Should I join this board?
Good morning ladies! Dh & I have been trying to concieve for over a year now. We did get pregnant pretty quick when I came off of bc last year but it ended in a miscarriage. Since then we have had no luck. I have been using opk's but it seems like the results keep changing. According to the opk I would always ovulate around the 9th or 10th day, but now it seems anywhere between the 7 -13 days past my period. I don't know why it changed. I just started a chart on fertility friend but it all seems so overwhelming. I know you all will refer me to read the book Take Charge of Your Fertility but with 2 jobs (we are trying to pay down our credit cards so we can be in a better position to buy a house next summer) and my early work schedule I really don't have much time to read. Any quick advice would be great. And if I shouldn't be posting on here just let me know, I'm not sure if this board is reserved for women with medical conditions preventing them from getting pregnant. And I'm over 17. 
Re: Should I join this board?
Well being over 17 helps.
Charting can be overwhelming at first, but stick with it. It tends to all come together after a couple of months when you will be able to notice trend patterns. You will get the Ah-Ha moment eventually. Most importantly, is to temp at the same time each day and to not do anything before temping. I would sit my thermometer on top of the alarm clock and grab it when the alarm went off. It becomes habit after a little while.
Since you have been TTC for a year since you m/c have you considered going in for testing? WIthout testing, you do not know if you have a medical condition or not, secondary infertility can happen.
Now would be the time for testing if you are ready for it. When you do get to the testing phase, the girls over on Infertility can be a world of help!
After 7 years trying to concieve, 3 failed IUIs and 2 failed IVFs, my third IVF was a success!
My Christmas baby turned into a turkey bird! Dillon Richard was born at 34 weeks, 5 days on November 28, 2009 after 10 weeks on bedrest for preeclampsia.
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v705/arriinthere/PJ/?action=view
That's a great idea to put the thermometer on the alarm clock, thanks! Do I have to buy a special thermometer, are oral temps not as acurate? I get up at 4am every day so remembering to take my temp will probably be an adjustment. Does charting only consist of temps & cm or is there more to it?
We took a break 2 months before the wedding from ttc. I thought that I would give charting a try for maybe 4 or more months & if no luck then we will see about testing. I had a mc when I was 18 but I didn't know it at the time. I was scared sh!tless when I got a positive test and about 2 weeks later I got my period. I just assumed it was a false positive & thanked God. Little did I know.... I don't think my dr is ready to refer me to any specialists yet because I am young (will be 25 next month) and because of the ttc break that we took.
Age should never play a role in whether or not a doctor gives you a referral. The medical definition of infertility is trying for 1 year without success when under the age of 35. That is the only thing your doctor should be basing his referral on, if you feel you want to move on, I would look for a new doctor who doesn't base medical decisions on his ideal age of TTC.
Charting is pretty involves, yes the key factors are temps and CM but there are many things that can effect the 2. Fertilityfriend.com has a tutorial that can walk you through everything you need to know. I think you sign up for it and they email you once a day with things you need to know and look for when charting. I know you said you have no time to read, but TCOYF is really informative and a quick read.
As for what type of thermo. - they sell basil body thermo and they are located near the OPKs etc in your pharmacy aisle. Try to get one that stores the last temp taken so you do not have to get up and chart right away every morning.
After 7 years trying to concieve, 3 failed IUIs and 2 failed IVFs, my third IVF was a success!
My Christmas baby turned into a turkey bird! Dillon Richard was born at 34 weeks, 5 days on November 28, 2009 after 10 weeks on bedrest for preeclampsia.
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v705/arriinthere/PJ/?action=view
After 7 years trying to concieve, 3 failed IUIs and 2 failed IVFs, my third IVF was a success!
My Christmas baby turned into a turkey bird! Dillon Richard was born at 34 weeks, 5 days on November 28, 2009 after 10 weeks on bedrest for preeclampsia.
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v705/arriinthere/PJ/?action=view
if you don't have time to read TCOYF, then I would at least do the tutorials on FF, that helped me alot. I have to say, with the reading thing though, once you start reading it, you will get sucked in! i did; I didn't know how much i didn't know before. As far as getting used to taking your temp, it becomes habit after a while. My DH helps me too, some mornings he puts the thermometer in my mouth to get me to do it b/c I don't want to wake up. Such a sweetie.
good luck!
(as far as the getting tests and what not, I think that is up to you when you "throw in the towel" on the old fashioned way. I am not giving up on my crazy cycles yet.)