Where to start?

Sembree1

We have been married a month now, together for longer, obviously. I have an almost 6 year old from before I met him. We are at the point on wanting and being ready for a baby. We aren't at the point of charting and such yet, and I know nothing about how to do that. Should I start doing that now, or wait a few months and see if we get pregnant without charting? Any suggestions would be great. Thank you!

(also posted in trying to get pregnant)

Jags8

It's really up to you. I like having a sense of control/knowledge about my body. I want to have a better idea of when I ovulate (I would prefer not to buy OPKs). And say if I'm not pregnant by the next summer/fall (2015) I can show my doctor my charts. We plan on starting TTC in September. I just used my last NuvaRing, so I will be done with hormonal bc in May. We will use condoms while I temp until September.

DH just wants to "go with the flow." So I just won't tell him when I'm fertile so he doesn't feel pressured.

purple_2012

I just took my last pill on Monday. We decided to see what happens for the next couple of months. I'll begin charting in June when we want to actively start trying. I also don't want H to feel pressured, so I don't plan on telling him when I'm fertile.

alysonmh

I found that telling DH when I was fertile was very stressful for him. I charted for one month and realized it was not worth the time/stress. The 2nd month I stopped charting and we got pregnant.

Wine&Cupcakes

I started charting in January and we plan to TTC in late summer. I would go nuts wondering if we hit the right window, etc. so I prefer to have more information about my body.

Also, as someone who doesn't have a child/has never been pregnant, I wanted to confirm monthly ovulation.

All of this was compounded when I realized I would need treatment for a metabolic disorder and it would require adherence to a very strict diet pre-TTC and throughout pregnancy - for me, I'd rather give  myself the best chances every month of conceiving so minimize the amount of time I'm on a restrictive diet.

Many people just see what happens and it works out for them. I'm too type-A for that. Plus, like PP mentioned, if I end up needing fertility treatments, I want to have something to show in order to rule in/out certain issues immediately instead of wasting time trouble shooting things a chart could tell me - like appropriate luteal phase length, confirmed ovulation, etc.

It's a personal choice!