Clueless!

worrywart22 · November 2015

HI everyone!
Just wondering if it is possible to get pregnant without getting your period back after you stopped breastfeeding?
Lo weaned about a month ago. We have been having unprotected sex. Trying for baby number 2.
I have been having discharge! Really hoping that means I am ovulating but I have no idea.

Thoughts? Advice?

jarethinafrock · November 2015

Hi! I haven't posted on TB in forever, but lately I've been lurking around the boards trying to figure out where I fit in.

I have a 15 month old who is not completely weaned, but who is starting to slow down on BFing. Last week, I noticed that I had quite a bit of discharge and then yesterday, I got my period back (first time since Nov 2013). Of course everyone is different, but an increase in discharge might be a sign that AF is about to pay you a visit. Good luck!

NiceyMeany · November 2015

It's possible, but you only have about a 20% chance of conceiving even in a perfect cycle. I recommend checking CF and temping to confirm ovulation. I'm waiting for my first O, too, although it's after BC. Charting really takes the guesswork out of things. Read TCOYF. It will change your life.

(Edited for typo)

worrywart22 · November 2015

Thank you both, so much. I'm trying to stay positive!
I was just reading about the temping and charting, etc. Will definitely try it. It takes a cycle or two to really find out if your ovulating , correct? Im so new to all of this.
What is TCOYF?

I also read that I can't have caffeine either!?! Lol.

Sirius37 · November 2015

TCOYF = Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It's a book that a lot of the ladies on TB consult as a TTC bible, if you will. It's super useful and full of good information if your unfamiliar with temping/charting/etc. To my understanding, it can take several cycles to establish if/when you O, which is why a lot of ladies temp since it (hopefully) shows a pattern after a few months.

MonaLisaRalphio · November 2015

@worrywart22 LOL at myself for saying "I recommend" like I'm some kind of expert. That's what I get for responding from my phone whilst hangry after my morning workout.

From what I understand (again, not an expert!), you should be able to tell if you O on your first cycle, but the kicker is that you can only confirm O after your temp has spiked for 3 days. So if you are checking CF (also called CM... it's the same thing) and you get EWCM, you know that it's likely that you're about to O. A subsequent temp spike above the cover line for at least 3 days confirms that you've O'd, but by the time you get that confirmation, your O is already over, and you are unlikely to conceive until your next cycle. So, you're right, in the sense that it may take a couple of cycles for you to confirm whether you are O'ing correctly. But technically, if you are paying close attention to the signs (and do a LOT of reading and look at all the gross pictures... seriously, they help so much), you may be able to figure out whether you O on your first cycle.

TMI warning for the following practical example:

I am on CD16 of my first cycle off BC. For over a week after AF (which was just a couple of days of weird, light spotting, really), I noticed really minimal, dry CM. My temps were out of control - probably due to some crazy life things going on. H and I ran a half-marathon last weekend, plus our dog was sick and coughing all night every night, so my sleep was all over the place. But it was clear that my body was not doing much of anything yet, anyway. Suddenly, I started noticing changes in CM that followed the expected pattern in the days preceding an O (TCOYF calls this the "Point of Change"). This morning, I noticed the holy grail - EWCM. So it's possible that I'm fertile at this time. But I can't know whether I've O'd just yet because I haven't had a spike in temps. I won't know whether the O actually occurs until it's already been and gone. So H and I will operate as though this fertile-seeming CM is legit, and then wait and watch my chart obsessively and hope for the best.

You can have EWCM without O. You can have AF without O. The only thing that "confirms" O is the sustained temp spike. Technically, you can't even 100% confirm O without an u/s, but ain't nobody got time for that every month. But CM & temping, which makes the basis for charting, gives a pretty solid idea.

Sorry this is long, but I kinda just got over the hump of understanding a lot of this stuff, and I know how confusing it can all be at the beginning. I still have a lot of questions, but I do feel like I've gotten the hang of the basics. You will, too.

I'm excited that there are a handful of us around TB who are waiting for our first O. Good luck to you!

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