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Stupid questions...
Ok, the hubby and I want to start TTC pretty soon and being we've only tried to avoid getting pregnant in the last 6 years, I have no clue what I should be doing to up the odds. lol I mean, I know you are supposed to wait 'til you're ovulating (like I have a clue when that happens lol)...I'm told it's 14 days after the 1st day of your period. It would help if my period came in a normal 28 day cycle, but that hasn't happened since I've gotten off the pill in May. Actually, now that I think of it...I've only gotten it twice since then. =/ Anyway, short of following the rhythm method (I'm sorry, but I'm not taking my temperature vaginally twice a day...not happening!)...is there anything else I should be doing? I hate to sound so naive, but how do you track when the best time of the month is to get preggers? What did you do (mommy's and mommy's to be)? Or what are you doing (Mommy's that are trying to be)? I think we are just going to wing it and see what happens. LOL TIA...
Re: Stupid questions...
You don't have to take your temp vaginally. You can take an oral temp when you first wake up (ideally before you start moving around). Check out babycenter.com for downloadable charts and instructions. When your body temp spikes, you are or are about to ovulate. You could check your cervical mucous, but I've never done that, and it sounds like you're not up for that "invasive" a strategy. You could also buy an ovulation predictor kit, that might be helpful.
http://www.babycenter.com/chart-basal-body-temperature-and-cervical-mucus
first off - Congrats!!!! Here's my take and a few pointers:
1) when i charted my cycles were regular but they varied from 25 days to 33 days. That means I ovulated around day 12 - day 17. Again, this was even with being pretty regular there was a 1 week variance almost.
2) The rhythm method is based on the 28 day cycle/ovulate on day 14. This is why it is very inaccurate and unreliable. Most women have varied cycles each month. I did find it funny that the month I became pregnant was a 'by the book' month - in that I ovulated on day 14 and it would have been a 28 day month probably. hee hee.
3) I know a couple of us on here chart or have started charting to track fertility and cycles. I felt like charting, for me, was the most accurate, mostly-sure-of-whats-going-on, method. I took my temperature orally (just like if you are sick, under the tounge) every morning at about the same time (6am - 6:30 or so). I recorded the temp. on a chart. I also roughly tracked cervical mucus (yes, i know it sounds gross, but this is one of the best signs to tell you that you are about to ovulate). The combination of tracking temps and tracking CM on a chart can give you an idea of when YOU are ovulating, or (and more importantly) if your not, which would then be a good sign its time to get checked out at dr./gyno.
4) there are a lot of other things - over-the-counter products like ovulation predictor kits. I never used them because I knew what was going on when with charting. Not to give even more TMI, but when I was ovulating was when I was much much more into BD. So if you want to do nothing, wing it and see what happens, I completely support that. And if one day you feel a little more 'in the mood' it might be a lucky day!
Ok - and one last thing. This is the google page for the Getting Pregnant Nesties. There is a ton more info on here and its very helpful. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.
GP Nesties Site
Bubblegum Explosion
Not stupid questions at all, chica!!
I am currently reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility (compliments of Nova). I think that should be your first step. It will help you understand your body and how to read the signs that tell you when you are ovulating. Not everyone ovulates on CD14 (cycle day 14) as we were taught in school. I have been temping for over 2 months and have learned so much about my body. I bough a BBT thermometer at Target and take my temps ORALLY! LOLOLOL Girl you are a classic! Hehehe But hey whatever works for different people right?
You will also become more aware of your cervical mucus (you don't have to poke in there - I don't but you can see it on TP).
Also visit and register with www.fertilityfriend.com It will give you some lessons and tools on how to map your fertility. I am also on the GP nest board (not the bump -not yet ready for them!) I mean you could wing it for now, some people are luckier than others. But I have been off BCP for over a year and no pregnancy (not that we were trying the whole time or anything), so I am trying this method and learning about my body in a whole new way. Good Luck!
Our New Home! Renovation Underway! The Law Nest
TTC Journey
7/2008 - begin TTC
7/2009 - began charting
9/2009 - Dx Endometriosis
10/2009 - HSG/SA (Normal)
12/2009 -6/2010 - Lupron #1 & 2
Sep-Nov 2010- Clomid Cycles #1&2 = BFN
Dec 2010 - Clomid Cycle #3 = BFP (1/11/11);no h/b (2/10/11); D&C (2/23/11)
5/11-6/11 - herbal tea regime = BFN
7/24/2011- herbal tea regime = surprise BFP
oh, and I do use OPKs. it makes it much easier for me to know what's going on. just make sure you read the directions for whichever ones you get. The digitals are easier to read but pretty expensive.
I get the internet cheapies from http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/ovulationtests.html or I get the ones from Dollar Tree (I stock up when they have them)
they gave you one at precana? that's not fair I didn't get one, lol.
if you have to buy one just get the Walgreens one, a lot of people have problems with it. I have the Target one, its pretty good.
I have the Target BBT, I think it's fine but my temps are all over the place so I like to blame it on the thermometer...
I also recommend TCOYF. I learned so much about my body reading that book, it's amazing how much goes on with our cycles and how little we all know about something that happens to our bodies every month!
Yea...for a hundred bucks (the class), the least they can do is give ya a 5 dollar themometer. lol
We didn't do any charting or temp taking to start.
We counted day one was the first day of my period. We had sex on day 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and then whenever we wanted. There was no monkey spanking for DH from Day 3-18.
During the 2nd months we got very frustrated by nights 11, 13, 15 & 17, so we did it then, too. Apparently, one of those days, it "caught."
We planned to use that system for 6 months and as per my obgyn, if it didn't happen by then we would have started charting and temp taking and opk-ing.
Good Luck!! So exciting. I can't wait until we get a new ticker!!
but sometimes there are troubles that you even realize on your own. what if you don't ovulate? why wait 6 months to find out? we tried for quite a while before I started charting and I feel like I wasted all that time because we would have noticed there was a problem if I charted from the beginning.
really, everybody's different, but I would at least give it a shot.
This.
There is a HUGE difference between knowing what your body is doing and if it is functioning normally and "getting all worked up about it". There is no harm in being educated about your cycle and knowing when the best times to get pregnant are, unless you really don't care if and when you get pregnant and are fine with waiting and/or possibly wasting 3-6 months having sex at the wrong time or not realizing you have a medical issue.
JMO. I think temping for a few months at least just to make sure you are indeed ovulating is a smart thing to do.
Jumping on here late.
I'm all for easing into TTC. Maybe just trying have sex regularly? It does work for a lot of people. We tried that but it didn't really work for us. I never temped. I sleep poorly anyway and never get up at the same time and both of those impact body temperatures. I did however track cervical mucus and tried to have sex every other day when my body indicated it was fertile. I would have considered temping had we not gotten pregnant in 6 months. I only tracked fertile CM (wet and eggwhite) I could never tell the other ones apart.
2 cycles of tracking CM = pregnant (miscarried)
1 cycle of tracking CM = pregnant (currently in third tri)
So I am a pretty big fan of CM tracking as a first tracking step since it worked for me. It is pretty non-invasive (you just look at TP) and doesn't take a whole lot of research to special programs to track. I think I kept a log in excel.