Anyone TTC but not charting?

starree444 · July 2014

I know it's kind of ineffective, but I'm just wondering if I'm the only one at the moment?
I can't really chart right now due to cycle irregularities (bleeding for 3 months), but the husband and I aren't using any form of bc.

KingLED · July 2014

starree444 said:

I know it's kind of ineffective, but I'm just wondering if I'm the only one at the moment?
I can't really chart right now due to cycle irregularities (bleeding for 3 months), but the husband and I aren't using any form of bc.

What? You'd think having irregular cycles would be when you WOULD want to chart. So what's stopping you?

ElBax · July 2014

The charting stuff is kind of fun for me, but I can't do temps. Well, I guess I technically could, but I don't think the data would be particularly useful given my anything but regular sleeping patterns. I might not be able to sleep more than 2-3 hours for a few nights, and then sleep 15 hours the next night. I also can't get an opk to show + for the life of me. So, I track cycle length, cervical fluid, twinges (lol), hormonal headaches, etc... The way things are going, though, we may be heading to the doc's office soon to figure out if I'm O'ing at all.

starree444 · July 2014

EllyD14 said:

starree444 said:

I know it's kind of ineffective, but I'm just wondering if I'm the only one at the moment?
I can't really chart right now due to cycle irregularities (bleeding for 3 months), but the husband and I aren't using any form of bc.

What? You'd think having irregular cycles would be when you WOULD want to chart. So what's stopping you?

The reason that I'm not is i haven't really stopped bleeding so CD1 is not really able to be determined. I guess i could anyway, but i just don't see the point right now.
Long story short: I had my IUD out in March, started bleeding beginning of April and it hasn't really stopped since.

createmagic14 · July 2014

Yikes! I hope that stops soon! That sounds very frustrating, not only, but especially TTC

starree444 · July 2014

createmagic14 said:

Yikes! I hope that stops soon! That sounds very frustrating, not only, but especially TTC

It is frustrating to say the least. The husband doesn't really mind it (other than being concerned for my health obv.) but for me having sex is just annoying now. Way too messy. It's also a surefire way for me to start bleeding more because muscle contractions and whatnot.

starree444 · July 2014

I have an appointment in August. I saw her at the beginning of June and since my bloodwork said everything was fine, she basically said the only way to stop it was to get pregnant, or go on the pill. Since going on the pill would be counter productive, we just stopped using any form of bc. I don't really understand how i'm supposed to get ktfu if NOTHING IS STAYING IN THERE.

divinemsbee · July 2014

I'm glad you have a doctor appointment in August, but if this doctor tells you there's nothing wrong I would highly recommend getting another opinion. That doesn't sound normal or right.

All of that being said, I have never temped. Just never started and was fortunate that my OPKs were accurate for me. I keep track of days and check CM and keep track of other symptoms. I used the strip OPKs for a few months and then switched to the CBE Advanced ones, which is what I will probably continue to do if we do unmedicated cycles. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, I'm under a doctor's care and will be doing medicated cycles where they will track my ovulation for me.

I do not care if people temp or don't, really. I mean, use the tools you want to use. A lot of women here find temping to be very helpful, especially those with longer or irregular cycles. However, if you're not going to temp then you (proverbial you, not necessarily you, OP) don't get to come in here saying that you're 'late' and that 'you know your body' and that 'my cycles are always the same.' That's just annoying.

sndravt · July 2014

I'm not temping yet. I ordered my thermometer though. 6 months with nada so far, I figured it might be time to start. I just finished weaning my 1 year old though.... I'm hoping the breastfeeding might be the issue. (Though I realize there's no "issue" yet and it could take a year.)

starree444 · July 2014

I full on don't know my body anymore. I was going to get a second opinion in June but I decided to wait. I'm starting to feel anemic now so I'm going to ask for another blood test to see what's going on.

Catcherryesux · July 2014

This is my first cycle off birth control and I haven't temped yet. I'm super frustrated because I'm pretty sure I haven't ovulated yet and it's day 40. I'm neither pregnant nor in my period and I've been using OPKs for the last 2 weeks since I expected to ovulate around day 35. It's possible I missed the surge but I think it hasn't happened yet. I'm completely frustrated and will probably start temping soon.

dazdareis · July 2014

I have a similar issue. My period can last anywhere from 1-33 days. This stems from my endometriosis though. But since I've kept my anaemia within a decent range, they won't do much. This why we're so gung-ho to get knocked up, so I can go for a hysterectomy.

~Mrs.Wise~ · July 2014

I was charting for awhile but it got entirely too intense. I was testing like a maniac. I still know more or less when I'm ovulating but I'm not testing anymore unless I'm late. But I've also moved into a few month window where I don't want to a stop trying, but getting pregnant in the next 3 or so cycles will push back my graduation date because my college doesn't want me taking lab classes if they know I'm pregnant, so I'm not as gung-ho at the moment.

lindsayanne14 · July 2014

I full on charted for 8 months (9 cycles), temping, checking CM and cervical position. I got pretty obsessed and DH and I decided I needed to ease up on the charting. I had pretty erratic temps because of sleep issues and spent a ton of time over analyzing my charts. I knew I was Oing so I gave up temping and now just track CM and use O strips. Overall, charting can be extremely helpful when TTC and also to help you learn a lot about what's going on in your body.

Trampslikeus · July 2014

I got the app and the thermometer but we are going to enjoy the rest of our summer basically NTNP (though I have a general estimated idea of things because I've always been regular). If nothing by sept, I'll start actually tracking. We have 2 camping trips planned for August - sharing a tent with another couple, so it's just not practical at the moment

MAdams728 · July 2014

I feel like I'm one of the few here who does not temp. I monitor CM, but that's it. I know how helpful it can be for some people, but I'm just not interested in doing it.

nalex420 · July 2014

I too am not temping....I am taking pnv's and eds....we will keep fingers crossed to see what happens.....good luck

KatzKiss · July 2014

With my first pregnancy I was just using OPKs. With this last one, the loss, I was charting and using OPKs but my chart was a hot mess and I never got crosshairs. When I'm done TTA, I will give charting another shot. Do whatever works for you.

schuebja · July 2014

I'm not charting right now. We are NTNP for the summer, so I'm not really interested in charting yet. When trying for DD, I did chart for 5 months.

starree444 · July 2014

smilesp said:
This is the first time I've ever posted because I feel like I'm not allowed since I don't temp. All that I do is keep track of my periods. This is only the second cycle that we've been TTC and I would like to just see how it goes for a little while. Maybe it's dumb but it's what I want to do

I don't think it's dumb. You do what's right for you.

Ladymouse · July 2014

Not temping as we aren't aggressively trying yet. The plan is to start charting in November if I'm not pregnant by then.

Wine&Cupcakes · July 2014

divinemsbee said:
I'm glad you have a doctor appointment in August, but if this doctor tells you there's nothing wrong I would highly recommend getting another opinion. That doesn't sound normal or right.

All of that being said, I have never temped. Just never started and was fortunate that my OPKs were accurate for me. I keep track of days and check CM and keep track of other symptoms. I used the strip OPKs for a few months and then switched to the CBE Advanced ones, which is what I will probably continue to do if we do unmedicated cycles. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, I'm under a doctor's care and will be doing medicated cycles where they will track my ovulation for me.

I do not care if people temp or don't, really. I mean, use the tools you want to use. A lot of women here find temping to be very helpful, especially those with longer or irregular cycles. However, if you're not going to temp then you (proverbial you, not necessarily you, OP) don't get to come in here saying that you're 'late' and that 'you know your body' and that 'my cycles are always the same.' That's just annoying.

Sorry to hijack - do you like the advanced strips? I'm having issues with wondfo OPKs now and was thinking about using advanced strips/getting a fertility monitor.

divinemsbee · July 2014

@Wine&Cupcakes (I don't know if tags work with your name, but I'll try it) Yes, I use the CBE Advanced OPKs (the ones with the empty circle/blinking smiley/solid smiley progression). I really like them and they've worked well for me. The caveat there is that they do take a little getting used to. I also started out with strips (the Target ones, they are awful) and I found the digital much more helpful.

I have 29-34 day cycles (generally around 30 days) and O between CD15-19. I've always had really regular cycles and no previously known issues. I start the OPKs between days 10-12 (basically when I remember). The important thing to know is that they aren't always textbook to the instructions and they aren't the same every month. So, some months you'll get the two blinking then the two days of solid (it does freeze for those 48 hours) and some months you'll get several more days of blinking before it goes solid. And some months it'll go straight from empty to solid.

I'll also say that if you're someone who wants to test more than once a day (the CBEs use FMU) or feels like you want to continue to test throughout the month, then they may not be for you. Once I hit solid smiley, I'm out. We have sex during the blinking, during the solid, and then the day after that (and obviously throughout the rest of the month as well). I don't keep testing. It's never been an issue.

I can get around 2 months out of one pack. A word about that, whichever monitor part you start a month with you need to keep using. So if I have, say, 3 sticks left, and I know that might not be enough, I'll start with that monitor, buy another box, and use some of those strips on the old monitor. Then, when that month's done I just throw out the monitor and use the new monitor on the next go round with the leftover strips.

If the Advanced hadn't worked out for me (anecdata, I had a roughly 40% success rate of getting pregnant using mine) I probably would have moved to the CBE Fertility Monitor. The Advanced are expensive, and I know some like the non-advanced digi CBEs as well. For me, with how well it's worked, it's worth it.

~Mrs.Wise~ · July 2014

I guess if my period doesn't come within a calendar month of the last one. It hasn't happened yet so I don't have an exact plan. I've kind of hit an apathetic stage and it's pointless to see an RE until at least Oct or Nov so that I can graduate on time.

catlover790 · July 2014

I started temping and checking cm right after stopping BCPs because I wanted to make sure we had good timing. I'm glad I did because I could see where I wasn't ovulating. It was helpful for me to be able to go to my OB with my charts to show her (even though she just wanted to give me clomid) that I wasn't ovulating. I still temp now but don't bother with cm or OPKs until we get going in a medicated cycle.

Unknown · July 2014

This content has been removed.

jlo629 · July 2014

I also had an IUD and when I got that removed I did not start charting until over 3 months after as that is when I finally got my first period. It was unbelievably heavy and had crazy big clots but only lasted 10 days. I would say start temping soon just to make it habit so that when you stop bleeding you are more ready for charting.

starree444 · July 2014

Another reason that I'm not charting is the fact you have to take your temp the second you wake up. If I don't sit up when my alarm goes off, I'll fall back asleep guaranteed.

jlo629 · July 2014

I set an alarm at 5:30 and when it goes off I stick my thermometer in my mouth and usually doze back off and try to remember to take the thermometer out of my mouth. Then I have a second alarm when I actually need to get up. This morning my husband took my thermometer out of my mouth after I accidentally fell completely asleep with it still in.

starree444 · July 2014

jlo629 said:

I set an alarm at 5:30 and when it goes off I stick my thermometer in my mouth and usually doze back off and try to remember to take the thermometer out of my mouth. Then I have a second alarm when I actually need to get up. This morning my husband took my thermometer out of my mouth after I accidentally fell completely asleep with it still in.

Isn't that dangerous? hah

LuluRM · July 2014

Brewgirl1980 said:
I am seriously thinking about not charting when I get the go ahead to start trying again. I will probably still use my Wondfo OPKs cause I still have a crap ton of them and don't want them to go to waste but temping, I'm leaning towards not. Since TFAS has been stressful so far, I want to take some of the stress out of it. My mind set right now is, IDGAF how or when it happens, I'm not stressing over it anymore. The only reason I will continue charting is if treatment for my recurrent losses requires me to.

I feel the same way. We've been TFAS since our loss last year and I find I am really stressed, depressed, and obsessed (holy rhyming batman!) when I chart (and I never had success with it anyway). So now I just track period dates (since I'm super irregular) and wait for my period (at this point I feel so defeated that I never expect a BFP so I never test, and then my period comes eventually). Most women would disagree, but DH and I feel better about just HIO when we're in the mood and that's that.

DaBearsFansWife · July 2014

I full on charted for like three months or so but I'm not ovulating so it was pretty pointless. I get AF every other week, never turned an OPK, and my cervical position doesn't change. I am just keeping up with my periods now until I notice that they are getting further apart, then I will start temping again. Part of me wishes that I kept temping just to maintain the habit but it was a serious waste of time and mindfuck when my temps started jumping around.

PinkSparty · July 2014

I was tracking my period and unsuccessfully used the Wondfo ovulation strips, but now I've started temping just this cycle though. My last couple of cycles have been longer than usual, so I'm hoping that temping and using a new OPK will help me out. I have to admit we weren't really trying though, but we are ready to go. I'm hoping this all pays off for us.

PinkSparty · July 2014

starree444 said:

Another reason that I'm not charting is the fact you have to take your temp the second you wake up. If I don't sit up when my alarm goes off, I'll fall back asleep guaranteed.

I sleep with the Basal thermometer right next to my pillow. When the alarm first goes off I pop the thing in my mouth, it continues to beep and then does a series of beeps indicating the temperature was taken. I pop the thermometer back in the plastic case and then look at it when I really get up (about 20-30 min later). The thermometer I have will save the last recorded temp for you so you don't have to look at it and document it right away. I ordered mine from Amazon. The only issue is that it reads to the tenth percent which a lot of other ladies said that it's not really an issue.

edited: On the weekends I fall straight back to sleep after temping.

marybeth05 · July 2014

I don't chart. We are TTC for #3. Had a chemical pregnancy in September 2013.

I didn't chart with my previous pregnancies and am not planning on starting.

I really don't have any reasons for not charting besides laziness.

momtosam · July 2014

new here. I did not chart with my first. we just accepted it would happen when it would happen. This time I am charting (I guess that is what I am doing) LOL. Because my periods are irregular and took 18 months the first time (which we were fine with). I only just started, as I just got my first normal period since getting my IUD removed 2 months ago. I am not stressing about it and know it will happen when it happens for us. Good luck!!

starree444 · July 2014

I forgot to mention I do have OPKs but at this point I don't even know when to use them.

schroead · July 2014

Like others have said, you really need to follow up with a different MD for a second opinion. Sure, your blood work may be normal, but you could still have something severely wrong down there. IUDs have been known to knick many parts of your lady parts. I've even heard of one perforating the bladder. It could be a small problem that could grow into a much larger one.

BlackNYellow · July 2014

I stopped temping because it was a source of anxiety for me and since my sleep schedule is so variable night to night it was just not practical. I admire everyone who diligently takes a temp every morning at the same time. The first month I temped I slept through several alarms and then forgot to temp or erased the thermometer before I could record the number. I do stupid things in my sleep (whoops)!

catwine · July 2014

I don't temp either. For me, charting and temping seems like too much work considering it doesn't guarantee conception anyway. If I were to start I'd get way too obsessed with it, so I'm sort of doing the NTNP method (not trying, not preventing).

KMKaiser07 · July 2014

I'm not because I haven't had my cycle return since DS was born 7 months ago. I was able to get pregnant with him without charting so I'm just hoping for the same thing this time around. I figure I will start if we aren't pregnant by the end of the year.