Basic Info and Resources

bump.

Wanted to bump this again for any new ladies. Really wish PC would "feature" this like I asked months ago...

Great summary! My favorite resource is the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. So full of helpful information! I used its Fertility Awareness Method to avoid for 13 months before we started TTC. I also liked the tutorial at the Fertility Friend website.

Thought I'd *bump* this to the front for any new comers!

I have not been on here in awhile because of all the craziness going on around me and I did not have any internet for a while as well! But I love this post so I thought this would be a good way to bump for any who have not seen it yet.

 I found this website: http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hpt.html (should open in new window)

It list different hpt and how much hcg must be present for them to detect! I found it really helpful so I thought I would share:)

The temping is terrible! Between this infection and whatever else I don't think my body wants to coorporate. Atleast i'm getting some experience with bbt charts and opk's, they're becoming a highly religious practice, lol.

 How goes the temping, Dragonmamas???

Any other questions out there?

Thanks for the info Rainbow!

I''m really hating this temping thing. It''s very confusing and I can''t find any solid information online. Probably because everyone''s temps are different. Gr. I had a decent spike on day 9 then a huge dip on day ten. This morning I had a huge spike. About .7 degrees. I took my temp three times thinking the original was wrong for whatever reason, but now i''m thinking it was right. If it was then I had to have ovulated yesterday!

Day 8 - 97.24

Day 9 - 97.86

Day 10 - 95.96

Day 11 (today) - 96.61

So I guess all I can do it wait a few more days and see what my temp does, which blows! I''m getting so impatient now, grrr!

 The morning after ovulation is when you should see a .4 or so degree spike.  After ovulation, the temperature will remain in the high range until getting your period. Usually 1-2 days before my bleeding would begin, my temp would drop to my pre-ovulation temps. Your chart should look like a lower plateau, a spike, then another plateau in the high range. Some women even experience a third spike indicating implantation has occurred and pregnancy has begun. But like everything in the world of pregnancy symptoms, this is true for some but not all and doesn't mean you are or aren't pregnant.

Most women do have higher body temperatures all throughout pregnancy, because progesterone causes the rise in the body temperature and is also responsible for the viability of a pregnancy. Progesterone rises right after ovulation, hence the temp spike the day following ovulation. About 10 days after I ovulate, I'd quit temping so I wouldn't get my hopes up for no reason. I would be more inclined of doing things to make my temperature higher to get the results I wanted (same with any "symptoms") than to have reliable temps.

Alright Ms. Rainbow Smartness, I have questions. lol. First of all, here are my last temps.

Day 2 - 97.81 (I think it was high due to drinking the night before.)

Day 3 - 97.55

Day 4 - 97.37

Day 5 - 97.47

Day 6 - 97.34

Day 7 - 97.39

Okay. Would I expect to see about a .4degree spike the day of ovulation or the day after? After I ovulate it''ll more than likely drop down the the 97''s again, right? Also, i''ve seen on a lot of sites that your tempature will remain high for over 18 days if you''re pregnant. Do you believe this or is it another way to get your hopes up?

Rainbow this is the exact same link that I went to with my miscarriage.

I added this link to the resources list. It is very helpful and did two things for me - made me realize how common miscarriages are and that most likely it had NOTHING to do with ME. Second, it explained that there is only a SLIGHT increase in chances of having another miscarriage following the first, especially in the case of a chemical pregnancy.

This is not to take away from those of you who have unfortunately had more than one (or more than several) miscarriages, but to realize it is not a "predictor" of impending miscarriage if you are pregnant following a miscarriage.

CM is Cervical Mucus (aka CF or Cervical Fluid). And don''t worry, I thought it sounded pretty gross when I learned about it too lol. Now I think it''s pretty nifty stuff.

CM is produced by your cervix and is different from the lubricating mucus created by your labia that is typical with arousal. When you are not fertile, cervical fluid is usually thin, creamy (like lotion), white or cloudy, it may feel "tacky," and is not as plentiful. Why is it like this? Because it''s out to get the sperm! This kind of cervical fluid is harmful to sperm. This is to protect the woman from getting any bacteria that is carried with the semen. Which is why it''s a great indicator for whether you''re ovulating/fertile or not.

When you are fertile, the mucus becomes thicker, clear, stringy, and copious. It closely resembles egg whites (hence the acronyms EWCM or EWCF we talk about) and a woman can actually use an egg white if she does not produce her own EWCM - you''d have to read up on that yourself, I''ve never done it. A lack of CM is mostly common in women 35+ or if you''re on a medication that dries up mucus. For some women they never produce the EWCM and it''s only watery, but this can still be fertile fluid. Egg white cervical mucus is produced by the cervix to wash the bacteria out of the sperm so it is safe to enter the cervix and it also helps the sperm get into the cervix (so it can then swim up into the uterus and finally up to a fallopian tube to meet the egg!). It''s like an antibacterial slip-n-slide for the little swimmers!

Cervical position and texture:

You can find your cervix by using one finger (wash your hands and try to not have really long nails!) and inserting it into your vagina and going all the way until you feel your cervix. Doing it on a toilet is the easiest because your arm has better reach, and the cervix moves quite often so laying down can change it''s position. If you can''t feel it, stop, stand up and jump up and down, cough, or laugh. This can drop the cervix enough to be able to feel it.

When you''re not fertile, your cervix will be low, firm, and closed. Firm will feel like the tip of your nose and is easy to identify from your vaginal walls which are soft and spongey. Your cervix has an opening known as an Os. In women who have already had a child vaginally, the Os will feel more open than one who has not (understandably, since a HEAD came out of it lol). At this stage in your cycle, the Os will be closed and feel like a slit. When it''s low, it''s closer to the opening of your vagina.

When you are fertile and you''ve noticed the EWCM starting, your cervix will begin to "S.H.O.W." It becomes soft, high, open, and wet. It''s soft like your facial lips, difficult to reach, and the Os will open to allow sperm in. An open Os is about the size of your pinky tip, bigger if you''ve given birth vaginally, as mentioned.

So, if you''re CM is stringy like an egg white and your cervix is soft, high, open, and wet, you know ovulation is coming!

CM? Checking cervix texture? I thought tracking on a calendar was the only way...I'm learning so much. Teach me oh wise rainbow one.

My MIL swears by the BBT. She had so many miscarriages that she had to know when she was pregnant and she said she knew exactly what her body was doing with this method. She knew when she was ovulating and she knew when she became pregnant! I have not tried it, but may try it if my husband and I are ttc for a while.

 Basal body thermometers are more precise.

I'd just give it a try for a cycle and see what happens if you want to. What you want is to be able to see a clear pattern of low temps followed by high temps starting somewhere about the middle of your cycle. Missing a few temps or having a few inaccurate ones aren't a big deal, it's just less useful if you miss it during the days you are ovulating. I use the BBT method along with other signs of ovulation (OPKs, CM, checking cervix texture and position, etc) to be sure when I'm charting.

So what makes a basal body thermomater special...also I have space heaters which don't have climate control so every night the temp is a bit different. Also if its colder froggy sleeps in our bed but we all sleep better with him in his bed so when its warmer he sleeps in his bed would this effect things too drastically for accurate results? (Also froggy is furnace)

 Spotting is when you only see a little bit of blood on your toilet paper when you wipe or on a panty liner/pad. I kind of go by a half dollar rule. If it''s smaller than a half dollar and doesn''t increase in amount as the day goes on, it''s just spotting. But that''s abnormal for me, my regular flow is generally a bit heavier than that (more like 3 quarter-sized spots together, or a regular size tampon every 2-3 hours) but not what I''d consider heavy. My wife and best friend are both heavy bleeders, needing a super plus tampon AND a pad every 2 hours.

Here''s a sum of BBT charting:

Take your temperature with a Basal Body thermometer (at Walmart and pharmacies) at the same time EVERY DAY. You need at least three hours of sleep without getting up before taking your temperature. Try to keep your sleeping conditions the same each night (room temp, same blankets or sheets, sleeping with your partner or without, etc.)

Progesterone makes your body temp spike, and progesterone kicks in right after ovulation. So this is how ovulation can be detected so accurately with BBT charting. They say you''re looking for a .4 spike or more that remains high for the rest of your cycle after ovulation. Here''s an example of my numbers:

Day 14 - 96.88

Day 15 - 96.69

Day 16 - 96.72

Day 17 - 96.81

Look at the jump in temp from morning of day 17 to morning of day 18 - I ovulated!

Day 18 - 97.53

Day 19 - 97.81

Day 20 - 97.64

Day 21 - 97.68

Temp remains high until right before I start my period, then drops and AF arrives.

I start temping after my period in the beginning (day 5 on). When I learned I don''t ovulate until later, I started on day 14.

I don't understand the whole basel tempature thing to be honest. Also what is concidered spotting? I have always had light periods...talking on a heavy day only needing to change a pad a couple of times a day.