~*~ NEWBIE PLAYDATE ~*~

jschwind22

BrightEyes112:

You guys are awesome and I'm in love with this thread. I am pretty sure this is answered in the newbie thread but I can't see the link on my phone. I know an opk os considered negative if the line isn't as dark or darker than the control. If a light line does come up, does that mean you are closer to possible O or is it as meaningless as a stark white? Also, I know that opks do not confirm O but just the surge... if I am using opks twice a day, is it possible to still O and not see anything on the OPK?

Some ladies see a fade in pattern where the line will gradually get darker until it is positive.  Others just get a positive out of nowhere.  It's one of those things that over time, you will learn how your body reacts.  I personally get a fade in pattern, so it's nice to know it's coming.  It's always possible to O without turning an OPK positive (not testing often enough, dilute pee, etc.), but usually if you test 2X per day it is enough to catch your surge.   Good luck!

pearlsandcurls84

jschwind22:

tigger99:

sheenaro:

jschwind22:

JulieSmiles:

I'll play. How important is it to temp at the same or close to same time every day? I just started temping a few days ago and my temps are all over the place and FF keeps giving me open circles. I'm a teacher on vacation for another 15 days and I really don't want to have to get up earlier than necessary!

The more consistent you can be, the more accurate your chart will be.  That said, plenty of people can still see a shift even if they temp at different times.  I suck at sleeping, so I just take my temp the first time during the night when I wake up, because after that I sleep very restlessly.  Sometimes it is at 2am, sometimes at 5am.  But don't come back whining later if your chart is jacked up lol!

So I creepily stalked your chart because I am a restless sleeper too. I try to temp whenever I get 3 hours of sleep. I try for 445 every morning, but it doesn't always work. How do you not get the open circles from doing it at different times? Do you tell FF you temp at the same time every day even though it varies? 

As long as i am getting 3 hours of sleep before I don't change the temping time to avoid open circles. The time doesn't seem to affect my temps as much the cycles that I do temp.

Yup exactly this.  I usually make a note of the actual time in the notes section so if something is wildly off I can go back and see if the time is the culprit.  But other than that I don't change the time at all and just let FF give me closed circles.  I think you can probably see my last cycle that I temped during my TX break, and my shift was pretty obvious even though the time I tempted varied a lot.

Thanks, ladies. This is my first month temping so I was feeling frustrated by my crappy sleep schedule.... This makes me feel better! Jschwind, I definitely see the shift. I hope mine will be that obvious.

jschwind22

HatchetFace:

I had a pretty big temp dip at 6 dpo. I've read that it can be an implantation dip (not likely I know, but I guess we do kind of have a shot this month; we had sex O-4 with no protection) or a rise of estrogen. I also didn't sleep at all on CD 24 (5 dpo), so I didn't temp. I spent that day at Holiday World on no sleep and was f*ucking exhausted. I slept harder than I've ever slept before that night. Could that be the reason for the dip? I know, I'm reading way too much into it. Just curious. The two days of way higher temps after the dip are throwing me off. Tell me to calm my tits. 

Calm your tits

It's about the pattern, not about a single temp.  There was something I saw on FF once about what a temp dip around that time means because of the hormones changing during the LP, but I can't remember the specifics.

jschwind22

tigger99:

mdooley13:

I'll play!  Here are a couple of questions...

1.  When using the Wondfo OPK's, how early do you usually start?  Last month, my first month off BCP, I didn't O until CD24 (confirmed with OPKs and temping).  I peed on an OPK on a whim today and had a faint line at CD7.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my cycles shorten a little bit as I regulate coming off the pill and don't want to miss my surge...

2.  This leads to my second, completely stupid question...Wondfo OPK's are completing blank at some point, right??  When absolutely, completely negative they would just show a control line, correct?

 Ready, set, go...  

Some people always have some LH in their system. I personally have never had a stark white OPK I always have a light second line.

 

Yup.

As for your first question, since you are still regulating I'd stock up on Wondfo's and be BFF with POAS.  If you find that your cycles become a bit more regular and you're not Oing until later, the Wondfo instruction sheet has a chart on when you should start testing based on your cycle length. 

https://www.ushealthtests.com/wondfo-ovulation-dip-test-package-insert.pdf

HTH and good luck!

mmb248

HatchetFace:

tigger99:

HatchetFace:

I had a pretty big temp dip at 6 dpo. I've read that it can be an implantation dip (not likely I know, but I guess we do kind of have a shot this month; we had sex O-4 with no protection) or a rise of estrogen. I also didn't sleep at all on CD 24 (5 dpo), so I didn't temp. I spent that day at Holiday World on no sleep and was f*ucking exhausted. I slept harder than I've ever slept before that night. Could that be the reason for the dip? I know, I'm reading way too much into it. Just curious. The two days of way higher temps after the dip are throwing me off. Tell me to calm my tits. 

a lot of months I get a temp dip between 5-7 DPO I write it off to a hormone change since for me it has never meant anything.

I suppose if you were sleeping so good you mouth was open maybe your temp could be lower or something. (i didn't look at your chart prior to typing so I don't know what the dip even looks like)

Since you asked me too Calm your tits! 
 

I probably was mouth-open snoring all night. Tits are officially calm! Thank you.  

I totally see you with deflated boobies now.

RMS112611

I was going to be patient and see if things changed this month, but since you asked...

Last month I had next to zero CF, and no EWCM until several days after O.  In May, before I was temping and everything, the only appearance of EWCM was on CD 13.  This month I have had very little watery CF.  What can I do to help my body along?  

I researched it as best as I could, and have increased my water intake, bought EPO this evening at the health food store.  Is there anything else that I can do?  I've heard of people taking Mucinex or Robutussin, but medicine designed to clear up mucous in your nose doesn't seem too likely to increase mucous in your vagina.  Help?

Also... *blushes*  is it next to impossible to get pregnant without any EWCM showing up?  Websites that I have seen refer to watery CF as "fertile" and EWCM as "most fertile." but is that just referring to when in the cycle they are supposed to come? 

Thank you! 

jschwind22

RMS112611:

I was going to be patient and see if things changed this month, but since you asked...

Last month I had next to zero CF, and no EWCM until several days after O.  In May, before I was temping and everything, the only appearance of EWCM was on CD 13.  This month I have had very little watery CF.  What can I do to help my body along?  

I researched it as best as I could, and have increased my water intake, bought EPO this evening at the health food store.  Is there anything else that I can do?  I've heard of people taking Mucinex or Robutussin, but medicine designed to clear up mucous in your nose doesn't seem too likely to increase mucous in your vagina.  Help?

Also... *blushes*  is it next to impossible to get pregnant without any EWCM showing up?  Websites that I have seen refer to watery CF as "fertile" and EWCM as "most fertile." but is that just referring to when in the cycle they are supposed to come? 

Thank you! 

Are you checking internally?  I don't get a whole lot of fertile CM either and my RE has never found it to be a concern.  I almost never get it to be obvious in my undies, but I occasionally find some when I check internally.  Increasing water definitely helps.  Some ladies drink green tea from CD 1-O and find that it helps.  It worked for me when I drank freshly brewed green tea, but not the pre-bottled Liptons mixes.  Both watery and EWCM are a sign of being in or near your fertile window.

mmb248

HatchetFace:

mmb248:

I totally see you with deflated boobies now.

:: flashes mmb pancake boobs:: 

OMG!  I just googled pancake boobs.  Don't do it!!!!  There's something called a pancake on a woman's body and it is NOT boobs.

ktumleson

Ok so there is probably an obvious answer to this but it is my first month using OPK's so I'm still trying to learn. I'm using the Clearblue Digital and the last 4 days have been peak readings. My temperature started rising after the first peak so I've had three days of higher temps. I also had EWCM the second day, but has since changed to watery. That being said, I'm trying to figure out if I have already O'd or about to? Any advice?

Snowflake312

Oh I have a question!

 My OB/GYN told me to call her in 3 months if I don't get AF after stopping BC.  I've read on this board to call your doc at 60 days.   Does this generally apply to your FIRST cycle after BC?  I'm at CD62 and spotting, so I was just going to wait it out.

 What would you do?

It is my understanding that Provera does not actually cause you to ovulate, so I'm confused on how it resets your cycle.  Greatly appreciate any advice! 

jschwind22

ktumleson:

Ok so there is probably an obvious answer to this but it is my first month using OPK's so I'm still trying to learn. I'm using the Clearblue Digital and the last 4 days have been peak readings. My temperature started rising after the first peak so I've had three days of higher temps. I also had EWCM the second day, but has since changed to watery. That being said, I'm trying to figure out if I have already O'd or about to? Any advice?

Do you have a link to your chart?

jschwind22

Snowflake312:

Oh I have a question!

 My OB/GYN told me to call her in 3 months if I don't get AF after stopping BC.  I've read on this board to call your doc at 60 days.   Does this generally apply to your FIRST cycle after BC?  I'm at CD62 and spotting, so I was just going to wait it out.

 What would you do?

It is my understanding that Provera does not actually cause you to ovulate, so I'm confused on how it resets your cycle.  Greatly appreciate any advice! 

The general rule of thumb is to call at 60 days with no AF.  If I were in your shoes and spotting, I'd wait it out a bit.  Also some doctors will tell you to wait until 90 days, which is fine too.  You are correct, Provera does not cause you to ovulate.  It is a progesterone pill, so when you stop it you get a withdraw bleed and thus the start of a new cycle.  Sometimes jump starting things helps your body get back on track.

ktumleson

I'm mobile and haven't been able to figure out the linking yet

jschwind22

ktumleson:

I'm mobile and haven't been able to figure out the linking yet

Hmm, well without your chart I can only speculate.  I've never used the digi OPK, but if I remember correctly aren't you supposed to stop taking the tests after you get a peak reading?  Maybe review the instructions and see if that is the case?  Either way, if your CM, temps, and OPK are all matching a particular day, I'd go with that regardless of what your OPK does after that day.

ETA: fixed a word

ktumleson

Ok thank you!

Snowflake312

Thanks, I think I will wait it out.

 Is there a general rule of thumb for the number of days or cycles you go without ovulating? 

jschwind22

Snowflake312:

Thanks, I think I will wait it out.

 Is there a general rule of thumb for the number of days or cycles you go without ovulating? 

I'm not sure if there's a rule, but IMO if I went 6 months without ovulating, even with the reset of provera, I'd be looking into it.  Good luck!

RMS112611

gonzol:

RMS112611:

I was going to be patient and see if things changed this month, but since you asked...

Last month I had next to zero CF, and no EWCM until several days after O.  In May, before I was temping and everything, the only appearance of EWCM was on CD 13.  This month I have had very little watery CF.  What can I do to help my body along?  

I researched it as best as I could, and have increased my water intake, bought EPO this evening at the health food store.  Is there anything else that I can do?  I've heard of people taking Mucinex or Robutussin, but medicine designed to clear up mucous in your nose doesn't seem too likely to increase mucous in your vagina.  Help?

Also... *blushes*  is it next to impossible to get pregnant without any EWCM showing up?  Websites that I have seen refer to watery CF as "fertile" and EWCM as "most fertile." but is that just referring to when in the cycle they are supposed to come? 

Thank you! 

Increasing your water should help. How much are you drinking? You should be drinking at least half your body weight in ounces. If not more.

It's not impossible to get pregnant without any EWCM. Plenty of women get pregnant with watery CM as well. EWCM is considered the most fertile because it has nutrients and a better living environment for sperm.  

If you have time, check out The Great Sperm Race on Youtube. It can help you understand a little more about sperm and CM.  

 

Thank you very much!  If I'm supposed to be drinking that much, I should probably up the amount a bit more...  I'm just so bad at remembering, and then I guzzle a giant glass in one sitting and feel sick.  :P

I have watched The Great Sperm Race, and was kinda confused, it sounded like the sperm needed EWCM to be able to reach your cervix, but that could've been me just paying too much attention to the little guys in white clothes. Thanks again!  

Snowflake312

jschwind22:

Snowflake312:

Thanks, I think I will wait it out.

 Is there a general rule of thumb for the number of days or cycles you go without ovulating? 

I'm not sure if there's a rule, but IMO if I went 6 months without ovulating, even with the reset of provera, I'd be looking into it.  Good luck!

 

thanks for the tips! 

RMS112611

jschwind22:

RMS112611:

I was going to be patient and see if things changed this month, but since you asked...

Last month I had next to zero CF, and no EWCM until several days after O.  In May, before I was temping and everything, the only appearance of EWCM was on CD 13.  This month I have had very little watery CF.  What can I do to help my body along?  

I researched it as best as I could, and have increased my water intake, bought EPO this evening at the health food store.  Is there anything else that I can do?  I've heard of people taking Mucinex or Robutussin, but medicine designed to clear up mucous in your nose doesn't seem too likely to increase mucous in your vagina.  Help?

Also... *blushes*  is it next to impossible to get pregnant without any EWCM showing up?  Websites that I have seen refer to watery CF as "fertile" and EWCM as "most fertile." but is that just referring to when in the cycle they are supposed to come? 

Thank you! 

Are you checking internally?  I don't get a whole lot of fertile CM either and my RE has never found it to be a concern.  I almost never get it to be obvious in my undies, but I occasionally find some when I check internally.  Increasing water definitely helps.  Some ladies drink green tea from CD 1-O and find that it helps.  It worked for me when I drank freshly brewed green tea, but not the pre-bottled Liptons mixes.  Both watery and EWCM are a sign of being in or near your fertile window.

I have tried checking internally, and it's always much more plentiful, but I didn't know if I was missing something...  I figured if I actually had CF there would be some on my underwear, and that the stuff inside was somehow different? (Typing that out, I realize how incredibly stupid I sound...)  I will continue drinking water and try some green tea as well.  Thank you SO much!

mrs_tacos

jschwind22:

curlygirl2004:

This is cycle 5 for us TTC.  AF usually shows up around 11 dpo but I start spotting at 9 dpo.  Do you think this hurts my chances of implantation? Should I talk to my Dr or wait it out?

Excessive spotting during the LP can be a concern, but I wouldn't call spotting starting at 9DPO excessive. 

How many days of spotting would concern you? Some cycles I have three or four days of spotting. Should that concern me? Also, my LP length changes a lot. It can be 10, it can be 14. Should I be worried about that? 

jschwind22

amandarene112:

jschwind22:

curlygirl2004:

This is cycle 5 for us TTC.  AF usually shows up around 11 dpo but I start spotting at 9 dpo.  Do you think this hurts my chances of implantation? Should I talk to my Dr or wait it out?

Excessive spotting during the LP can be a concern, but I wouldn't call spotting starting at 9DPO excessive. 

How many days of spotting would concern you? Some cycles I have three or four days of spotting. Should that concern me? Also, my LP length changes a lot. It can be 10, it can be 14. Should I be worried about that? 

From the looks of your charts, you're getting a good 10 days in before the spotting usually starts.  That should be enough time for implantation to happen if it's going to.  I really don't know a whole lot about spotting, so maybe someone else could chime in here.

mrs_tacos

jschwind22:

amandarene112:

::snip::

How many days of spotting would concern you? Some cycles I have three or four days of spotting. Should that concern me? Also, my LP length changes a lot. It can be 10, it can be 14. Should I be worried about that? 

From the looks of your charts, you're getting a good 10 days in before the spotting usually starts.  That should be enough time for implantation to happen if it's going to.  I really don't know a whole lot about spotting, so maybe someone else could chime in here.

Thanks, jschwind! 

LaurenB1521

So what are your secrets to keeping yourself from testing early during the 2ww?

I KNOW that I should wait until at least close to AF but last time I got my BFP at 10dpo so it's hard to not assume I will again! And this is why I bought a three pack...

Twinkie0612

LaurenB1521:

So what are your secrets to keeping yourself from testing early during the 2ww? I KNOW that I should wait until at least close to AF but last time I got my BFP at 10dpo so it's hard to not assume I will again! And this is why I bought a three pack...

For me I stopped testing  early because I got tired of seeing so many BFNs.  I got to the point that I didn't test at all for several months.  If you are going to test early, I recommend getting some wondfos (sold on amazon) you can get like 50 tests for $15, so much less expensive than buying HPTs at the store.

jschwind22

LaurenB1521:

So what are your secrets to keeping yourself from testing early during the 2ww? I KNOW that I should wait until at least close to AF but last time I got my BFP at 10dpo so it's hard to not assume I will again! And this is why I bought a three pack...

I don't try to stop myself.  I just buy the cheapie tests (Wondfo's) from Amazon and start peeing.

C0602t

I apologize for TMI

I've only been TTC for 2 months so I can't say I've been paying close attention until now, but I can't remember a time when I've noticed EWCM. I'm in the middle of my cycle now, and I am having wet clear shiny "CM" but that's all. Is that ok? I've been drinking water like crazy this cycle.

Twinkie0612

C0602t:

I apologize for TMI I've only been TTC for 2 months so I can't say I've been paying close attention until now, but I can't remember a time when I've noticed EWCM. I'm in the middle of my cycle now, and I am having wet clear shiny "CM" but that's all. Is that ok? I've been drinking water like crazy this cycle.

Both EWCM and watery CM are considered fertile.  Some women never see EWCM and others only see it if they check internally.

 

C0602t

On the waiting to O and 2WW treads why do some have a different number for cycle and month? For example 8/7

sunlavender

C0602t:

On the waiting to O and 2WW treads why do some have a different number for cycle and month? For example 8/7

It's dependent on your cycle length.  For example I am in month 13 of TTC, but only cycle 11 (I tend to have longer cycles).  Someone who has shorter cycles could be on month 5 but cycle 6.  If you cycles tend to run around 29/30 days, these numbers could be the same.