Chart Stalk and Questions Thread Week of 9/4

zamoraspin

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!



 eta: Thank you @fishsticks-n-custard for help with the re-size!

josie12367

Totally laughed at the huge Queen B photo... Seriously made my night...

Anyhoo, on a more serious note. I have a long standing hx of anovulatory cycles. Generally around the six month mark of TTC I start my testing workups, and get started on Metformin. I was perusing Amazon and saw this My-Inositol supplement that claims it helps with PCOS and ovulation. I am borderline PCOS, as in I don't have enough symptoms all at the correct time to officially dx, but Metformin has successfully made me ovulate in the past...weird, I know. The reviews are hopeful...but I didn't want to base anything off of just that. I'm actually looking for something long term to help with my issues (anovulatory, lots of facial hair, and acne, high testosterone, etc)

So, do any of you take this supplement? Did it help with ovulation, or regulating your cycle at all? Or should I just avoid it all together? Thoughts?

lulu1180

@josie12367 First of all, I do not have PCOS so take my word with a grain of salt.  I did take it and it did help regulate my cycles after a couple of strange short, an-O cycles.  I also know several other people on this board have taken it at one time or another.  This is the information I used to help me decide to try it.  I would recommend doing a little bit of further research on your own and go from there.

https://healthbeatnews.com/an-exciting-new-fertility-treatment/

ETA also found these that you can look through
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=myo+inositol+vs+metformin+pcos

josie12367

@lulu1180 Thanks so much for the link! I find it interesting it can help with blood sugars as well. Mine are at 107 right now after an all night fast which they consider to be in the "pre-diabetic" range. I'll definitely have to continue researching. Thanks again!

zwink1

@josie12367 I do not have anovulation issues or PCOS, so take this with many grains of salt. However, myo-inositol is a B vitamin that's been shown in studies to improve egg and embryo quality and is recommended by ISWTE for PCOS or insulin resistance. From what I know about it, as long as you are not schizophrenic or bipolar, it is fairly safe. The reason it works is that some molecules in the inositol family are involved in insulin function and sugar metabolism. It is supposed to help regulate cycles.

That said, I do not take it, never have taken it, and am not a medical doctor, so I'm not making a recommendation, just providing info.

josie12367

@zwink1 Thanks for the info! I keep reading that it works similar to metformin which is what peeked my interest. The last time they tested me, I was not insulin resistant...so they won't provide me metformin anymore even though it's regulated me in the past. As long as I keep seeing it's safe, I'll probably give it a go. Thanks again!

Edit for words

fwtx5815

Hey @josie12367, this might sound familiar since I mentioned part of it on the TFAS check-in:
I have insulin-resistant PCOS and long, irregular cycles too. I'm currently on month 2 of TTC#2, first cycle was 96 days long and ended after I took Provera. This second cycle which I'm on now, I made sure to take my Metformin as well as myo-inositol because I'd read that it also helped regulate blood sugar, and it actually looks like I might've ovulated this cycle, around CD33 no less! Hallelujah. I had previously stopped taking my Met because of the stomach discomfort it caused, but I realized I don't actually want full blown diabetes down the road, so I decided to suck it up. It's hard to say whether it was the Metformin or inositol that helped me ovulate, since I started taking them at the same time in Cycle 2. IIRC, I found some good links to info on myo-inositol on the Soul Cysters forum.

I'm curious- If you're also in the "pre-diabetic" stage, why do you not take Metformin before the 6-month mark of TTC? Maybe I misunderstood but it sounds like you don't take it year round.

ETA- I meant to add what I read about the science behind inositol + (IR) PCOS: the spiked blood sugar can somehow increase testosterone which is what's behind many of the unpleasant symptoms of PCOS. The supplement supposedly helps balance it out.

josie12367

@fwtx5815  spoiler cause it's long

Hey fellow soul cyster! I also follow that forum, but havent been over there.in a while. I'll have to pop over and see what they've said.
Ugh...yes! Long cycles and provera...I am familiar with both. Well, I'm not dx with pcos officially for one, and my doctor didn't see a issue with my blood sugar  They also said my results "didn't show insulin resistance." This is my GP I'm talking about. So he wouldn't budge on the metformin thing. I usually wait till the six month mark because only an OBGYN will prescribe it to me for ovulation purposes. Which now that we've moved bases, I'm not sure if they'll even see me at six months...I'll have to wait and see. 
Congrats on ovulating! I managed to push an egg out this month too! So yea for our ovaries!

fwtx5815

@josie12367 gotcha! I hope your new doc is easy to work with.

thisnthat314

Is this enough of a shift to consider a temp rise?  This is my second month temping. Last month it was a bigger jump but this one is pretty slight. No idea if that even constitutes a O jump? Still trying to figure it all out. I am temping at 4:45 am this month vs 7am last month so that is the only difference timewise bc I have been trying to work out before work.

pebbledam

@thisnthat314 - Has your CM also dried up? Was there no CM to note before or after CD15? It might be a big enough jump, but it looks like you've only had two temps above where your coverline would be. You can put fake temps in on future dates to play with it. 

lulu1180

@thisnthat314 Adding to what @pebbledam said, if your CM was dry, put that in FF because it will be less confusing for it; also there is a slow rise O pattern that happens all the time.  If you haven't already, take FFs charting course and it will help teach you a lot.  In fact, that's good advice for anyone that hasn't done it, take the charting course in FF.  It's amazingly helpful!  Also, put in a fake high temp tomorrow and see if FF will give you CHs.  Finally, did you take any OPKs after CD13?  I like to continue to POAS until they are no longer positive and put in all the positives because (again) it will help FF interpret your chart so much easier!

thisnthat314

@pebbledam yeah so I noticed ewcm around CD 12 or 13. I decided this month not to go digging for it every day like the last few months so no- I did not log or keep track.

it looks like it I get a higher temp tomorrow it will give me cross hairs. I wasnt sure if not having the dip and then significant jump meant likely no O or it a gradual increase is possible too. I know everyone is different though..... and apparently I will/can be different month to month lol

thanks for your help!!

edit- spelling is hard

pebbledam

@thisnthat314 - The more information you give FF, he better it will work. And the better it will get at predicting your future cycles. 

thisnthat314

pebbledam said:

@thisnthat314 - The more information you give FF, he better it will work. And the better it will get at predicting your future cycles. 

I will make an effort to not be quite so lazy in that case 

doula-mama

@josie12367 I take Myo-Inositol for PCOS. I started taking it, along with an herbal tincture, at the recommendation of my naturopath. I started taking it right when I went off BC, so I can't really compare before/after, but it did definitely help with everything regulating. I tend to O fairly regularly, although am still pretty sensitive to stress. 

thisnthat314

lulu1180 said:

@thisnthat314 Adding to what @pebbledam said, if your CM was dry, put that in FF because it will be less confusing for it; also there is a slow rise O pattern that happens all the time.  If you haven't already, take FFs charting course and it will help teach you a lot.  In fact, that's good advice for anyone that hasn't done it, take the charting course in FF.  It's amazingly helpful!  Also, put in a fake high temp tomorrow and see if FF will give you CHs.  Finally, did you take any OPKs after CD13?  I like to continue to POAS until they are no longer positive and put in all the positives because (again) it will help FF interpret your chart so much easier!

@lulu1180 this is helpful thank you! Yes I took opk on 14 and 15 and cd 14 AM was positive still and then on that night and next day were negative.

I will check the course out- thank you! I did not know there was one! Glad I asked this question.

fishsticks-n-custard

***lurker, siggy warning***
@zamora_spin You can change the size by editing the HTML code. If you click the </> button at the top of the text box on the desktop bump website, you'll see the code. The code for the picture starts with <img alt="LINK"> with LINK being the picture link.  Between the last " and > type width="500" so that it looks like this <img alt="LINK" width="500"> and it should change the size. 

Actually, just to make this easier, replace that whole section of code with this:
<img alt="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Clf494hWgAA71zg.jpg" width="500">

zamoraspin

@fishsticks-n-custard Thank you! You are awesome. I need to try to save that info somewhere as I'm sure it will come up again. Hope you are doing well!

jrm_14

@pebbledam. I am slightly embarrassed to admit I temp and have never quite got the concept of a coverline.  Care to educate me?
@Lulu80301 I didn't realize FF had a course!  Clearly, or I would likely know the answer to my question.  

Eta: correct word makes a difference

lulu1180

@jrm_14 It's really just a tool to help you see the temp shift a little more clearly.  Some people's CLs will stay within the same general range every cycle and some will vary widely

jrm_14

@lulu1180. How is the CL determined?

lulu1180

@jrm_14 It is .1 degree higher than the highest of the 6 temps preceding O

doxiemoxie212

@lulu1180 whaaaat? lol I always thought it was some kind of mid point between avg pre-o temps and avg post-o temps. But that makes no sense bc it's determined before you have your post-o avg... so I'm a dummy 

[Deleted User]

You can also basically move your CL wherever it "looks best" to help you see the shift.  There's no exact formulae to where it needs to be, and no clinical significance whatsoever.

paleoprincess

Hi luverly ladies, I feel like an a$$ requesting a chart stalk since I've just been lurking for the past few weeks - my school started again and there's no time! 

I'm stumped on O day this month, I use kindara so it doesn't mark the shift automatically. Is it day 14 or day 18? 18 looks like a bigger jump but 14 also sort of matches the rules. Thoughts?

doxiemoxie212

@paleoprincess I'd guess cd14 if I'm reading that chart right 

jrm_14

BusinessWife said:

You can also basically move your CL wherever it "looks best" to help you see the shift.  There's no exact formulae to where it needs to be, and no clinical significance whatsoever.

This is what I needed to be confirmed that I'm not missing something important by not knowing!  Thank you, @BusinessWife!
Eta:
Hiiiiii, @paleoprincess! I was wondering where you had been lately.

paleoprincess

@doxiemoxie212 thanks! Weirdly low lp temps then... I guess I'll commence poas in fewer days than expected. 

@jrm_14 Hiiii! Just herding cats all day long, leaving minimal Bump time. I'm just thread-stalking at the end of the day line a creepy weirdo  

millpe

@paleoprincess Is there a reason you are using kindara over FF? You could input your temps and cm into FF to get another "opinion". I would say maybe 13 if I'm reading it correctly (13 is the day before the first jump right?) but it looks like you had fertile CM after that? 

offtoneverland

@paleoprincess I would guess CD17 based on your CP and CM. Either way your timing looks good though! I had a weird chart like that last month and it drove me crazy. 

dukestar5

@paleoprincess  Hey lady!  How is school going for you?   I agree with @offtoneverland in that my guess is CD17 for O.  Also, I have both the Kindara and FF apps.  Last month my temps looked similar to yours and Kindara did not give me an O.  (Usually Kindara will give you post O numbers.  However, I did get crosshairs with FF).  I just thought it was interesting.  If you can, I would download the FF app too.  It is pretty easy to go back a month or two to add in data and that way you can compare your charts.  (I always think the more data/info the better!)

paleoprincess

@dukestar5 @offtoneverland and @MrsMiller8588 I'll download FF for sure, that seems like a good idea. I used Kindara because it's great for TTA, but FF might be better for TTC. 

School is great! I switched from 5th to 3rd and it's been awesome. How are you? 

dukestar5

@paleoprincess  Yes!  That is why I originally downloaded Kindara, but then we switched to TTC and the lovely ladies here recommended FF.  I still use both of them because the geeky side of me loves to look at both and compare.

thisnthat314

So most of you put your ff charts on FAM right? I have seen that a good bit. With FAM setting I am now getting the cross hairs. On the advanced setting I had to play around ALOT to get the lines.  Does it change it back tonadvanced cycle to cycle? I swear I had changed it last month and it switched back to advanced!

lulu1180

@thisnthat314 I always leave on the recommended setting (I think that's advanced but since my account is currently on hold I can't check).  I would generally recommend leaving it there.  It's possible that since you're having a slow rise it may take it longer to recognize or if you don't get CHs by a certain time when you're pretty sure you O'd, you can always override and put O in yourself

doxiemoxie212

@thisnthat314 I def prefer the advanced setting 

zamoraspin

Question:  should I print out my FF charts and bring them to my first RE appt? Appt isn't until next Wednesday but we are about to go out of town and won't be back until late the night before the appt so I'm trying to figure it out ahead of time. Will that make me look very prepared or like a crazy person? 

jrm_14

@zamora_spin. In my inexperienced opinion, I say take them.  If you don't need to give them to the RE, nbd.  If you do, you are prepared.  I'm sure they see far darker shades of crazycakes

thisnthat314

doxiemoxie212 said:

@thisnthat314 I def prefer the advanced setting 

@lulu1180 and @doxiemoxie212 I swear  last month I was told to switch to FAM. Ahhhhhh!!! Ok well we will just see what happens.  All good- thanks!!

Pinky917

@Zamora_spin I had printed all of mine out before my initial consultation and they are still sitting in an envelope at home never looked at. I wouldn't worry too much about it.