All I need is a little chart help from my friends...

[Jessimaca]

Morning All!

I'm hoping you wise ladies could help me with my chart-- this is only the second time I've charted and it's my 4th month TTC.  On CD17 I had what looked like an ovulation dip and I had a postive OPK, so I was hoping my temp would go up today, but it didn't .  Could anyone tell me what this means?

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/361ae8 

Any insight would be appreciated!  Thanks!

[RosieL]

Could be a slow rise. I generally seem to have a two or three-day temp rise, with the first one not going above coverline. I'd keep using the OPKs until they turn negative, to be sure, but I'm guessing you'll get your crosshairs in a three or four days.

[SilaMarila]

But your temp did go up today! Rose is right, a slow rise is very common. As long as your temp keeps going up the next few days! It would also be helpful to monitor your CM to confirm.

[Jaimee]

Hi Jessimaca!  Right now I would say there is not enough information on your chart to determine what is going on.  You did have a slight dip on CD 17, but it's not obvious that is what happened because your temp the next day is not significantly higher than any of your pre-O temps.  In fact your temp on CD 18 is right in the same range as your pre-O temps, which are all pretty high and bit erratic.  When you're dealing with these types of temps it can be hard to decipher your pattern on temp alone.  Charting your cervical fluid along with your temp is really the best way to see what is happening.  Are you noticing any creamy or eggwhite CF?  Maybe yesterday and today?  Add that into your chart.  Also try taking another OPK today.  But keep in mind that OPK's can be quite unreliable for a lot of women.  Some get positives for days on end, some never get positives, some get positives at random times in their cycles, etc. Usually you will O within 24-36 hours after a true positive, but you can always gear up to O and not succeed, gearing up again a few days (or even weeks) later.  Also, if you're new to OPK's remember that the test line must be as dark or darker than the control line to be considered positive (unless you're using the straight +/- kind).

How have you been temping?  Do you get a good 3 hour block of sleep prior?  Do you take your temp first thing after you wake up?  Do you temp around the same time each morning (within half an hour)?  Do you ever sit up, get up, drink water, or fall asleep before or while temping?  Do you find yourself sometimes waking up hot with the covers off or cool and bundled up?  All these things can affect your temperatures and it looks like you're pretty sensitive to changes in your schedule/environment.  To get more consistent temps really focus on the same wake time and taking your temp right away.  Also you could consider temping vaginally and see if that would help.

As the pp's said you might see a steady rise in temp over the next few days or you might not.  But either way, the next few temps will tell you if anything happened on CD 17 or 18.  Really try to get accurate temps during this time so that you have your best chance at deciphering your O day.

Good luck! 

[Jessimaca]

Thanks for all the tips!

Jaimie~  I don't chart my CM because it's hard for me to really tell the difference.  This is only my second month charting.  I am consistent about when I do my temps (and with enough sleep, etc).  Last month I had a O dip and then my temps went above 98 degrees and stayed there until AF came (I also had a positive OPK that cycle)-- didn't time BD very well though.  This month it looked pretty similar and I had a positive OPK again (It's very positive-- test line darker than control)-- it's just my temp didn't shoot up over 98-- thats what made me start pondering.  It's so complicated!!!  Guess I'll just wait and see what happens...

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by Jessimaca 
 I don't chart my CM because it's hard for me to really tell the difference.  This is only my second month charting. 

I understand how it can be confusing at first, but something is better than nothing.  At the very least mark your dry days and put something for days that you notice you are not dry.  There are charters on this forum that are quite adept at CF observations and if you posted separately you might get some great responses.  But here's what I do:

Dry- there's nothing in my panties all day

Sticky- I get some crumble-looking residue on my panties, it might be a bit clumpy or even hard depending on how long it's been there.  It's usually yellow.

Creamy- lotion in texture, tends to stand up on my panties, often is slippery when I wipe

Wet- my panties are actually wet and soaked through.  I rarely have this as I'm usually creamy or eggwhite, not just wet

Eggwhite- stretchy, usually clear (though sometimes a bit yellow tinted), slippery when I wipe and may actually fall out of me while using the bathroom and stretch from me to the tissue/wipe I'm using.  Generally it's quite profuse.

There are also some tips to differentiate between CF and BD-residue you can find in Taking Charge of Your Fertility.  I find it best to do kegel exercises directly after DTD (if not TTC) or a few hours after DTD (if TTC) to clear out excess semen so that the next day I can get a clear CF observation.  If you think you see a mixture of more than one type of CF, always mark the most fertile CF you see all day.

HTH!
 

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by Jessimaca 

I am consistent about when I do my temps (and with enough sleep, etc).  Last month I had a O dip and then my temps went above 98 degrees and stayed there until AF came

I wondered if this was the case.  I'm the same way.  I'll be erratic pre-O, but always below 98 degrees (generally below 97.8) and when I O, my temp is almost always above 98.  I occasionally dip to 97.9 in my LP, but that's about it.  You can vary cycle to cycle with some having clear O spikes as you were describing and others have a slower rise.  So the next few days will tell!
 

[Jessimaca]

Thought I would update this-- I did O when I thought I was about to-- it was just a little slower rise than last month I guess:

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/361ae8 

[Jaimee]

Your chart looks great; very clear!  So originally you were thinking you O'd on CD 17.  I would say it's pretty clearly CD 18 and that's not a slow rise at all.  You have an OPK+ on CD 17 and you would likely O 24-36 hours after that.  There's quite a nice spike from CD 18 to CD 19.  If you don't get a BFP this cycle, definitely add in some CF data next time so you can see it all come together!       5 DPO.... just a few more days and you can test!  Keep us posted!

[Jessimaca]

Thanks Jaimee!  It's good to know that it looks "normal"!  I'll keep ya posted-- I'm really keeping my fingers crossed and

[Jessimaca]

I think I got a BFP this am!!!!  I'm only 11 DPO, but I posted a pic of the test in the TTC in  your 30s thread for you to check out.  The prego line is lighter than the control, but I hear that's okay.  The other thing is I've been really crampy, I actually started to count myself out this month because I assumed my AF was coming with all the cramping.  I hear that cramping can be okay too?

[Jaimee]

As long as the line is colored (not grey as an evap line would be) and appeared within the time window the then that is a BFP!!!  Congrats!  A faint line is a line and a line is a line with HPT's!  Often you can see the line getting darker as your hCG levels rise, but some tests do not darken.  And yes, cramping can simply be a sign of your body adjusting to pregnancy.  Pretty much all PMS symptoms are also pregnancy symptoms since a lot of the same hormones are involved.  Spotting is also normal- especially around the time of your missed AF.  Cramping and red bleeding- particularly bleeding that increases- is worrisome.  Good luck!