Need help with ovulation tracking

fudge.knockers · #1 June 21st, 2011, 01:50 PM

Hi there,
I've been on the loss board and someone there suggested I come here and ask you for help, so here I am! A little background, I'm 38 and I had a miscarriage on March 18th of this year at 7 weeks, it was my first pregnancy and we were devestated. But I'm on the mend, mentally, working hard to stay in a positive place and most of the time, I am. I do have some concerns though, I was told that by the 3rd cycle, AF should be back to normal, I was always a 28 day girl before my m/c, but now, my first cycle was 30 days, 2nd was 32 days and 3rd was 24 days. I have no idea what's going on but I have a call in to my Dr, but aside from that, we would like to have a baby and I've thought about getting an opk since things are all wonky still, but then, I think that would put too much pressure on us and we've been through enough. I don't want things to become a "chore" so do any of you have any suggestions as to how I can keep track of things without being too invasive?? Thank you in advance.

nala139 · #2 June 21st, 2011, 02:26 PM

I thought that opks an taking my temp every morning was going to put too much pressure on this whole process as well but once I started doing it and I realized that I could tell what my body was doing, it was really cool! I did all of it on my own, I didn't involve DH really, so that he didn't feel pressured. I was also not willing to wake up at the same time every morning to take my temp since I wake up at 5 am 3 days a week for work. I still see my temp shift after ovulation every month even though I wake up at different times, that may not work for everyone though. A few months into temping, checking my cervical mucous and opks I had pretty much figured out that I ovulate on days 14-18, and I would have ovulation pains, I had never noticed those before! After those 1st months of doing that I would know that I was ovulating soon once my cervical mucous changed to egg white and then I started to feel that ovulation cramping soon after. I dont usually use opks anymore. So that was long but I just want you to know that even though it seems overwhelming it is really neat to learn what your body is doing. You just have to do what you feel comfortable with. I am very sorry for your loss, miscarriage is so heartbreaking, I hope you get your sticky BFP soon!

fudge.knockers · #3 June 21st, 2011, 02:55 PM

Thank you for taking time to help me!! I'm glad you mentioned that you didn't "involve" your DH in that because that was my thoughts as well, I don't want him to feel all this pressure, I just want to know what's going on with my body. I guess having a miscarriage just makes me feel so out of control, maybe that's what I'm looking for, some information to help me understand what my body is doing. I know I can't control it but knowledge is power and I think that's what's so hard, having no control. So what do you do, take your temp each day, but what am I looking for?

.:Shortcake:. · #4 June 21st, 2011, 03:36 PM

OPK's are very simple for me and don't make me feel "crazy". I tried temping and honestly it drove me nuts! I do not tell DH when I'm Oing because it can make him feel performance anxiety. I hope that helps you some and welcome to the board.

nala139 · #5 June 21st, 2011, 04:22 PM

I take my temp each morning right when I wake up, before doing anything else. If you do this all month you should see a rise of at least .4 degrees after ovulation. I use fertility friend.com to chart my cycles. If you are ovulating you should see a pattern of lower temps before ovulation and then they will go up after ovulation and should stay elevated for 12-14 days until your period comes. I'm sure there are some websites that could probably explain it better than me lol. You should check out fertilityfriend.com, it was very helpful to me. Good luck!

pepper73 · #6 June 22nd, 2011, 04:07 AM

Hi and Welcome! I'm so sorry for your loss! I'm in a similar situation as you. I'm 37 and my first pregnancy also ended in loss. It is so heartbreaking and frustrating. I also thought that OPK's and taking temps would be a huge pain, but once you get into a routine, it's not bad at all. The worst part for me is holding my pee for so long during the day. I really wish OPK's were meant for FMU. Other than that, it is really interesting and informative to see exactly what your body is up to. I have learned a lot and am way more in touch with my body. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I hope your stay on this board is short and you get your sticky BFP soon!

melissalaw · #7 June 22nd, 2011, 11:59 AM

Hi. I am so sorry for your loss. I have just started trying to keep up with my temps to figure out when I ovulate. It hasn't been that big of a deal so far. I haven't involved DH at all. I bought some OPK's and am going to use those to see when I ovulate. They don't seem that difficult. Temping and OPKs may help you figure out when you ovulate. I'm hoping that you figure your cycles out soon and get your BFP.