Why do you love charting?

AL_TwinCities

Ladies. I. Love. Charting. I love it because even though we went off BCPs 14 months ago, had a chemical pregnancy and no other BFP after NTNP for the 11 months after the MC, this is making me more excited and optimistic than I've felt in a long time!

I love that I know what is happening with my body. I love that feeling a soft, open cervix dripping with EWCM (TMI!!) makes me excited for sexy time. I love that DH wants me to keep my FW time to myself so that sex can still be fun for him without the extra pressure, so I spend my fertile days sexting with him to get him excited for what is to come (so many double meanings here), feeling giddy myself because only I know that not only will this be fun, it is within the right window of opportunity.

So. For all those temping, checking CM and/or CP, using OPKs, tracking with FF...why do you love charting?

TheBorg7of9

I love it because I always know when my period is going to come.
I love it because I know when it is too early to test and when the test will be accurate.

KyCat

Yeah, I think my favorite thing is knowing when my period is going to come/when I can get an accurate test result. Also, very nice to get confirmation that I actually ovulated.

 But so far I have just been temping. I will start charting CM and CP this cycle (when AF leaves). Yay!

WinchestertoPittsburgh

Knowing that I actually ovulated. I've had apps in the past that I used every month to keep track of my periods and they were pretty on time... But visually seeing that my body is working like it needs to? That's such a huge relief.

BabyIntegers

I love it because I feel empowered by it.

Growing up, I wasn't taught anything about cycles or anything, not even about sex. When my mom, my sister and I got our menses, you knew because my stepdad would put the dog, the fishing poles and his beer in the truck to take off for several days. When hormones flew, I learned that women are batches on their menses and that's the way of it. I repeat, I knew nothing!

I started tracking my cycles a couple of years ago--only when I started and stopped AF every month. I did this so I could learn when emotional symptoms started to stop being a batch to my DH. I was sure that what I learned growing up couldn't be right and wasn't healthy. I wanted to change my behavior and stop putting it on him. With some type of warning, I learned effective coping strategies. I made rules like no talking about anything serious or making any big decisions when symptoms started, etc. 

Now that I'm temping for the first time this cycle, I am so happy about it. I will know when I've Ovulated, how long my LP is, when my menses will come (I'm sick of ruining all of my sexy panties). I will also be able to tell if I'm Ovulating during my longer cycles. I will be able to see symptoms for what they are and not what I think they might be. That will also help me stay off of Google and learn to manage my emotions, etc. 

I love it for more than TTC, really and seriously! I LOVE Science and my greatest passion is learning! Also P.S., I have the heart of a teacher and I love passing knowledge to other women who are just starting out. 

MNturnsVA

So far its been a big help to understand more of how my body is working.  I only hope that I will not become an obsessed crazy person with all of this.

I'm already wanting to POAS even though I'm pretty sure its too early for anything good to come out of that!

0Face

I like it for the historical reference in my own library.  I can look back and see what was within my "normal" and what to expect or when to slow my roll about things.

It's reassuring.

lalalorelai

I agree that it's reassuring for me. I tend to be an anxious symptom-spotter, so having actual proof that I'm only on CD 12 and haven't ovulated yet, or that my period shouldn't be expected for 5 more days, or whatever, makes me feel better. 

abpl2014

I agree with @WinchestertoPittsburgh charting has helped me to be more at ease knowing that I have actually ovulated. With just having come off of BC for the past 7 years my fear was that I wouldn't ovulate. With charting for the past 2 cycles FF has indicated I ovulated and that is very reassuring for TTC that my body is acting as it should!

letyourheartbeyourguide

This is my first full cycle charting and I just entered the TWW. I love that I know when I ovulated, when it's too early to have symptoms (like.... now at 3dpo), and when a test could be accurate. My SO was concerned it would make me fixated/stressed but I feel calmer, more empowered, and more in control. Plus I ❤ science!

cattlebride

I like that it gives me the best possible chance to concieve. Its like sports, well you've given everything youve had to give and if it doesn't happen at least you know that you did what you could.

I also have been super irregular in the past, so if I'm on CD 48 I'm not wondering why I'm seeing a bfn.

lalala2004

Confirming ovulation (I was so afraid I wouldn't ovulate, and it's such a relief!) and knowing when to expect my period.

mrsespigreen

All of this

chicandbubbly

I love it because I discovered I don't have the "typical" 28 day cycle with O on CD 14! It can definitely help you pinpoint certain things within your cycle. I would love the say it has prevented symptom spotting but I would be lying However, it can definitely help clarify a lot of things while TTC.

Par13

Charting is so empowering and informative. I'm glad I started charting so I could really learn about my individual cycles. 

And also everything else mentioned above.

Daybird11Six

-it confirms I am ovulating
-it tracks my symptoms, and now I am starting to see what appears to be a PMS pattern
-it confirms that my LP is long enough
-now that I have a good thermometer, I see my temps are great. This makes me not doubt my progresterone
-I know when to expect my period
-it's month after month of data that I can come back to, if needed, for any reason

TheBorg7of9

When my first baby was measuring a week behind, I knew that my dates were not off. I didn't love having a miscarriage, but I like that I did not have false hope and could accept what was happening.

TheBorg7of9

Also DH has a low drive. Because I was charting, I was able to pinpoint the most fertile day on the cycle DS 2 was conceived. We only had sex once that cycle and it worked!

AdorkablePixie

I love that I can keep track of my temperature and when my period will come. I just started getting a semi-regular cycle and it is nice. I don't ovulate though, which is a huge bummer! I can't wait until the day I do and my temp stays up for longer than three days! I also track my CM, which hasn't been much lately unfortunately. I  have no idea how to check CP, even though I've read up on it and tried once or twice, so I don't do that.

AL_TwinCities

@AdorkablePixie have you found the post on this board "the cervix feels like a PENIS"? that was super helpful to me. And this post: https://community.babycenter.com/post/a40832935/how_to_detect_your_cervix_position_cp_and_cervical_mucus_cm_type_for_your_charts

AdorkablePixie

AL_TwinCities - I have not. Thank you for the link! I will go read that.

WorkingOnMyNightCheese

I love charting because, to be blunt, I am a huge nerd that loves data and facts! I like knowing exactly when I ovulated, when my period will come, and how much I've learned about my own body!

indulgentgypsy

I love knowing what is happening in my body. I O'd later than I would have thought this month, and I know when to test if we caught, and I will know not to waste a test if we didn't

Edit because typos

benicode

I love it b/c I love data.  I'm analytical, my job is doing data analysis and this is the perfect way for me to scientifically understand what's going on with my body without playing guessing games.  

yanet0527

I love it, it's my first month charting and if it wasn't for charting I would've thought I had already O'd this month and would've wasted a whole month!

DutchLucyLu

Going to read the rest of this thread now, but just for future reference: it works much better if you put the TMI-warning before the I that is TM.

littlebirdie28

katetastrophem said:

I love charting because, to be blunt, I am a huge nerd that loves data and facts! I like knowing exactly when I ovulated, when my period will come, and how much I've learned about my own body!

katetastrophem YAAAS I am a huge numbers nerd and I am obsessed with keeping track. I'm irregular, so I don't always know exactly when things will happen, but I have a general idea and it's helpful to know when to make sure to have a maxipad in my purse!

AL_TwinCities

Bump

PugsandKisses

Because my CM and OPK do not always match my chart. That I don't always ovulate. That it is all over the place if I do.

MamaBish

I was actually anti-temping in the beginning. I thought it would be stressful because I wake up at random times during the night. I found out that even thought it's at different times, it's still possible to see the shift, so I decided to try it this month. I actually like it because I feel like I am doing something productive during my WTO and the TWW times. It's nice to see what the timing was and how well it went. I do use 3 apps since my cycles can be a bit wonky, so I input my temps and cm into all of them. Can't miss my fw now!!

exactlycat

Ladies, I stated temping this month and between yesterday and today I jumped from 35.2C to 36.7C. It's a big difference. Does ovulation gives you such a obvious difference in numbers?
Oh and sorry for Celsius. I'm French-Canadian

WinchestertoPittsburgh

Yes, ovulation can give a big rise in numbers, but it's the sustained high temps that truly detects ovulation. It's a shift completely overall.

TheBorg7of9

exactlycat said:

Ladies, I stated temping this month and between yesterday and today I jumped from 35.2C to 36.7C. It's a big difference. Does ovulation gives you such a obvious difference in numbers?
Oh and sorry for Celsius. I'm French-Canadian

You can't just look at two temps and know whether you ovulated. We need to see at least nine. Because you are looking for 3 temps that are higher than the previous 6. Put your temps into fertility friend and then share your chart.

WinniethePoohsPants

WinchestertoPittsburgh said:

Knowing that I actually ovulated. I've had apps in the past that I used every month to keep track of my periods and they were pretty on time... But visually seeing that my body is working like it needs to? That's such a huge relief.

All of this, charting is awesome.

bsckgb7

Holy zombie alert!! You won't know that's an ovulation spike for a few more days. FX it's not a random spike.

Leabear009

I love Charting because just like everyone else has said, I can see that I have ovulated and know when AF is on her way. At first I was hesitant because I felt like it would make me become "obsessive" and stress me out more than I already do. But, once I started I realized that it actually has helped keep me calm and gives me something to look forward to everyday. It definitely helps break up the TWW in my experience.

PKFMommie

mrsespigreen said:

All of this

This ^^

I am ever the optimist and would spend every second of every cycle playing mind games with myself trying to find any possible way that I could be pregnant despite all common sense and any medical indication that it is not so.  Charting helps me contain the POAS beast, and subsequent disappointment.