Question about charting

momagain2009

For those that chart, did you start right away when you decided to TTC?  Does it make you obsessive? 

I ask because I'm not sure I'm ovulating after my m/c and wanted to begin to temp, however, I become obsessed with almost everything I do so I want to try to avoid any unnecessary anxiety while TTC.

I've been using OPK's but my understanding is that you can get a + and still not O.

Thoughts, suggestions, tips?

ToshaGirl

Charting is really the only way you can truly tell if you o.

You'll get lots of different opinions, but for me it doesn't make me obsessed. I think if I didn't chart I'd be a way more concerned about what the heck is going on in there.

GL with whatever you decide. And yup - you can get a +OPK and still not ovulate.

 

floridakat

I actually find charting much less stressful. It helps me keep phantom symptoms at bay, takes the guesswork out of when I'm Oing and gives me a much better idea of when to expect AF.

Now, every once in a while there's that really good looking chart that can freak you out, but overall I prefer to know what's going on. GL!

Oh, and yes. You can get a positive on an OPK and just be gearing up to O but not actually release an egg. For women who don't O at a consistent place in their cycle, the combination of OPKs and charting can be very helpful.

momagain2009

Thank you!!  I'm going to go for it and begin temping at the beginning of next cycle.  I already have low hopes for this one.

DoubleFlyaway

I'm not charting, mostly because we're trying to keep everything very light-hearted and non-stressful.  My DH is more, "if it happens it happens," than I am.  I mean, he understands about my using CBEFM and having lots of sex during fertile days, particularly because we're aiming for a relatively short window for professional reasons.  But I don't want to remind him every day, by the alarm clock and the beeping of the thermometer, about what we're trying to do.  So, really, I guess for me not charting is about his stress, not mine.

So there's no real way for me to know for sure that I'm ovulating, but my first month using CBEFM, everything seemed pretty normal, and I've always had very regular cycles and no problems that I know about.  So I believe that I am, and we will continue what we are doing through October (or not, if we're lucky), when we will have to take a TTC break.  If it doesn't work out, I'll have to reevaluate when we start TTC again.

panda246

LOL---your post makes me laugh because this is exactly why I postponed charting.  I usually don't become too obsessed until about CD 24, but I am definitely glad that I now chart.

Others are right, it's the only way to truly know if you are Oing.

Good luck charting and setting limits with yourself on how many times a day you can check your chart

hollymichael

I have a very obsessive personality, but I actually think charting helps. It is nice to know exactly when to expect AF.  I don't start obsessing about it until a couple of days before she is due to arrive.

Mrs.PeachyKeen

I did chart right away.  I charted for 4 months and had started getting obsessive.  I got pg the month that I took a charting break.  I don't think that there is any correlation.  I did do some spot charting and that was worse since I wasn't positive about what was happening.  I say to try to chart and see.  You can always stop, but it is better to have some idea of what your body does rather than wait a few months and then try only to find out that your timing has been bad.