Chart Stalk & Questions Thread | Week of 8/14

pebbledam

This is a thread where anyone can feel free to request a chart stalk, second-guess FF's interpretation, or post TTC-related questions, regardless of where in your cycle you are. Sometimes FF is wrong. That's where we come in. Get your second opinion here!

thisnthat314

Here is my chart- so far ok I think.
question- when checking CM to document, do you go fishing for it or do you only notice/record it its there ehen you wipe? Asking bc last few months other than ovulation I seem to not be able to tell unless I go looking.
 

izza2

@thisnthat314 - I usually only check when I wipe, but I also tend to have a decent amount of CM when it's present. Some women have to go fishing for it, because you just may not produce as much fertile CM as others.
You also may not have CM aside from O. I usually have watery CM leading up to O, and then EWCM around/during O, and that's usually it. I don't tend to get creamy or sticky CM that often, or enough of it that it's noticeable and I can mark it on my chart.
As long as you can identify your fertile CM lead up to and during O, and that you dry up or there's a point of change shortly after it's present -- you should be fine.

If you want to try and increase your CM, though, make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Antihistamines/allergy meds can dry you out. And I think someone at one point was taking cough syrup/guaifenesine to try and thin/increase their CM, and I remember seeing them say it seemed to work.

pebbledam

@thisnthat314 - I go fishing for it because I also like to check my CP (well maybe not "like," but you know what I mean). And it's not uncommon for me to get wet patches outside of FW, but EWCM usually only shows up right before O and then goes to creamy afterwards. It helps me pinpoint O since temping is hard for me. But I say to try it both ways and see what you're most confident doing to get you the most accurate information possible. 

thisnthat314

pebbledam said:

@thisnthat314 - I go fishing for it because I also like to check my CP (well maybe not "like," but you know what I mean). And it's not uncommon for me to get wet patches outside of FW, but EWCM usually only shows up right before O and then goes to creamy afterwards. It helps me pinpoint O since temping is hard for me. But I say to try it both ways and see what you're most confident doing to get you the most accurate information possible. 

Yea- I have CM right now but its not enough that is present when I wipe. When I was in my fertile window- different story thankfully.

petethecat

@thisnthat314 I'll just chime in too and say that, if I don't see anything on my underwear, I'll go looking for it (with a clean hand, of course!) and put the most fertile quality cm that I see for that day on my chart. I can hardly ever get a good handle on cm from wiping unless it's EWCM, which I don't get very much. If you are looking to increase cm, pounding water and green tea really makes a difference for me. Hydration is key! 

millpe

Okay guys I need a stalk. I know your normal until you're not but I'm so confused! Since I've been temping my LP has been consistently 12 days with 3-5 days of spotting before AF. This month I started spotting earlier (5dpo) but now it's 15dpo and no AF yet, BFN today, and my spotting has pretty much stopped. Any reason to think my CHs might have been wrong? Any ideas on why my LP would randomly lengthen but spotting increase? 

doxiemoxie212

@MrsMiller8588 are you taking any new supplements this month? Or even last month that may have accumulated by now? New exercise routine? Travel? Lack of travel? Anything different? 

millpe

@doxiemoxie212 a few months ago I added in D3 and B6 and maybe 2 months ago I added in flax seed oil. I guess maybe that would contribute? I had taken a month off exercise but I'm back to "normal" now. Travel has been normal. 

doxiemoxie212

@MrsMiller8588 I think I've heard that those supplements especially can lengthen your LP, which is great that it seems to be working for you! 

mileswithmyles

I could use a stalk. I woke up with a sore throat today and a stuffy nose, and I'm wondering if that could have caused the dip yesterday?  FF gave me the dotted CHs right after O, so the temp dip didn't affect that.   [spoiler] [/spoiler] 

millpe

@doxiemoxie212 haha yes I'm glad my LP has lengthened I'm just confused about the extra early spotting! 

doxiemoxie212

@MrsMiller8588 ah, well, I'm not the gal to talk to about that since I basically spot nonstop at this point. It's an ongoing issue that I have yet to find a cause for. I'm doing 7dpo blood work on Friday to see what's up, but who knows if they'll find anything! Hooray! My doc thinks it's "fine" but like..... is it? Lol

millpe

@doxiemoxie212 Spotting is the worst! I hope you get some answers! I don't think it's "fine". I have always had spotting, but this time was just earlier and longer than my "normal". I have had 7dpo progesterone check and it came back good so who knows? The other thing about my LP getting longer now is that I am doing a full testing cycle next cycle so I need to call on CD1 to get that set up. 

dragonette505

@mileswithmyles looks like a classic mid luteal phase estrogen surge. Sometimes its just caused by a surge in estrogen but supposedly it happens with a statistically higher frequency on pg charts (implantation dip).Heres hoping its the latter!

@MrsMiller8588 No... the CH's look good if your coverline is 97.3 (looks like a typical biphasic temp shift). I did try playing with your coverline a bit (making it 97.5). I guess with the spotting it is more confusing. If you don't get full flow soon, I'd check with your doc.... with that temp drop on 11 DPO and it staying down, it almost made me wonder if your spotting was some sort of breakthrough bleeding or something. I think only a full flow or bloodwork would tell for sure if you properly ovulated.

millpe

@dragonette505 Thank you for the feedback! I will give it a few more days to see if AF shows up for real. If not I will give my Dr a call and see if she what she thinks. 

sandbar517

Few questions.  Is there a specific time "window" that will give you a closed circle as opposed to an open one?  Like, 15 minutes earlier/later than your first temp, half hour, hour?  

Also, I already posted this in WTO but it's kinda hilarious, and I'm really curious.  I dropped my CBAD holder this morning, it bounced on the sink and landed in the toilet!! So crazy.  Anyway, I had saved the one from the other box and used that one, thinking I would get an empty circle, but I got a solid smiley (I got my first flashing smiley yesterday.)  Can I trust the solid smiley since it's a different holder? 

@thisnthat314  I go looking for it.  I don't usually get a ton when I wipe, and I had an IUD for years, so it doesn't really bother me to go up there.  

@MrsMiller8588 and @mileswithmyles  I'm a newb, so I'm not much help to you, but good luck!!

mileswithmyles

@dragonette505 thank you for taking a look.  When I have charted in the past, I have never had a temp below a coverline that didn't result in AF showing up within the next day.  

@sandbar517 I get up at 5:45 for work and when I temped at 6:25 on Sunday, it gave me an open circle.  I was up at 5:00 on CD 16 and it gave me an open circle.  

nitnat007

@sandbar517 FF changes it to an open circle for anything 30+ minutes difference. I just tested it, anything under that is left as the solid circle. Unfortunately I can't help with the other question. 

doxiemoxie212

@sandbar517 ....am I going nuts? The chart that you just posted is my chart.....? But I cropped out all my extra data on the one I posted in TWW? Is it showing somehow each person their own chart? That can't be possible.... wtf?

sandbar517

@mileswithmyles Thanks for the info.  I've been trying to look at mine, and it doesn't make sense.  My first temp was at 3:25, I did one at 2:50 and it gave me an open circle, but then one I did at 4:00 gave me a closed.  ??  Or do the open circles mean other things besides temps out of the normal time?

sandbar517

@nitnat007 thanks!!!
@doxiemoxie212  That's so weird.  On my computer screen it's definitely showing my own chart.  

nitnat007

@doxiemoxie212 I totally see my own chart too. Its so freaky!

doxiemoxie212

@sandbar517 ohhhh did you copy the link to your chart image and then paste it in the photo thing? (As opposed to saving the image and then uploading it from your desktop) 

The link you pasted is the same link I'd have to my own chart, so it just shows my chart. LOL omg, I was freaking out.

sandbar517

@doxiemoxie212 I deleted it in case something weird happened when I tried to paste it in there....

sandbar517

@doxiemoxie212 So sorry!  I'm still getting used to trying to get my chart in here on my desktop instead of just screenshotting from my mobile!  

doxiemoxie212

@sandbar517 no no no, I think it would've shown each person their own chart - ie, I don't think anyone would have seen yours. I think they'd only see their own. So I don't think anyone saw mine except me! No worries (but also probably not a good way to get a chart stalk from anyone lol)

ajsanders-2

Good Morning All! Here's my question, AF is supposed to be here tomorrow, but yesterday what I thought was spotting started in the morning. Later in the day it seemed like a regular flow, today is the same. I am thinking that now this is AF showing up 2 days earlier than expected. UGH. Has anyone else experienced what they've had IB, and turned out it was just AF being a jerk?

sandbar517

Trying screenshot from mobile, hopefully this one works....I am on my work computer so I'm also wary of saving things to places and am probably dealing with weird firewalls and whatnot.  

Avrilmai

@doxiemoxie212 @sandbar517 that same thing happened to me the first time I tried to post my chart. 
@sandbar517 if you mark sleep deprived it will give an open circle even if it is in your time window. This happened to me last cycle and I was really confused at first. I took my temp 10mins earlier, but got an open circle, when I took away the "sleep deprived" it was solid. 

dragonette505

@mileswithmyles yeah... ive def had a mid LP estrogen surge. After reading up about it I began to note that sometimes I even have a little CM around a dip (which is consistent with higher estrogen). I'm trying to remember, but I feel like below the CL is supposed to be more indicative of implantation dip than a dip close to or above it (which I think is more indicative of estrogen). But its just a small percentage. Heres what FF says: "Estrogen, in opposition to progesterone, has a lowering effect on temperatures. A secondary estrogen surge in the middle of the luteal phase may cause a temperature dip at this time. Indeed this may explain why this pattern also occurs on non-pregnant charts. Mid-luteal phase estrogen levels, however, have been found to be higher in conception cycles than non-conception cycles and this may also contribute to the greater frequency with which we see this pattern on pregnancy charts."

So I think the theory is the higher the estrogen in the dip the better

izza2

ajsanders-2 said:

Good Morning All! Here's my question, AF is supposed to be here tomorrow, but yesterday what I thought was spotting started in the morning. Later in the day it seemed like a regular flow, today is the same. I am thinking that now this is AF showing up 2 days earlier than expected. UGH. Has anyone else experienced what they've had IB, and turned out it was just AF being a jerk?

If you filled a tampon or a pad - it's AF.
If you didn't fill a tampon or a pad - it's spotting.

I'm sure we've all hoped the start of our period was actually some late IB.

dukestar5

Have any of you tried Evening Primrose Oil to increase CM?  I've read mixed reports...some people saying it increased cm production and other reports that it delays ovulation.
any personal experiences?

@kbamomma33. You mentioned that green tea and lots of water helped with cm production.  I feel like I already drink a ton of water, but the past several cycles I haven't had much in terms of watery/ewcm.  I tried drinking 1 cup of green tea per day, but didn't notice a change.  How much do you drink?

doxiemoxie212

@dukestar5 I don't take EPO specifically but it is part of my omega 369 supplement. I haven't noticed an increase of CM (I typically have a fckton, but watery, not ewcm), and it also has not delayed ovulation for me. But I also am not taking a ton of it. 

doxiemoxie212

Is the FF app down for anyone else right now...?

dukestar5

@doxiemoxie212. Thanks! And yes, FF just says "loading" for me.

doxiemoxie212

Ugh my addiction to staring at my chart is real 

nimmle

@doxiemoxie212 @dukestar5 Ugh, Yes! I'm glad I can count on you ladies to report that FF isn't working for you too.

nitnat007

.........runs to FF to check. Yup, not working   

doxiemoxie212

Two Dots is also down, and between it and FF, I don't know if I'm going to make it through today 

nimmle