Ovulation...

[smjmekg]

Ok, so what's the best way to pin point, or come close to pin pointing ovulation? DH and I are TTC again, although I think I missed the chance this month, I want to figure out about when I'm O'ing. I don't get any pain when I do. My cycles are between 31-38 days so far, I've been tracking for four months. You can see it on my profile I have an ovulation tracker, which I'm currently using to track AF. I have a nine day gap so far in end date for AF, and all the online calculators for ovulation show a five day fertile day window, so for example this month, if AF was my lowest cycle of 31 days my fertile window is Sept 20-25, and if it's the longest at 38 days it's Sept 27-Oct 2. So there's a total of 12 days that could possibly be my O day, going by the online calculator. BUT the weird thing, that I don't get it...I always have irregular periods, since I first started at 12 years of age. When I got pregnant with my son, LMP was Oct 3, 2007, based on u/s I got pregnant on/around Oct 17...that's CD 14 give or take a few, which would put me on a 28 day cycle. How is that possible? I know you can ovulate early, but I've always had at least a 30 day cycle. I don't want to spend  a lot of money on OPKs, I used them three months in a row Apr-Jun, and never got a positive. I don't know if I was using them the at the right time or not. I'm clueless as to when I ovulate. I know ovulation happens 14 days before AF, but without having a regular cycle, I have no clue when to count back to.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Yeah, I went off POP's (progesterone only pills) back at the end of April....since then my AF has been screwy...I went 60-something days without a period.  So I don't even know if AF is gonna show up this time or not.  I do know one thing...I'm not going back on BCP's .  That's the kind of BC i've Always used, but I guess since I'm getting older it's really screwing with my body.. I'd rather do Natural Family Planning or DH can get snipped if he doesn't want anymore kids....I'd be happy having as many as God will give me.  I don't even want to use IUD's or anything becuase they still screw with your hormones.  

I never charted before becuase I thought it was going to be a royal pain in the you-know-what but it's actually been really quick, simple and easy.  Since I didn't know if/when I had ovulated I just started taking my temps one day.  turns out it was about a week before AF showed up....that's how I noticed that my temp drops the few days before AF shows up.  You don't have to wait until CD1 you can really start temping at anytime.

[smjmekg]

That's a really smart idea. Since I got off b/c in March I have been wondering if I really am ovulating. I was on a combo pill, which after reading up on what exactly they do, I now refer to as the "super birth control". I was only on it 2 1/2 months, and wasn't told anything about it by my doctor except how to take it. I didn't think to ask what it did, I'd never been on it before. So now that I know it stops ovulation, I'm not 100% sure I am ovulating. I'm definitely going to chart temps after AF shows up this time. I've got anywhere from 1-2 weeks until then since AF is always irregular.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Ok....it's called BASAL BODY TEMP.  It's I guess your core body temp before you do ANYTHING To change it...It CAN be taken vaginally but most people take it orally.  You really should get a good basal body temp thermometer...I got mine at walmart for under $9.  It's digital...beeps when it's done and stores the last temp so I can read it later.  It's more sensitive than a regular therm.  Rather than doing a reading of just say 96.9 it goes to the hundredths of a degree like 96.97.  
During the first part of your cycle your temps are lower.....approx. 24-48 AFTER ovulation HAS occured your temps will spike.   The amount of the spike depends on the woman.  Your temps will then stay up during your luteal phase.  They usually drop back down right before AF shows up if you don't get preg.  

You can go under my profile to my ovulation tracker and look at my bbt chart.  It shows that right before AF came last month my temps DROPPED and then stayed low...until right after I ovulated...now they are up again.  

If you google BBT charting you can find plenty of resources on it.  Just keep in mind that BBT charting only tells you that you have ALREADY ovulated where as OPK's tell you that you are ABOUT to ovulate.  That's why I do both...I use the opk to give me a heads up and the bbt to let me know that i really DID. It is possible for your body to TRY and ovulate, hence giving you a pos. opk and then for whatever reason NOT release the egg.  But a spike in temps lets you know that ovulation DID in fact occur.

[smjmekg]

OH! What's the difference in temp for when you ovulate? How much does it go up?

[smjmekg]

So it's just your regular body temp then? I've read some women taking vaginal temps...I thought it was weird...is that how some women chart temps? I've got a baby therm for ears, I'd need to get a new one since it's always giving different temps taken one after another (I've used it plenty of times when DS had a temp) so I'd want to get one that's more accurate.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I think the best way would be to chart temps AND do OPK's....you can always follow the other symptoms too like cm, cervical position/texture/openess etc.  I'm doing just opk and temps.  My doc told me to do the temps to see if i was actually o'ing becuase it's more reliable.  I've only been doing it for one cycle....so far my opk and my temps are slightly off from each other but it gives me a better idea.  I thought temping was gonna really suck having to take it at the same time every morning before even sitting up....I do it around 530 am cuz that's when i get up for work....i'm so used to it now  that on the weekends i just wake up around that time...reach over, stick the thermometer in my mouth, wait for it to beep....lay it down and go back to sleep....I got a digital therm. and it stores the last temp so i don't even have to write it down right away.