Chart Stalk and Questions - Month of July

eleven_

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!

eleven_

Started selfishly. How do you enter your resting heart rate on FF? 

prpl11butterfly

You have to add a custom data field and chose Numeric as the Data Type. Then, to get it to chart with your BBT you go into Settings and select Chart Duo. Set it to Sign (not Chart) and then select the RHR custom sign.

eleven_

@prpl11butterfly It worked! Thank you 

lulu1180

@eleven_ @prpl11butterfly Apparently they changed something in the last 2 weeks or so and if you don't have VIP, you can't do the chart duo with RHR but you can at least enter it in FF

prpl11butterfly

Hmm. I'm crazy and pay for VIP even though it makes me a bit obsessive.....

luckywife10

I tried Googling this question but didn't get far: how can you tell the difference between sex leftovers and CM? Is there a "wait 24 hours after BD to check CM" rule or something like that?

meggyme

@luckywife10 I believe that semen typically dries quickly, where as cm would stay wet. I think that cm would also stay intact in water, where semen would sort of dissolve.

prpl11butterfly

I asked this not long ago! I can't remember who it was who answered. Basically they react differently with water. I tested it and its scientifically sound. The "leftovers" will get gritty and dissolve when wet. EWCM will stay EWCM. So after checking your CM, put a little bit of water in and see what happens.

luckywife10

@prpl11butterfly @meggyme Ah ok thanks!

amc772

Hi all just have a question about temping. I get pretty restless around 3am to 5:45 when I get up for work. I temped at 3 when I first woke up and got 97.47 deg got up for bathroom went back to sleep and temped again at 5:45 and got 98.07deg. Trying to figure out which reading to use. When I wait til 5:45 i'm been tossing and turning every day. When I take it if I wake up between 3-5am FF says my chart isn't accurate do to time differences in when I took the temp. Any suggestions?

holly321

@amc772, I am a poor sleeper and wake often, and FF has never really had issues telling when I O.  (Although, I occasionally question if it is off by a day or two, but that really doesn't change anything.). Anyway, what I do, is when I wake up anytime after 3, I take my temp, since I don't know of I am going to fall asleep again. Then, if i do, I use the yemp from my rrgureg wake up time, if not, the early temp.  fF will give me a ton of open circles for my times being all over the place, so obviously, it feels like is a degree of inaccuracy, but what else can you do if you wake frequently?

jurassicsarp

For those that chart RHR - do you check it manually or use like some kind of monitor or smart watch? Is there like a fitbit for ttc? Lol sorry but it's late and idk a better way to put that.

mrsknit

Hi all, not sure if this is the best place to post this. This is my first cycle off of hormonal BCPs, which I used for a little over two years. I’m experiencing a ton of CM (currently creamy/watery) and abdomen pain (cramping, twingeing, aching, sometimes a burning sensation - last night was CD 11 and the pain was awful). I would guess that the pain is ovulation-related, but it’s been happening for four days now and still no LH surge according to OPKs. (I’m not temping.) I’m at CD 12 today. I guess my question is: Is painful ovulation after BCPs common? Is this not ovulation at all? I’m also worried about delayed (or nonexistent) ovulation this month, and dealing with this cramping for much longer. 

meggyme

@mrsknit the only way to really tell if you are ovulating is to temp or get an ultrasound (usually reserved fertility treatments). The watery CM indicates your body is preparing to O, so your pain could be O pain or something else, like gas or a stomach bug. 4 days and still no positive OPK seems long. The CM could be odd and you could be having an early period. My periods off bc were always way worse than on it.

prpl11butterfly

@jurassicsarp I have the Fitbit versa and just enter my RHR manually into FF.

coco2787

Ok guys, those who are knowledgeable about these things, talk to me about AMH.  *TW loss* I had mine tested last week as part of a RPL work up and it came back as 0.917 ng/mL.  The chart on my test results show that the normal range for my age is 0.176 - 11.705 ng/mL, but Google tells me anything below about 1.5 is borderline low.  I will obviously be talking to my doctor about my results but just curious what others experience has been and whether or not this is actually a concerning number (for those of you on mobile, I'm 31).   My RE did not test FSH so I don't know that number.  

srscott3

*Lurker*

Question about the Amazon OPKs - Can someone possibly give me the link to the correct ones to buy? I remember a post a while back on TTGP about how some OPKs couldn’t be trusted, but I can’t seem to find it now. 

meggyme

From google: “authentic wondfo”
https://community.babycenter.com/post/a55235887/fyi-_authorized_wondfo_sellersdistributors

srscott3

Thank you @meggyme
and sorry for unintentionally using y’all as google TB is my only forum and I think I forgot that other ones existed

meggyme

@srscott3 no worries. Don’t be afraid to put in an intro and join in the dailies.

Swiftlet

If you feel crampy at any point in your TWW, do you feel as though you should stick to Tylenol versus ibuprofen, just to stay on the safe side? Or does it not really matter?

zamoraspin

@coco2787 It’s possible the lab being used has a somewhat different scale. AMH is also only part of the picture - generally the full picture does include FSH (kinda measures how hard your body is working to O) and antral follicle count (AFC). I’d say (barring some different scale at your lab) below 1 is lower than expected for someone who is 31, but at the same time from what I’ve read low AMH is not disproportionately present in RPL patients - meaning it isn’t believed to be a cause RPL. 

coco2787

thanks @zamora_spin, I plan to ask about FSH and AFC at my next appointment.  I'm not overly concerned about the number by itself, especially since we're testing it to try and get a gauge of what my egg quality is and that sort of thing isn't really an exact science.  I also read that AMH decreases as pregnancy progresses, and whether or not it bounces back after pregnancy seems to be really variable, so I do wonder if that played a factor in making my number lower.  I'll probably ask the doctor about that as well.  

prpl11butterfly

@Swiftlet I try to err on the side of caution and stick to tylenol after 7dpo.

zamoraspin

@coco2787 Unfortunately there really is no test for egg quality (although I really wish there was). Age is usually the best indicator. What the AMH/FSH/AFC shows is a guess at ovarian reserve (a picture of where you are on the biological clock, so to speak) and gives an idea of how a woman will respond to stims as well. 

Avrilmai

@coco2787 to sort of piggyback (or just say what she said) off of Zamora's answer, my AMH was well below 1.0 (.36 actually), my RE's view is that it will help to direct my protocol for IVF and really nothing more. My FSH was "normal" and AFC was okay as well. So all of that is to say it is more of the whole picture and not just the one level, but should you need to have more intervention it may help to provide some direction. 

@jurassicsarp I use my fitbit and manually enter. if you search the TTGP board there was a post a while back with a review of the bracelet (ava? is the name maybe) that is sort of the fitbit for TTC. One of the TTGP grads used it and wrote a pretty thorough review.  

mrsknit

@meggyme Well, the crampy pain left as quickly as it showed up. It only lasted CD 8-11 or 12. It is now CD 15. Still no + OPK. Hoping it’s today! I’m considering buying a BBT in the future. 

lillywonderland

I don't really know where to put this question, but I figured the questions thread would be the best place for it. 

** TW - late term loss mentioned **

I have a coworker who had a late term loss. A lot has happened in her life since then and without getting into too many details, she's rebuilding her life and has done a pretty great job. She told me she hasn't been able to connect with people who have been in her situation, so I mentioned this community (or something like it). She's not TTC right now, so I am not sure where the best place for her to go would be. The late term loss group is pretty dead here, so I was just wondering if anyone had any other resources (blogs, etc).  Thank you guys in advance, and I am sorry if this isn't the right place for this question.

aukeev

Sorry to jump in a little bit abruptly, but I haven't seen anyone else talking about it, so wanted to pipe in and get your input!

DH and I are both 26, I was diagnosed with PCOS a couple of years back, we have been TTC for 19 months. I am only seeing an OBGYN (I LOVE my OBGYN), when I was diagnosed with PCOS he put me on Metformin and Progesterone (I had been anovulatory for ~2 years). We're young, and have been willing to "wait it out", but are now starting to want to move more quickly. We met with our OBGYN two months ago and he started me on Femara and Estradiol in addition to staying on the Metformin and Progesterone. I have had positive OPKs on the Femara (currently 1 DPO on the second month in).

My question is... is anyone else on a similar treatment plan with an OBGYN as compared to an RE? Any tips on how to start with an RE? 

kiki047

@lilly91613 While I don't have personal experience with losses, I have a few close girlfriends who have been through it. One of them has an incredible blog that she's kept going for the last few years. She's also part of a wider network of women in similar situations. If you'd like, I can DM you the link to pass on. 

zamoraspin

@oklahomak I do not have PCOS or an ovulatory disorder but you might try checking in with the IF thread if you have not already. There are many TTGP grads who have struggled with ovulatory disorders and found success with just Femara or Clomid. However - I know you like your dr but are they monitoring you to make sure you ovulate? By that I mean a u/s and bw to confirm ovulation. With a history of annovulatory cycles and PCOS, you can’t be sure you ovulated based only on OPKs.

Also - if he hasn’t already your H should probably have a semen analysis before too long. Unfortunately I’ve seen many posters who thought their only issue was with the female partner only to find out down the road that there was also an MFI issue. Hope that’s not the case for you, and good luck!

lillywonderland

Yes, @kiki047 that would be great! 

holly321

@lilly91613, there are a few ladies here with late term losses, me being one of them with my first loss.  But, the term late term loss is not always used correctly (sort of like on here.). I am not implying you are, but still birth late term loss are often used as interchangeable terms, which they aren't.  If it was a still birth, there are a few ladies around that she could connect with.

@oklahomak, when I was not ovulating, I did see my obgyn for clomid, but I was monitored.  My hormone levels that were imbalanced before treatment could give me false positive opks, so I wanted to second what @zamora_spin said about needing to be monitored to see if you are indeed ovulating.

lillywonderland

**TW - loss mentioned**

Thanks @holly321, and I apologize for not using the term correctly. It was never my intention to hurt anyone for not using the terms correctly.  I was unaware that there was a difference between still birth and late term loss.  I thought they were used interchangeably for loss after 24 weeks or so.  I don't know exactly what hers would be considered since her baby was born sleeping (they knew it before they induced her), but she lost her around 24/25 weeks pregnant.  

holly321

@lilly91613, there is absolutely no need to apologise.  I hate how the internet does not convey meaning!  Late term loss is a second trimester loss before 20 weeks (I am pretty sure 20 weeks is the cut off) so it is still technically a miscarriage.  After that point, it is considered a still birth. 
So to answer your initial question, there are a few ladies on here that have had still birth, but not many, but your friend is certainly welcome to join us in TTCAL.  I imagine that some of the ladies who had a still birth may post more often if there were others.

mzl1

Hi ladies, trying to pinpoint my O date. My peak EWCM day was Wed (11), basically only watery after that.  Did I O on the 11th and then have a fallback rise, or did I O on the 13th? I'm not familiar with fallback rises. Thanks

love_ya_babe

 What is going on with my chart? A .03 temp rise tomorrow put O on CD 28. I've been cramping for 6 days, I never ever cramp. Peak opk yesterday and today. Help!

moose1100

I had the same thing- positive OPKs a few days apart. I would guess you will O tomorrow, since you're still having positive OPKs?

meggyme

***Super Lurker***
Are @moose1100 and @mzl1 the same person?
mzl1 said:

Hi ladies, trying to pinpoint my O date. My peak EWCM day was Wed (11), basically only watery after that.  Did I O on the 11th and then have a fallback rise, or did I O on the 13th? I'm not familiar with fallback rises. Thanks

auburnvelvet86

@love_ya_babe - I'm not sure which OPK monitor you're using, but I know that my ClearBlue digital says not to use it again during the same cycle when you've already gotten a peak reading, and I think it's for this very reason, that it can cause a lot of confusion. Have you been checking CM for all of the other days since CD28? That is probably crucial information at this point to really interpret your chart. When in doubt, the old truism of "just keep BDing" always holds firm.