Maine Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Moms/Moms-to-be
If you wouldn't mind sharing....
Did you do any charting when trying to conceive?
How long did it take you to conceive?I was really just curious if doing any type of charting really is worth it. It stresses me out a bit to think about BBT or CM charting, but if it is really is helpful, I may. We've been trying for 6 months so I'm not worried yet, but figured I would ask.
TIA!!
TTC since Sept 2010
SA done March 2012-All good!
Started Clomid April 2012
4th round of Clomid-BFP 8/21!!!
Beta#1 8/22(11dpo)-31 Beta#2 8/24(13dpo)-88 Beta#3 8/27(16dpo)-395!! First U/S 9/24-HB 169 2nd U/S 10/22-Looking good! 
Re: Moms/Moms-to-be
I never got into charting, but I know for some people it is very useful. We started TTC late last spring, and I got pregnant the first time pretty quickly (which was somewhat surprising). We waited our doctor's recommended 2-3 cycles after my m/c to start trying, and lucked out again. I had told myself that if we had experienced difficulties, or were not pregnant within a year of our second try, I would look into it.
Good luck!
The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware; joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. -Henry Miller
http://cookthehumbletable.blogspot.com/
If I remember correctly there were many girls here that charted. We did but only because we were using fertility drugs (just clomid) for some help as I have PCOS and it wasn't happening on its own. It took us a good 6 months before we got the timing right with the meds and we got PG.
What we were told (this was said to be for on or off drugs) is that we should have sexy time on days 14-22 of my cycle. That was guessing that my cycle was between 28 and 30 days. We couldn't do the every night/day thing as in the end it was getting to be a chore rather than fun so we just did it when the mood struck and thankfully it worked. We were doing every other night/day when we first started but seemd to always miss the "best" day(s).
As for thermometers I just used a regular one and didn't bother with the BBT and I also didn't check my CM (never quite figured that out)
Hope that helps a little...
I charted. It was interesting and also helped me to understand my body better. It took me 3 months to get pregnant.
I stopped charting now. You really do learn a lot about your body, as you don't always "O" on the 14th day.
Oh really good points, thank you!
And thank you all, I was a little shy about posting, so I appreciate all the help!
If you don't want to chart but want to try to pinpoint ovulation more precisely, most women do ovulate around 12 to 14 days before their period starts. So, for example, if you regularly have a 30 day cycle, you would expect to ovulate around day 16 to 18 of your cycle.
You can also use ovulation predictor sticks. I tried using the cheap ones for one cycle where you have to determine the darkness of the lines and they made me a little nuts (and then I switched to the CBEFM). I've heard from other women that the smiley face ovulation predictors are much more user friendly.
I did not chart. I went off BCP sometime in June and got pregnant while on vacation in Sept.
You can always try OPKs to see when you ovulate before you start charting. From what I understand charting can get really confusing.
I used Fertility Friend. It worked out well for me. I was sure I wasn't pregnant. Posted my chart here...another Nestie told me she thought it looked like I was PG...I tested...and I was!
It took me three months.
I also used a CBEFM and was pregnant the second month I used it.
For Jake, I went off the pill a few months prior to TTC, so I did Taking Charge of Your Fertility along w/ fertilityfriend.com to AVOID pregnancy. Once we were ready, I knew my cycle really well.
For this baby, we just started trying when we were ready and I didn't chart or anything.
I was really, really lucky and got pg w/ both kids on the first month trying.
Jake blowing out the candle at Katie's coming home party
Katie Belle
Kristen, Chad, Jake, Katie & Sadie the Wonderdog, est. 6/17/06
This is what I may do, I did buy the book just to get more information so I'll look at the website. Thanks!
Oohh that is really cool!
This sounds a lot simpler then the charting haha I think this may be my next step if I fail at charting.
Thank you!!
I charted and am glad I did. I am a control freak and loved knowing what was going on with my body. We ended up needing to see a fertility specialist to get PG, but charting was helpful because I knew when I typically ovulated, so it helped with scheduling the IUIs. I started charting right away and tried 8 cycles before starting IUIs - I knew I might have TTTC, so that's why I went to the fertility doctor so early. It took 6 more cycles to get (and stay) PG.
Most people don't need to chart, though. In general, I would say, have sex every few days and you'll probably get PG
But, after six months or so, it might make sense to try charting, OPKs, a CBEFM, etc to help time things a little better and so you have some information to share with the doctor if you end up needing help.
I bought the thermometer to do charting, then returned it the very next day. I knew it would stress me out, and wanted TTC to be "fun" before I turned it into a science experiment (totally my thoughts, I know it works for many).
I know my body well enough to know when I'm ovulating (or at least close enough). I stopped taking the pill last March, we avoided with other BC, then started trying at the beginning of August... I got pregnant the first time, which surprised me, since I'm 34, and have always heard fertility goes down with age. Clearly I shouldn't have been surprised... mom had me at 46, after her doctor took her off BCP due to her age. My family is full of very fertile women also, so this works in my favor.
My Wedding Bio! Not updated in a LONG time!
I couldn't be bothered with charting. I had been off BC for a few months, so I had a chance to watch my body do it's thing. I was attentive to my CM, but I didn't keep track or anything.
I am lucky to have very by the books periods and we got me all pregnant the first month. I do think it helped that I had a basic understanding of what was going on, and maybe had we had issues after 6+ months maybe I'd have considered doing something. I don't think I'd have ever temped though- that seems like a royal pain in the butt and easy to screw up, thus leading to more stress.
Let me say at first we did nothing. Then when the months went by, I bought Taking Charge of Your Fertility - totally forgot about that!! Gave it to my SIL. and did the minimal charting.
Baby #2, I never went on any kind of BC post baby. Got my AF when Luke was 3 months. We weren't not trying or trying. After our experience time 1, we just left it in natures hands. 6 months post AF I got a +.
My first pregnancy was unplanned, and my second we got pregnant the first cycle. I'm not a lot of help, because I didn't use any charting, we just had a lot of sex.