CHARTING TTA-wanna start a thread? - Page 2

[punkprincessmama]

I'm so glad that there is still some interest in this. I do hope that EBM sees this and joins back in.

Anyhow, best wishes persephone on your wedding, how exciting.

So far my charting is going well. I'm having trouble taking my temp regularly, mostly because my dd still nurses at night and so I have a hard time making sure I've had three full hours of sleep first. I'm going to chart at least two full cycles before depending on it for bc though, so hopefully this will work itself out.

[Mavournin]

I'm still interested! My babe has changed sleep patterns and I've let my charting go by the wayside.... I need some encouragement to get back on the wagon!

[Kharen]

I'm in!

Hi, all!

I'm new to the boards, but am not entirely new to FAM. I've been charting on and off for the past 18 months and have read TCOYF what seems like hundreds of times ... It's a permanent fixure next to my bed or in the bathroom.

I am also TTA until further notice (a.k.a. dh finishes Ph.D. and gets great job OR we win the lottery ) ... I'm using backup (condoms), though, so I'm not entirely FAM-dependent, but I am charting using temps and CF. I'm a previous Depo user (one of the lucky ones who got her cycle back after six months; some are still waiting for theirs years after they've stopped Depo) and will never go back to hormonal BC (although I certainly don't fault anyone who does use hormonal BC--it's just not for me).

I'd love to join you ladies ... and one of you fine ladies just happens to be my dear friend Mavournin (Hi, G!), who referred me to MDC.

I'm purchasing the Ovusoft software within the next few days, so I'll start posting my chart.

Looking forward to our FAM chats!
Best,
K

[punkprincessmama]

Welcome to the thread Kharen

Just wanted to check in and see how all you ladies are doing with your charts. I had a rough week - two sick days where I didn't chart at all and then the batteries in my thermometer died I'm trying to get back in the swing of things though with some help from dh. I guess I'm going to need some prompting to really make this a part of my routine kwim? Any helpful tips / advice about remembering to check for cervical fluid and cervix position?

[Persephone]

Alright, I have a Q for you: I stopped charting about a week and a half ago when things got really busy. I started again a few days ago, and my temps for the past three days have been WAY higher than they were before. I've had mostly dry CM, with a bit of creamy thrown in here and there. Do you think I should give up the condoms? I REALLY hate them and want to get rid of them now that I'm married... but since I haven't charted this whole cycle, I don't know if I Oed or not, though I suspect I did. Here's my chart: http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/13f5b

[Kharen]

Hi, all!

Hope everyone is well ...

Well, I received my Ovusoft software in the mail finally (yippee). It took a bit of time, but I was able to input data from my last four cycles, and I'm curreny trying to put it online (having some technical problems, though). I will provide a link to my charts as soon as the gods of technology allow it .

Persephone: Hi! It looks like you may be in your luteal phase, as your high temps are fairly consistent with the temps you had during your luteal phase in your last cycle. Is this a long month for you, though? It looks like you had a 36-day cycle last time, and this cycle looks longer. Is that a normal fluctuation for you? Like you, I am also using condoms for backup (an extra precaution, as we are not ready to welcome a baby quite yet). Obviously, it's really up to you and your spouse, but I tend to really rely on the increased security condoms provide if I've had a questionable month (in that my chart is somewhat confusing to me). Since the patterns of your current cycle are not immediately obvious because you're missing some data (which is totally understandable ... I do it, too!), I would err on the side of caution and not toss the condoms in the trash until you feel like your charts are fairly comprehensive and clear.

Punkprincessmama: Thanks for the welcome. Very happy to be here! I actually haven't been checking cervical position, but I want to start (just trimmed my nails down in preparation! ). I usually check CF everytime I go to the bathroom during the day. It actually makes for a more "interesting" trip to the ladies' room while I'm at work during the day. I try to do my kegels as I'm walking down the hall .

I'll post again soon as soon as my charts are up.

Health and happiness,
K

[Mavournin]

It certainly looks lke you've had the thermal shift. You can always throw away the condoms if you want - but my take is that since you missed that week and a half that you might be taking a risk. (Although a small one)

[Persephone]

Yeah, I was thinking I was in my luteal phase too. I hope you all are right, because I just had sex without a condom for the first time! (We got swept away in the moment-- no regrets though.)

My cycles are wildly irregular. My longest cycle was THREE MONTHS! I think that with just getting married and all, the stress of that caused an O delay.

[Milkymommi]

Me too Me too!!! I'm a TTAer too!

I've been charting to avoid for almost 8 yrs! Very successful...no surprises so far.We have used it both ways and I'm in love with it.I feel so in touch with my body and it's really so easy.I know there can be some difficulities for some people though so this will be a fantastic way to support eachother in the good, the bad, and the ugly!!

OK let me just mention that I don't temp.I chart my fertility signs by recording CM and CP.I use the Ovusoft program and I highly recommend it to everyone.Of course you CAN temp using OS, I just don't.You can set it so that it only uses that information.

This is so awesome! I am so passionate about natural birth control and things of this nature that I spend a lot of time teaching other women about their bodies and their own fertility.My DH teases me about it, he says I'm evangelizing with the fertility gospel :LOL :LOL :LOL I guess so


Well it's great to meet you all! I'm looking forward to this

Edited to show that I can't spell today

[Persephone]

Welcome Kristie! I feel the same way you do about NFP. I have been telling my friends about it... though they sort of ignore me. And my dh told his best man about it, and he thought it was way cool. My guy thinks it's sexy that I know so much about how my body works.

As for how I'm doing, I really think AF is coming today at some point. I have been spotting after sex for like, the last three days. And today I'm spotting (no sex) and my left thigh is getting twingey, which means I'm about to start. (For some odd reason, that's where I get my cramps, is in my thigh.) Time to break out the RRL tea!

[Kharen]

Hi, all!

Welcome, Milkymommi! (love that name!)

I know what you mean about 'evangelizing with the fertility gospel' ... I found myself 'preaching' recently, too, with my 'bible' (TCOYF) in hand. A friend of ours was visiting the other night, and I loaned her my TCOYF (eek ... but she promises to return it soon when she gets her copy!), showed her the TCOYF site, and showed her how I hard-chart and then transfer all my information to Ovusoft. She loved it! She's had a difficult time with her cycle and an even more difficult time using hormonal birth control. So, I'm hoping she'll be a FAM convert.

Speaking of Ovusoft, I have had the most difficult time getting my charts online. I'm having a problem replacing some old charts (which I put online when I only had the trial version) with my new ones. I've established quite a lovely relationship with the ovusoft help desk technician (very nice lady!). I hope to resolve this soon, so I can get my charts up here.

:

Persephone: Congrats on your recent wedding!
So, I guess you were in your luteal phase afterall. Re: your spotting ... I usually get a day or two of spotting, as well, before AF. What an interesting cramping phenomenon! Isn't it great to be so tuned into your body that you know your AF is approaching when a very particular part/region of your body makes you aware! It doesn't get any better than that!

Have a great day, everyone!
K

[punkprincessmama]

Hey mamas,

I am still charting my first cycle I am now on day 40.... I have no idea what is going on, I'm kinda feeling discouraged.

I haven't been able to chart my temp for almost two weeks. Either I have been sick (and so up all night) or dd has been sick (and so up all night) or she latches on before I wake up enough to remember to temp (and so my temp is abnormally low) and on on it goes. :

I haven't given up, still charting cf and cervical position. I'm not sure if I even ovulated, although I had several days, maybe a week, of fertile quality cf, including three days of eggwhite, but they days weren't even close together so that is kinda weird. I've gotta go read TCOYF to figure this all out.

How are y'all doing?

[Cajunmomma]

We've used NFP exclusively off and on for the last 17 years. Right now we are in a very serious avoidance phase (for very serious health reasons). It's great to hear people who are trying to be true to their bodies, although it can get really hard when you are trying to avoid in a big way.

[cwaddick]

on cycle 2 for TTA while BFing with an NB and 2 yo

I'm having a hard time doing this.

Since I'm BFing, I feel that I am too dry to do CF/cervical fluid checks.

I'm temping exclusively, but I don't have a good routine.

I wake around 6 am - 7:30 am to BF and diaper change my NB (now 6 mo. old)... but I don't really know what time it is. I temp either before or after I change her... usually in the dark, either with or without having sat up or gotten out of bed to get a diaper or to put the dirty diaper in the hall.

The thermometer is digital and it stores the temp. So, I have all day to remember to grab the thermometer and write down my temperature in my day planner. ... but I have to do it before my toddler finds it under the pillow and pushes the buttons. I have lost a few temps for this reason.

Some days, I don't find the planner... so I enter it in an email to myself. then, later transfer it to my planner... but the data is messy there too.

My cycle 1 was 40 days, and saturday is day 32... I dont' seem to have O'd this cycle.

I've tried checking cervical position...but I can't get organized enough to write it down so that I understand the pattern of feelings (soft/firm, high/low, open/closed).

Inevitably, I forget to write down the temp...so here I am at 1 a.m. and I need to go get the thermometer from under my pillow and bring it back into my office and write down the temp... then return the thermometer.

... I really need a better routine. Something where my materials are all in one place... Something toddler-proof.

-- Caitlin

[Persephone]

Welcome to the newcomers!

I'm doing ok. Successfully avoiding for one whole cycle now.

Question though... has anyone ever ovulated and not had a temp shift? I have a perfect ovulatory CM pattern, and I even had ovary pains yesterday morning, and I was sure my temp was going to go up today, and it was the exact same temp as yesterday! I'm so confused.

[onlyboys]

I'm on day 50 with no sign of ovulation. Nursing an 8 month old and a 2.5 year old.

We had a BC mishap, okay, well we ignore the presence of the condom on the bedside table, and the next day I felt what I thought was o-pain in my left side.

My temps rose, but not a sharp rise. My temps are still routinely in the 96s but this day rose to 97.4, which I thought could indicate ovulation.

Anyway, my temps are back down and I do not suspect that I am pregnant at all. I'm still pretty sleep deprived, though, and suspect that my temps may be skewed because of that.

More later, nak.

[Kharen]

HI, all!

Persephone: Two cycles ago, I was convinced I O'ed--mostly because of my CF pattern, but my temps took a couple of days to go above the coverline. Thankfully, I had noted that I was freezing cold the mornings of the low temps, so that probably contributed to it. Either way, whether caused by the coldness of my room or not, I knew my CF was consistent with O-ing. I figured I would know for sure if AF showed up 13 days (my normal luteal phase) after when I thought I O'ed--and low and behold, it did!

Do you know how long your luteal phase normally is? It's a helpful tool in confirming you O'ed. If not, I wouldn't worry too much about it, as sometimes you can have a slow-rise temp shift. Toni Weschler talks about this in TCOYF ... I'd reference a page number for you, but I've loaned out my book!

Unfortunately, I STILL haven't been able to get my charts online--or I would be able to share my slow-rise cycle chart with you. Sorry!

K

[Persephone]

Thanks for that Kharen! We've had the windows open the past few nights, and odd for June, it's been chilly. But I didn't think it would affect my temps that drastically. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to temp this morning. I slowly gained consciousness and then got up to pee before I realized what I did. :P Guess I'll have to see tomorrow.

[cmili]

I'm glad I stumbled on to this thread. I knew to FAM. (thanks to punkprincess mama ) I'm half way throu TCOYF and trying to chart my first cycle. I'm bf'ing a six month old who loves to cluster nurse starting about 6:30 in the morning so I'm having trouble with - three hours of sleep and a constent time - for my temp. But I'm working on it. Glad to have found you!

[punkprincessmama]

Cmilli, I'm glad you came on over

I'm having a lot of trouble with temping lately too, so I can relate. I do feel that I can still see a pattern of fertility relying on cf and cp (cervical fluid and cervix postion)

Gotta run, but I'm so glad this group is growing! 0