Charting to Avoid August Thread - Page 2

[CanidFL]

Lady Lilya – I would not consider your safe right now. You could technically O at any time and since your temps all over the place, I would use CM to determine if you are safe. You can consider yourself safe if you have 4 dry days. So let’s say you get 3 days of EWCM then 4 days of dryness. Then you are safe. If you get 2 days of EWCM then 2 days of lotiony CM then 1 dry day then 2 sticky, etc….you are not safe. Hope that helps.

Marinewife - this looks like a touch cycle. I’m not sure what to tell you. I would get a digital test or go for the blood test at the doctor. Maybe you didn’t O at all and your temps are just erratic right now? The many days of EWCM and temp shift really indicate an O though. I’m not sure. Sorry that wasn’t much help Do you take Vitex? You should try it to help regulate the cycles. I’ve been on it for 2 months now and already my temps seem to have gotten better. I’m trying to get some regular cycles going by the end of the year.

ETA: If you don't get AF in 15 days (CD60), I would induce it with progesterone from the doc. Maybe when you go for your physical you could get an RX?

[Sk8ermaiden]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Sk8termaiden ~ Do you know if there's a way to not set a temp time on Ovusoft? I do not take my temp at anything near a regular time right now so when I put it in Ovusoft it either gets adjusted or discarded.

So far I have not been able to find a way to do that. I also take my temps all over the place. I just put them in every day and let the software believe it's at the normal time. I adjust them myself if I think they need adjusting.

[MarineWife]

Thanks, Sk8termaiden. I think that was the reason I stopped using Ovusoft before. It annoys me that I can't just put the temps and times in as they are and leave them. I've always been able to see a thermal shift in spite of my waking habits.

Canid ~ I'm reluctant to get a script for progesterone because I'm still breastfeeding. I'm assuming that's why things are so wacky. I don't want to try to fix something that's not really broken, iykwim.

Lady Lilya ~ I agree with Canid. Without temping and charting you can't know for sure you Oed regardless of what your cm does. I would consider things safe as long as you don't have anything other than dry or sticky cm. If your cm gets the slightest bit more fertile looking, I'd consider you potentially fertile.

[Marlet]

Hmmm ok two temp. dips with this morning's going way below my coverline and no sign of af. I just checked internally as well and nothing at the tip. I hate the wait of the first pp af.

[Marlet]

Temp. is back up this morning though still below my coverline. I'm thinking I didn't really o and my charts don't know any better. I did take a test to be sure though and it was negative. I knew it would be but it sure is reassuring.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by OtherMother'n'Madre

Temp. is back up this morning though still below my coverline. I'm thinking I didn't really o and my charts don't know any better.

How long is your lp usually?

[CanidFL]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Canid ~ I'm reluctant to get a script for progesterone because I'm still breastfeeding. I'm assuming that's why things are so wacky. I don't want to try to fix something that's not really broken, iykwim.

oh yeah you don't want to induce AF if you are nursing.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by CanidFL

oh yeah you don't want to induce AF if you are nursing.

Good. I'm glad you agree. I was beginning to wonder if I should do something. I have made a doctor's appointment but it's not until Sept 22nd.

I'm not sure what to do about preventing, though, since we're doing withdrawal. Should I just use CM to decide whether or not I'm fertile? I've had several dry or sticky days with LFC cervix. I'm not exactly sure how to determine my BIP. I always had a hard time with CM. What I seemed to notice when I was ttc was that I'd go from sticky to ewcm and then have weeks of ewcm (gotta love PCOS). So, would my BIP be sticky or creamy?

[Contrariety]

I *so* haven't been charting at all this cycle. :

I have so many predictable cycles that I just can't be bothered to wake up and stick the thermometer in my mouth these days.

DH and I used this method (which was basically me monitoring my CM and keeping a mental calendar i mind) for a long time before becoming pregnant with DS (which wouldn't have happened if it weren't for a few too many gin and tonics, if you know what I mean...).

It wouldn't be the end of the world it I became pregnant. We find ourselves completely unable to make a conscious decision to TTC. So instead we take the half-assed TTA route.

Anyone else in my boat?

[Marlet]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

How long is your lp usually?

I only have one other full cycle before this. It was between DD1 and DD2 and I used a fertility monitor as well. Anyhow that was only 7 days and I think it was the 2nd cycle I had after DD1 (didn't start back up until she was 13 months). Today is 12dpo (apparently).

[CanidFL]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

I'm not sure what to do about preventing, though, since we're doing withdrawal. Should I just use CM to decide whether or not I'm fertile? I've had several dry or sticky days with LFC cervix. I'm not exactly sure how to determine my BIP. I always had a hard time with CM. What I seemed to notice when I was ttc was that I'd go from sticky to ewcm and then have weeks of ewcm (gotta love PCOS). So, would my BIP be sticky or creamy?

I hear ya on the PCOS. I hate what it does to my cycles and I NEVER get dry days. I go right from AF to creamy/EWCM until I O and even after O, it is still sticky or creamy. I think your best bet is to just consider yourself fertile till you know what is going on. At this point, it doesn’t seem like you O’d since you do not have AF. I know TCOYF says if you have constant sticky days, you can consider them dry as long as it doesn’t turn into wet or creamy. I personally don’t use this rule because I never get 4 sticky days in a row If you are having constant sticky days then I think you could use the rule although you already had EWCM this cycle and I think that breaks the rule doesn’t it? You can only use it after AF until EWCM shows up if I remember correctly. Ok I’m blabbering. I know I asked this before but are you taking Vitex? It can really help with the PCOS. I am taking it now and my temps already seem to be leveling out. They don’t seem so zippery this cycle. I know zippery is not a word

[Maggirayne]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

I used the $ Tree tests pretty early when I got pg with ds3. The lines were really faint but I could tell they were lines. They had color to them. These lines don't seem to have any color to them at all, just a shadow or maybe even just an indent where the line should be. I'm so good at knowing where that line is I can see myself imagining it there. As far as I know, any of the tests can have evap lines, blue or pink. The blue tests had a bad rap for a while because they were looking + a lot when they really weren't. Part of the reason I can justify testing is that the tests only cost $1, that I can take out of my weekly spending money.

I've been thinking about going to the doc for a test. I need to have an annual exam anyway. Problem is I don't have a doc right now. The OB I was seeing when I was pg with ds3 reported me to CPS for having him at home. My GP whom I haven't seen in a year seems to have disappeared. I know if I go to a doc they'll give me a test when I tell them my lmp.

The doctor reported you to CPS!!! drop What happened?
Have you checked out www.Peeonastick.com? It has all sorts of examples of tests, different brands and so forth, pretty handy.

Originally Posted by OtherMother'n'Madre

I ended up reading that exact thing after I posted. And now reading back on your other post I had the a-ha! moment. Now it makes sense for the o date. Thanks!

I have another question now. Does anyone just do temps.? I know cm is to cooraborate your temps but mine doesn't (nor does my cp). It never has. It's not just me as all the women in my family have very unstable cm. Should I bother with trying it or can you safely/effectively chart to avoid with just temps.?

I do temps(sorta) and watch for EWCM. I should probably get in the habit of checking cm internally since I'm so lazy with temping. I think I need new thermometer, or else I've got hypothyroid, which my mom does. I was at 97.5 to 97.7 practically every day, and I haven't been temping because I think I should get a new thermometer. Sigh. Life has been too busy with my arm broken and my mom visiting for three weeks. We use condoms until I feel safe(or don't care ). Which isn't good because I have a plate and screws in my arm and they can come out and considering DD hits her head on the plate nursing, yeah, I can feel it, I want it out!!! Which means I don't want to be pg while getting more x=rays and surgery, etc. Sigh. Add to that I have baby fever baaaad.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by CanidFL

If you are having constant sticky days then I think you could use the rule although you already had EWCM this cycle and I think that breaks the rule doesn’t it? You can only use it after AF until EWCM shows up if I remember correctly. Ok I’m blabbering. I know I asked this before but are you taking Vitex? It can really help with the PCOS. I am taking it now and my temps already seem to be leveling out. They don’t seem so zippery this cycle. I know zippery is not a word

I think TCOYF says that you can consider yourself safe the evening of the 4th day of non-fertile cm even if you've had fertile cm before that. I'll have to look it up again. I'm not taking Vitex. I never really considered taking anything while not ttc.

Originally Posted by Maggirayne

The doctor reported you to CPS!!! drop What happened?

Well, I stopped seeing my OB at about 36 or 37 weeks. They didn't contact me until my baby was almost 4 months old, realizing they hadn't seen me and I was way past my due date. I told them I didn't need to see them because we were fine. Someone there called CPS and reported that I had 4 unknown children. Apparently, they were trying to use my 3 miscarriages in addition to my 3rd child to make me look like a baby killer or something.

It took the CPS agent the few seconds of walking from my front door to my living room to decide the allegations were unfounded. She still had to do an investigation, though. My dh had just come home from Iraq for two weeks of leave after being gone for 9 months or something like that. I was so thankfull he was home so I didn't have to go through that alone but it wasn't exactly a nice homecoming. It was crazy. The investigation dragged on a bit because the CPS agent kept calling the doc's office and they kept telling her lies. When she explained to them that I'd had a homebirth with a midwife, they told her that was illegal. Technically, it is illegal in this state for CPMs or lay midwives to attend homebirths. However, it's not illegal for a woman to have her baby at home and it's not illegal for an OB or a CNM to attend a homebirth. The CPS agent was very cool about the whole thing. She said she would not give any info about my midwife to the doc. She told them any info she obtained during the investigation was confidential and all she could report back to them was whether or not the allegations were founded. They weren't and it was closed.

[CanidFL]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

I think TCOYF says that you can consider yourself safe the evening of the 4th day of non-fertile cm even if you've had fertile cm before that. I'll have to look it up again. I'm not taking Vitex. I never really considered taking anything while not ttc.

Right. I remember now….TCOYF says that if you NEVER have dry days, then you can consider your sticky days as infertile for the cycle. Did you get any dry days?

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by CanidFL

Right. I remember now….TCOYF says that if you NEVER have dry days, then you can consider your sticky days as infertile for the cycle. Did you get any dry days?

I'm trying to figure that out. I've been dry on the outside. However, when I check my cervix I have been able to pick up a little bit of CM. I can't tell if it's sticky or creamy. I've always had a hard time with that. It looks kind of creamy but it feels sticky. It's never on the outside, though. When I get ewcm I get a lot on the tissue when I wipe. Sorry, TMI .

I don't know if I ever get any dry days. I was just reading again in TCOYF. It says if you ever have any dry days before O, you should consider sticky days as potentially fertile. It's only if you have never had any dry days that you can consider sticky as your BIP and safe. I thought sticky was safe. Also, it says that once you have fertile cm, you shouldn't consider yourself safe until you have 3 consecutive high temps and 4 dry days. So, I guess that means you are not safe the evening of the 4th consecutive dry day if you haven't already Oed. I could've sworn I read that somewhere. I think I'll need to chart a few cycles to see if I can determine my BIP. In the meantime, I'll have to consider myself always fertile unless I know I've Oed.

[MarineWife]

Ok, I just finished reading the appendices on TCOYF on anovulatory cycles and FAM while breastfeeding. Basically, when you are anovulatory, you need to chart your CM for 2 weeks to determine your BIP. If CM does not change and is dry during that entire 2 weeks, you can consider yourself the evening of each dry day before you get wetter CM. Once you get wetter CM, you must consider yourself fertile until the 4th consecutive dry day after the last peak day. That's where I got that 4th dry day rule. If you want to be less conservative, you could consider yourself safe the 2nd dry day after a peak day of only sticky since sticky is not consider sperm friendly, although it is considered potentially fertile for pregnancy prevention. If you notice that you have only sticky and no dry or a combo of sticky and dry during the 2 week period, you could consider yourself safe the evening of any sticky day before you get anything wetter. That's a little more risky than using the dry day rules.

Rereading about CM, I think I've figured out again. I've been having sticky, not fertile CM, especially since my vaginal sensation has been dry. I can't consider myself safe yet, though, because I don't know my BIP yet and I haven't had 4 consecutive dry days. I hope all of that makes sense.

[Juliacat]

I still haven't gotten around to replacing the battery in my BBT thermometer, and my temps are still unreliable. On the plus side, dh has stopped complaining about the condoms--he went from refusing to have sex with me during my fertile phase all the way up to initiating it repeatedly, in just five months!

I am feeling sad today because dh doesn't want to have another baby, EVER.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by Juliacat

I am feeling sad today because dh doesn't want to have another baby, EVER.

I was just talking about this today. Although I don't want to try to have another baby, I wouldn't be upset if I got pregnant again. I'm really done having all the kids I want but I don't want to completely close the door on that part of my life, if that makes any sense. My dh is adamant that he doesn't want any more kids. It's hard when someone else completely shuts me down like that.

So, I had changed the O detector on FF to opk/monitor to get rid of the O day and CL it was giving me that I was tired of looking at. Today I reset it to Advanced just to see what it would do. Now FF is saying that maybe I Oed 3 days ago. I was sort of wondering that but, if I adjust the temps that were taken at really off times, it doesn't look like it at all.

[MarineWife]

Me again. I finally got my Ovusoft chart uploaded. It's set to automatically adjust temps taken at different times so you can see how it differs from my FF chart, which has the temps exactly as they were taken. Ovusoft had always said I Oed on cd23.

Ovusoft Chart

[flapjack]

I'm the other way round on child spacing- we were originally talking about maybe five, then DH said no more again, ever, ever, ever (I had bad SPD this time around and I lost six months of my life through being unable to walk.) BUT he isn't interested in a vasectomy. I can handle the idea of moving on out of my baby years now, but I'm just hoping I can chart effectively- which is ridiculous. We did 4 months CTA before Skye was conceived, then started charting for information before we started trying again.
I think my body is doing everything possible to make it easy for me this time: my first PPAF started last night. : I guess he's really not a newborn any more- my youngest is just over 6 months old. Bizarrely, my CM changed in the last week from sticky to dry- has anyone else had that? I normally go the other way approaching AF, and my BIP is normally somewhere between sticky and creamy.