How Long Did It Take You?/Charting

[arj]

Hey Ladies,
TTC seems to be a favorite topic these days, and I just wanted to ask you all a few questions. I'm kind of itching to get off the pill and start letting my body get back to it's regular fertile (hopefully) state. I'm just curious as to your experience with TTC and charting. Though I don't want to start TTC until Jan/Feb, I really want to get to know my fertile period so that when I do TTC, the guesswork is removed because I've been charting for a good 6 months. My questions are:

1)For those of you who are on #2 and subsequent, how long did it take you to get pregnant? Was is easier than #1? Do you think that it was because you charted and could more easily tell when you were ovulating?

2)How long did you chart before getting pregnant? Did you find it helpful? Did you find the temps. or cervical mucus more telltale? Did you use OPKs?

I tried charting as a way of avoiding pregnancy, and obviously didn't know what I was doing...[:p] When I look back at the month that I conceived, it is now completely obvious to me that we BDd on a day that was SOOOO unsafe. Can't help but think that I had the "subconscious" desire to procreate, so I "ignored" what was clearly the day that I ovulated.

Allison (28)
DS-Evan, 7/19/2003. PE at 40 weeks

[sandy]

Hi Allison,
I've stopped checking this forum, but I'm glad I popped in today to read and answer your post.

Exciting that TTC is in your future.

To answer your questions, first off I think charting in advance of wanting to TTC is a great idea for the reason you stated.

I was taking birth control pills straight from age 18 to age 30, (had really heavy periods until age 18 and was told "the pill" would fix that and it did)...stopped just before we TTC for #1. I think my period came as expected that first cycle off, and the next one, then I didn't have it for a month and a half and sometime in there I think is when we became pregnant. It happened quickly! No charting, no OPK's...but I did go out and buy some OPK's because I was wondering when the heck I would ovulate and by that time I was already pregnant so that was a waste.

Anyways. This second time I stopped taking birth control pills (after just being on them a few months; bad idea on and off) early February. Started charting mid-March. Started TTC in April. And after a 75 day (or longer?) cycle, noted a very faint line on a HPT at 10 DPO from the TTC in April, after not having had a period since February . During that time, we had rushed out across the country to get to my DH's father who was passing away, so things were very stressful and on 11 DPO I started spotting and losing the pregnancy symptoms...and the pregnancy.

The May cycle we didn't hold out long enough. Charting, OPK'ing, but I didn't know how long my cycles were and gave up before I finally got the confirmation around day 23 that ovulation finally happened, so that month was gone.

June, which was the month: I had a "pep talk" with DH in advance, and we were finally on the "same page" about our common goal and we promised we would not give up early this time!

Started drinking decaffinated green tea at night (no idea if this did anything but it did help me relax after DD went down to bed!), charted faithfully and discovered I ovulated on day 23 again (most people are closer to day 14) and OPK'd...for days 10 through I think day 19, almost every day, where I finally got the sign that ovulation was finally approaching. (Was given some leftover OPK's that expired in 2002 from a friend or that would have gotten expensive; but I was getting so frustrated it would have been worth paying for them if I had to. I figured they were free so I was going to burn through them).

We bd'ed every other day from I think day 12 or so until day 21. We were determined not to miss it, and to finally catch the egg. And we did. :) Today is 11 DPO and although my temps have dropped a little, I still have the same symptoms and HPT'ed again this morning and the line is darker than it was at 9DPO, so I'm assuming all is still well.

I don't know what my cycles were like off the pill because I had been on it so long, and I have just charted a few months...so I don't know if I had waited longer if I would eventually have gotten to where I was ovulating closer to day 14 or not. Don't know if coming off "the pill" makes you ovulate later for a while or not.

And you asked about CM...I feel silly. I was entirely clueless about it until TTC with #2. I'm assuming it's always been there, but I have never paid attention to it, much less scrutinized it like I did these last few months. Yes, my CM also followed a somewhat typical pattern and was yet another indicator of approaching ovulation.

"Fertility Friend" made the charting and interpretation of it all supportive and fun.

Good luck to you whenever you decide to go for it!!

~Sandy/DD born via emergency C at 35 wks/1 day June '03 due to Severe PE/class III HELLP

Risk factors: HBP/asthma/high cholesterol

CAUGHT THE EGG!! Estimated hatch date: 3/20/05

[arj]

Sandy, why did I know I would hear from you first?!? [:D]

Thanks for all of the info. I remember when I was charting, I had convinced myself that I was infertile (much to the annoyance of my husband-kept rolling his eyes at me) because I really didn't notice any sort of fertile CM...ever.. But the temps seemed to follow a predictable pattern. We'll see what happens this next time.

Congrats again on catching the egg. You made it seem pretty easy! I'm hoping to have the same story in a few months!!

Allison (28)
DS-Evan, 7/19/2003. PE at 40 weeks

[julie f]

Allison,

I didn't chart so, I can't be of much help there but, CM was probably the biggest help for me. When we were trying the 1st time, I always assumed that I ovulated on Day 14... After learning about CM, I realized I'm closer to Day 16 or 17.

Hope that when the time comes, it happens very quickly!

Julie (27)
Zachary James, 7/22/03-7/27/03, born at 26wks - severe pe

Miracle in progress... #2 is due February 2005!!!

Southern California Coordinator

[for faith]

Allison ~ I used OPK to conceive my son and my child I lost to m/c. Those worked perfect, the first month when I finally figured them out. Then after my m/c I started charting and it really did help to know when I O (I did it for about 5 cycles before trying again). The temps were a bit obsessing for me, but they did show my later O (I have longer cycles 35 days and O about day 20) and I got pregnant the first time we were really trying. Now I am just monitoring CM and going to start the OPK next cycle. Hopefully it will work quickly again. Best of luck when you start.

Jill
mommy to:
Tyler - 4 (36 wks, PIH)
Angel baby - 1/20/03 (11 wks)
Faith Kristine - 1/5/04-1/30/04 (30 weeks due to severe PE, passed due to NEC & Sepsis(preemie complications))

trying for #2 to share our lives with since 9/02

[april]

Sorry if I should already know the answer to this question. But, how do you chart? And what is OPK?

april(24)
dh-billy(29)
dd-Natalie 3/10/04(pasted away after 1 hr.) induced labor at 23wks and 5 days due to severe PE/HELLP

[5thtymachrm]

April,
OPK=ovulation predictor kit..you can buy one at a drugstore or grocery store, cost between $15-50, comes with these sticks that check your urine for pre-ovulation hormones. they will come up positive anywhere from 12-48hrs prior to ovulation so you know when to BD(babydance=intercourse).
Charting is part of the FAM method, fertility awareness method, that tracks your daily basal body temperature and several other fertile signs. you can use it to get pg or to avoid pg. A lot of people use fertility friend online to chart, it is free for the basic membership. all of the info more in-depth than i can provide here is at that site. www.fertilityfriend.com .
hope this helps! I think there are other sites out there but I am not sure. the other big place people learn this from is a book called "Taking Charge of your Fertility" by Toni Wesschler, an excellent book that I bought over a year ago to get pg with my dd.

Elizabeth

Indigo E. 11/20/03:37wks, PIH
ttc #2 is a go!

[maxs mom]

Allison,
I started chartting right before our weeding day and I quite taking the pill a month after we were married, and four months later I got a feeling we should try. My DH was skeptic, because he wanted to wait a year, but I said "oh, let's just see if it works" And Bam, it did, one time and we were PG, then I lost the baby in MC. After that, my cycles went nutty. I kept chartting for months, and the only time I could figure out I o'd was from the temperature shift, which was always too late. My CM was always nutty, often I was convinced I was O'ing, around day 14 but figured out I didn't later when my cycle was 45 days long. I was getting frustrated after 6 months or so, so I finally went to the OB, and took one course of Clomid (which makes you ovulate around day 14) and I was PG.

But anyway, to answer your question. I do think charting is really helpful. You just become so much more aware of your body. Sometimes I could feel the pain in my ovary from ovulating, because I was paying attention. Even though I am going straight to Clomid this time around, my doctor still wants me to chart. the best thing about it is you get an idea you are PG when the temp shift stays high and doesn't fall after 14 days (or you can just take a PG test, ha! ha!)

HTH,
Kara

Kara (34)
DH, John (36)
Max, 1/20/03, 25 wks, 534g. (IUGR), severe PE
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/m/mightymax/

[april]

Elizabeth,

Thanks for the info. I'm not trying to get preg now(I would like to wait about a year), actually I'm trying to not get preg without taking BC. So, I might take a look at FF, and see what it has to say.

april(24)
dh-billy(29)
dd-Natalie 3/10/04(pasted away after 1 hr.) induced labor at 23wks and 5 days due to severe PE/HELLP