CM after ovulation

[SilverMoon010]

Attached is my chart. 

This is my first month charting, so I'm new to this.  However, my chart seems to clearly show ovulation on the 17th, and I am now 4 DPO. Since O time, I have been mostly dry, say 98 to 99% dry throughout the day, but I will sometimes get a tiny bit of what seems like watery or stretchy CM here and there,  few and far between and a very tiny amount.   Around my O time, it was really, really watery so I can tell the difference. This morning I woke to go the bathroom around 2 am and I noticed it was more wet/watery CM and more than it's been the past few days, but I couldn't inspect it because I was half asleep. Anyway, since I am mostly dry throughout the day and sometimes get CM here and there after what I thought was ovulation, what does this mean? Does it mean I maybe didn't ovulate yet, even though the temps clearly show it? Or is it normal to have a tiny bit of seemingly fertile CM after O.  I have a little cramping today, but I also had cramping that started the day before the 17th (my determined O time) as well which lasted several consecutive days. Does cramping normally last that long for O pain?

I haven't been noting the CM on my chart the past two days or so because it's been so very sparse and mostly dry.

[url=http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/3514f8/]My Ovulation Chart[/url]   

Edited by SilverMoon010 - 5/21/11 at 11:04am

[Jaimee]

Since you're new to charting you don't know what your normal LP CF pattern is and everyone is different.  Prior to O I get creamy and EW and directly after O, I am usually dry for a day or two.  But then I often get creamy CF during my LP off and on.  I probably wouldn't read much into your occasional wet CF, but it is possible that it's a pregnancy sign as increased CF is a common symptom of pregnancy. 

Your chart is interesting... pretty early O, huge pre-O dip and then slow rising LP temps.  So I wouldn't say that your temps clearly show ovulation.  It would be necessary to see more of your cycles to compare and know if this is your typical pattern or not.  But with the EW and wet CF followed by dry and that huge dip followed by a spike, fertility friend is pretty convinced of your O day and for now I would agree.   

Unfortunately b/c you're new to charting there is still much guess work in your cycle and you'll have to wait it out to see what is truly happening.  As for the cramping, I can't speak to ovulation pains from my own experience.  But I have heard others say that it's only on one day and more of a sharp pain clearly on one side.  Others have said they feel something for more than one day.  I think it's pretty individual.  Do you not normally experience O pain?  Definitely note it on your chart so you can compare to future cycles.

4 DPO...

[SilverMoon010]

Thanks Jaimee! The early O makes sense as my cycles range from 25 to 29 days.  This may be a 25-day cycle, so day 12 would be just about midcycle.  I'm confused....why do you say my temps don't clearly show ovulation? I thought an ovulation dip was a good indicator, combined with a thermal shift thereafter.  I'm really just learning so any info you can provide would be very helpful.

I sometimes do get O pains, not every month though. I do recall them lasting more than a day.  I just don't know why they would last several days. I can't seem to figure that out. I remember a while back I went to the Ob/Gyn because of the cramping, thinking it was a cyst or something.  She said it was just midcycle pains. At that time, I remember having the pains for three or four days.  Any idea as to why someone would experience O pains for so long?  I really should ask my OB/GYN about that.

Anyway, you're right.  A month of charting (not even a full month yet) is tough to indicate.  I am more dry today with no CM at all.  I'm just going to go with the chart for this month and assume I O'd on the 17th and see how it goes

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by SilverMoon010 

I'm confused....why do you say my temps don't clearly show ovulation? I thought an ovulation dip was a good indicator, combined with a thermal shift thereafter.  I'm really just learning so any info you can provide would be very helpful.

I only mean that since you don't have any other charts to compare to, you don't yet know what your ovulation pattern tends to look like.  The dip is certainly a good sign of O, but the spike is only a spike b/c of the dip.  Your LP temps are not significantly higher than your pre-O temps.  Certainly there are plenty of women that have this type of pattern.  But, for other women the dip could just be a fluke temp and the real spike would be more obvious.  Like pre-O temps in the mid 97's and LP temps in the mid 98's... a significant spike.  In your case, if you had accidentally missed temping on CD 12 you never would have known that your temps were different.  That's all I meant by not perfectly clear.  If I didn't know that your cycles were often shorter and b/c it's your first chart, I wouldn't be totally shocked, for example, if you suddenly had a patch of EW followed by a spike into the 98's.  But, with your typically shorter cycles, the fertile CF followed by dry, and now a climbing temp, I do totally agree with FF's assessment that you O'd on CD 12.  You just appear to have a slow rise pattern.

[SilverMoon010]

I completely understand what you are saying.  If ignoring the fertile CM around the 17th, and just looking at my temps, would  it seem that I didn't ovulate? I'm so confused with the charting thing because I can clearly see two phases of temperatures, particularly above the coverline, but my temps after the estimated ovulation are not significantly higher than the follicular phase, as you mentioned.  They def have a pattern of being higher though after the estimated O and have not come below the coverline, so does this in general signify ovulation, no matter how much higher the temps are, or do the temps have to be increased by at least .36 or .4 in order to have been considered to have ovulated?

I hope I ovulated because we timed BDing really good if I O'd on the 17th We have totally been slacking since then!

[Jaimee]

This just may be your pattern.  It's nothing to be concerned about, just something to be aware of.  Your temps are staying above the coverline and combined with your other signs, I do not doubt you ovulated on CD 12. 

This is why it's so important to check other fertility signs besides temps.  If you don't conceive this cycle, it might be a good idea to add checking your cervical position to your charting routine.  As soon as you start to get fertile CF, start checking your CP as well (at the same time of day each day) until a few days after your spike.  This will take some practice.  At first it may be difficult to tell what you're feeling, but in general a fertile cervix will be soft like your lips, high, and you'll be able to feel the cervical os is slightly open.  Prior to your fertile days and after ovulation the cervix will close, lower, and feel firmer (like the tip of your nose). 

Also, FYI, I just read in TCOYF that cramping around ovulation could be caused by contracting fallopian tubes and/or irritation of the abdominal lining caused by leakage of blood or follicular fluid released from the ruptured egg follicle.   So a good sign that ovulation occurred, but not a way to pinpoint the day.  The sharp pain of the egg bursting through the ovary is felt one time on one side.