Confusing chart - anyone want to help decipher?

[LaurieG]

I started charting again this cycle because I was getting some strange symptoms that I've never had before - spotting at random times, changes in cervical fluid that didn't follow an expected pattern etc. My cycle returned post baby #3 about 6 months ago and has been generally 27-31 days in length every month, but last month it was only 22 days long. Judging from my cervical fluid that month I thought I had ovulated around day 16, so I was totally unprepared for my period a week later.

Anyhow, fwiw I have paraguard IUD which was inserted shortly after DD's birth so I'm not sure how much of these issues are realted to that.

Unfortunately I don't have a way to upload my chart so you can see it, but I'll try to just explain. My temps have fluctuated between 97.7 and 98.1 every day with no indication of a shift yet and it is day 24. Cervical fluid followed a pretty normal pattern with sticky begining day 16 and progressing to eggwhite days 18-20. I didn't chart position of cervix this month.

My observations are these: 1. why is my waking temp so high? I used to be in the low to mid 97's. That is strange for my body. 2. According to my cervical fluid I should have ovulated around day 20 but tomorrow will be 5 days later and there has been no temp shift. Does that mean I didn't ovulate? Or could my temps be misleading for some other reason? Can you have eggwhite and not ovulate? And if I didn't ovulate this month does could I be having regular periods but not ovulating every month? And if so, why? DD still is breastfeeding a lot at night but not much during the day.

One other thought I have to explain it is that my sleep is not very restful and I'm wondering in that is throwing off my temps. I often am awakened by DD in the middle of the night - sometimes I walk her back to her room and lie down with her for awhile and then come back to my bed. Or I might fall asleep in her room and later wake up and come back to bed. Or I might lie 1/2 awake never really falling back asleep after about 2. I don't generally take my temp til I'm about to get up for the day even if I've been mostly awake for a few hours.

Any thoughts?

[HulaJenn]

I don't know anything about paraguard - It just prevents implantation? I would think the IUD would make for inaccurate charting no?

[LaurieG]

Originally Posted by HulaJenn

I don't know anything about paraguard - It just prevents implantation? I would think the IUD would make for inaccurate charting no?

It is copper so it also has some sort of spermicidal effect along with preventing implantation, but it isn't a hormonal release so I was thinking it wouldn't effect charting.

Update, btw, is still no temp shift and now I'm day 27. But my body is following a very normal pattern as though I ovulated on day 19 or 20 (which is late for me, but I was sick and prepping for all 3 of my kids B-day parties when I normally would have ovulated).

[LaurieG]

Another thought is maybe I'm having pre-menopause and that explains the insomnia and high temps.

[AnnieA]

I would suggest taking a pg test just to rule out an unintended pregnancy. Also, while you are correct that a copper IUD does not release hormones it still affects your CF which can make charting more difficult as it is obscuring one of your body's secondary fertility signs.

[LaurieG]

I'm almost certain I'm not pregnant. I've never had any bleeding during my pregnancies, and I'm having no symptoms.

Good point about the cervical fluid. Maybe that's what is going on, but it seems odd that I would have very typical progression of CF that doesn't coincide with the temp shift.

Today's update: I did end up several higher temps intersperced with some lower ones this week. I started my period this morning, day 31. So my cervical fluid indicated ovulation around day 19 or 20. My temps indicated ovulation around day 23. And my cycle was 31 days long.

Any new thoughts on that?

[Babydoll1285]

I don't know if this is accurate, but my mw told me the paraguard also works by speeding up the time of the egg moving through the fallopian tube and into the uterus. Maybe this could cause a short luteal phase?

And I don't know why but my cf never coincides with O. I don't usually O til 5 days after ewcm. Glad I'm not alone!

[LaurieG]

Originally Posted by Babydoll1285 

I don't know if this is accurate, but my mw told me the paraguard also works by speeding up the time of the egg moving through the fallopian tube and into the uterus. Maybe this could cause a short luteal phase?

And I don't know why but my cf never coincides with O. I don't usually O til 5 days after ewcm. Glad I'm not alone!

Sorry I didn't respond until now.  My internet has been down for days.  This is really interesting - I had never heard that before. 

I'm thinking I ovulated day 19-20 according to my cf and my temps are just a mess because my night time sleep is a mess.  That would give me a 10 -11 day luteal phase which is a bit short but not as alarming as a 6 day luteal phase.  Not that it really matters since clearly we're not TTC - except that if things were getting suddenly irregular I would think it would mean something else is "off" in my body.