feel funny and I've been feeling run-down tired for 2 days. I'm out of dog food but too tired to go to the store. Guess she'll be eating burgers with us tonight.
post #40 of 379
10/4/09 at 10:52pm
MW-do you have allergies?

Bfs-it's funny how they are similar again-and we don't even live in the same house

I forgot to temp this morning, and I actually wanted to, to see if the temp was high. Anyhow, so I marked down sticky for yesterday, and was going to today too, but towards this evening I had some ccf with the tiniest amount of spotting. I thought I was seeing things at first, the first time I saw it, but when it was there a few hours later when I wiped too. So now I'm really irked I missed that temp, but will get it tomm, since dh has to get up for work. I sort of slept in today
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Pregnancy and Birth › Fertility › Family Planning › October 2009 Charting to Avoid Thread