am I even ovulating?

[Mama Rana]

My cycles returned about 8-9 mos pp. They started out a little long, but are starting to return to my pre-pg length. I have not been taking my temp because ds sleeps so unpredictably, and I wasn't sure when to try and do it. He's getting better, but he was getting up every hour or 2.

anyway, this is what I've noticed. I definitely have eggwhite quality mucus about mid-cycle. I just recently started checking my cervix (boy it feels different than it did pre-birth, & I had a c/s! :LOL). It was def low and hard right after AF, then got higher and softer, but several days after the egg-white mucus stopped it was still high and soft. And i swear some days i feel wet.

am i ovulating? or am i going to need to take my temp to know? if so when should i do it?

tia,
kim

[nfpmom]

From your observations it sounds like you are ovulating. There are mucus-only methods out there that don't temp at all.... temperatures is one way of a definitive answer, but based on your observations it sounds like you are ovulating. Maybe you could do an OPK one month during the time you notice mucus and see what it says.
take care

[Mama Rana]

Do OPKs detect actual ovulation or the hormones leading up to it? I mean, I think it's obvious that my body is TRYING to ovulate, but what I'm wondering is whether it's actually succeeding, yk? I'll be honest to say I don't 100% understand the ins and outs of the whole thing. guess I should go back and read the book again, eh?

[nfpmom]

OPKs detect the luteinizing hormone surge that precedes ovulation. This surge is what causes ovulation. While the only surefire way of definitively knowing if you ovulated is an ultrasound that shows the process taking place, one would think if you have a LH surge it is going to be followed by ovulation. After you have ovulated the empty follicle turns into the corpus luteum, which secretes progesterone. The increase in progesterone causes your basal body temperature to rise. So temping tells you that you have had a progesterone surge, which means it is safe to assume you ovulated. OPKs tell you that you have had a LH surge, which means it is safe to assume you will soon ovulate.
HTH
take care