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birth control, charting, etc.
What's the name of that book everyone reads when they are trying to get pregnant? The one that teaches you how to chart?
Now that I'm of my pill, for over 2 weeks, and can't restart until after I have a period, I'm wondering if I should bother restarting the pill at all. We're getting married in 6 months, and then going to start TTC shortly thereafter. I just am not sure about the idea of going on the pill again, only to whack out my hormones, and then come off again in a relatively short time.
We're talking about just using some PNP/backup until it's time to pursue the baby. I am thinking if i just do this charting gig now, we can avoid the sex on ovulating days, and then switch it up when we're good and ready.
(Who ever thought I would be one to ask about charting??)
Re: birth control, charting, etc.
TCOYF (Taking Charge of Your Fertility)
Also, fertilityfriend.com has a lot of the info and you can actually chart you temps on there and it keeps it all nice.
I can understand not wanting to go back on the pill. I never did after my pregnancy since we knew we would try again soon after I stopped nursing.
But, I do believe charting to keep from getting pregnant is what got HT pregnant.
I was lazy about temping, so don't do that if you want to avoid. PDXPG also ended up pregnant while TTA. But I believe buddha successfully charts to avoid, so she could be a resource.
ETA: My first sentence is kind of misleading, b/c the temping wouldn't really have told me when to abstain, I guess. So my main conclusion for myself is that I probably won't use charting as an avoidance method in the future.
Yep. Charting isn't fool proof, especially when you're just starting to learn about your cycles. And with yours being so inconsistent as you were mentioning before, it will probably be even more difficult.
Fertility Friend and temping won't assume you ovulated until after three consecutive days of high temps. Meaning three days after you ovulate, you will know you did. So, you may also want to use some sort of opk (ovulation tests) which will show positive when you are about to ovulate. I think you can get certain brands pretty cheap on Amazon.
Unless you're ok with taking your chances and are ok with getting pregnant sooner, I would also consider at least using condoms in addition to the charting.
2/20/2011
I'm ok with it not being a 100% foolproof method. At this point, we're both in the mindset of, "Well it happened once on accident and we did fine there." So at least at this point, if I got pregnant, it wouldn't be such a shock. However, my OB recommends waiting at least 2 months before getting pregnant again. I think to let my uterus fully heal or something. I have to admit, I wasn't really paying attention because in that moment, I wasn't sure I could even think about becoming pregnant again.
I do need to get on short term disability soon though. Our company has a policy that the coverage won't pay mat leave if you haven't bought it more than 9 months before you delivered.
"If you wanna win then you shoulda put a hat on it. Don't be mad when you see a knit cap won it. If you wanna win then you shoulda put a hat on it."- Fenton
You and I have similar periods (I had like 4 last year, maybe) and so charting may not even work for you because its really hard to track and its exceptionally frustrating.
Id go on birth control just to kick start a few normal periods, otherwise charting/temping/and the dreaded cm check is just going to be a big old crapshoot.
I've used charting as my only form of BC for years with no issue. You just have to be willing to be diligent about monitoring your CM and abstaining (or using a condom) if there is even the slightest chance you could be fertile.
I don't consider it hard. It just takes willpower.
But she has no cycles. So its a whoooole different ball game. It really is. when your periods are absent for 6 months charting is not possible.
well, that's certainly true. I forgot about that. I don't think it would be impossible because you're still monitoring for signs of being fertile, but it would be a giant pain in the ass.
Besides, I think charting as BC really only works if you are 100% TTA. If there is even a tiny bit of "well it would be okay if" you will get lazy about it.
Ditto the bolded. You'd have to be really diligent about keeping track of fertility signs like CM and cervical position (and temp, too, if you wanted, but I've only ever used a symptom-only method, so I don't know much about temping), but it could still be done. Charting to avoid has little-to-nothing to do with when your last period was and everything to do with whether you currently have signs of fertility. It would take more vigilance than it does for someone with a very regular and predictable cycle, but it wouldn't be impossible.