Possibly stupid newb question...

tlynnus

This is my first cycle TTC #2.  I never really thought about temping and checking CM until I started lurking here. I've noticed that you guys generally recommend FF to newbs so that OD can be pinpointed.  I'm just wondering how imperative it is to know the actual OD.  I have it narrowed down to a 5 day window.  As long as we have sex during that time frame and the couple of days before and after that should be okay, right?

I'm kind of starting get nervous about this because I feel a lot of pressure to get pregnant on the first cycle.  My sister got all 3 pregnancies on 1st cycle, my DS was first cycle, DH is starting a new job in a few months that will involve significant out of town travel, and family members are already asking if we are pregnant yet. Sigh.

doozer1345

Reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility will help you understand your body andthe importance of each step most of the ladies do here. It will also help cut out stress b/c you'll know what's going on. You can buy it on Amazon or you nearest bookstore. GL!!!

amandaloren

Try not to get your hopes up too soon. There is a chance it can happen on the first cycle, but it probably won't. It can take a healthy couple a year to conceive. We suggest charting just because your O date can vary from month to month.

onesandtwos

While it's possible to have very regular cycles in which you O around the same time every time, even the most regular of women can O later than normal, or not at all. If you're just checking CM to determine O, it may not be accurate. You could easily miss your fertile window. The only way to know for sure if you've O'd is by charting your BBT. Once you've charted for a few cycles, you'll be able to predict O much more accurately.

 

Good luck, and I hope you get your BFP soon! And try not to feel too much pressure. Enjoy the process!

psubride1012

It is obviously a personal choice, but my understanding is that the only way to confirm o is through temping. If you are leery, maybe give it a shot on your own and temp if you aren't getting ku after a few cycles. I am curious how you know you have ovulation pinned down to a five day window though...

nickelpickelpink

I also started out thinking that the actual O date didn't matter as long as we were having sex often. I ended up breaking down and starting to chart. It's pretty simple to do and helps me better understand what my body is doing. I think it will actually relieve some stress because I will know if I really O'd or not.

tlynnus

psubride1012:

It is obviously a personal choice, but my understanding is that the only way to confirm o is through temping. If you are leery, maybe give it a shot on your own and temp if you aren't getting ku after a few cycles. I am curious how you know you have ovulation pinned down to a five day window though...

Okay, you guys are probably going to laugh but here it is.

My cycles are uber regular. 30 days like clockwork. I've been pregnant before and a LP must be at least 12 days to support a pregnancy so I can say that it is at least this length. I believe that I read, the length will not be longer than 20 days. While a LP varies from woman to woman, it is generally the same for an individual woman. This would mean I would ovulate between CD 10-18.

The cycle that I conceived my son we had sex on CD 11, 13-17. I had implantation spotting on CD 24. Generally, this would occur 6-12 DPO. This would narrow the window down to CD 12-18. I had a +HPT on CD 26. If the earliest that you can see a +HPT is 9 DPO, this would put my earliest ovulation at CD 13.

Therefore, ovulation CD 13-18.

 

 

brookelynpaisley

Charting confirms ovulation. You may think you have your ovulation down to a window, but you could still miss it. You may not ovulate and wouldn't know because you're not confirming it with a thermal shift. Charting also offers insights into problems that may make conception difficult, like a short luteal phase.

psubride1012

tlynnus:

psubride1012:

It is obviously a personal choice, but my understanding is that the only way to confirm o is through temping. If you are leery, maybe give it a shot on your own and temp if you aren't getting ku after a few cycles. I am curious how you know you have ovulation pinned down to a five day window though...

Okay, you guys are probably going to laugh but here it is.

My cycles are uber regular. 30 days like clockwork. I've been pregnant before and a LP must be at least 12 days to support a pregnancy so I can say that it is at least this length. I believe that I read, the length will not be longer than 20 days. While a LP varies from woman to woman, it is generally the same for an individual woman. This would mean I would ovulate between CD 10-18.

The cycle that I conceived my son we had sex on CD 11, 13-17. I had implantation spotting on CD 24. Generally, this would occur 6-12 DPO. This would narrow the window down to CD 12-18. I had a +HPT on CD 26. If the earliest that you can see a +HPT is 9 DPO, this would put my earliest ovulation at CD 13.

Therefore, ovulation CD 13-18.

 

 

At least you have some logic behind it and didn't say it was based on an ovulation calendar.    I think there are a good number of TFAS ladies on here that would say that their second round of TTC was different from the first, so you may or may not have the same experiences this time around.  Hopefully it's easy for you. 

I don't want to talk you into charting because it sounds like you maybe aren't up for it, but I personally have found it to be very helpful and while it does make it somewhat stressful, I would be more stressed not knowing what is going on with my body each cycle.  You will also probably get more help/advice from the ladies here when you ask questions if you do chart because that is what we are most familiar with and it makes narrowing down possibilities easier.  Good luck!

HazelBee22

Even the most regular of clocks can break I certainly wish you all the best this cycle, but for most women it isn't as easy as getting pregnant on the first cycle. I  definitely recommend charting. I was hesitant at first, thinking it wasn't for me, I really didn't need to know that much, blah blah blah... but I'm not even through my first cycle and HOOKED. In fact, I'm pretty irritated that I couldn't have had more consistent temping times and that I missed some very important days. It can only be a good thing to know more about your body!

Again - good luck this cycle!! 

jdmom03

amandaloren:

Try not to get your hopes up too soon. There is a chance it can happen on the first cycle, but it probably won't. It can take a healthy couple a year to conceive. We suggest charting just because your O date can vary from month to month.

Milliways

tlynnus:

psubride1012:

It is obviously a personal choice, but my understanding is that the only way to confirm o is through temping. If you are leery, maybe give it a shot on your own and temp if you aren't getting ku after a few cycles. I am curious how you know you have ovulation pinned down to a five day window though...

Okay, you guys are probably going to laugh but here it is.

My cycles are uber regular. 30 days like clockwork. I've been pregnant before and a LP must be at least 12 days to support a pregnancy so I can say that it is at least this length.

This is not true, a 10 day LP can support pregnacy.

 I believe that I read, the length will not be longer than 20 days. While a LP varies from woman to woman, it is generally the same for an individual woman. This would mean I would ovulate between CD 10-18.

That is more than 5 days, and that is assuming that you will always have a 30 day cycle...your cycle has not flucuated even by a day in the past 12 months?

The cycle that I conceived my son we had sex on CD 11, 13-17. I had implantation spotting on CD 24. Generally, this would occur 6-12 DPO. This would narrow the window down to CD 12-18.

 I had a +HPT on CD 26. If the earliest that you can see a +HPT is 9 DPO, this would put my earliest ovulation at CD 13.

A test with the sensitivity of 20 mIU can pick up a pregnancy at 6-8 days past ovulation but the percentage of women who get a positive this early is relatively low, but if we are just speculating then...

 Therefore, ovulation WAS CD 13-18.

Many women here will tell you that what worked with #1 one does not equal number #2.

 

 

 

 

 

tlynnus

Milliways:

tlynnus:

That is more than 5 days, and that is assuming that you will always have a 30 day cycle...your cycle has not flucuated even by a day in the past 12 months? Well, I had a period July 2008. Then pregnant, breastfed for 17 months, so didn't have another period until September 2010. FYI, that was awesome!

Many women here will tell you that what worked with #1 one does not equal number #2. Indeed, hence the extreme case of nerves that I have right now!

 

 

 

 

 

Milliways

tlynnus:

Milliways:

tlynnus:

That is more than 5 days, and that is assuming that you will always have a 30 day cycle...your cycle has not flucuated even by a day in the past 12 months? Well, I had a period July 2008. Then pregnant, breastfed for 17 months, so didn't have another period until September 2010. FYI, that was awesome!

Many women here will tell you that what worked with #1 one does not equal number #2. Indeed, hence the extreme case of nerves that I have right now!

 

Charting, using OPK's, checking CM can help with nerves, it helped me a ton to know what my body was doing.  However, it stresses some people out more to know what is going on. Do what works for you.