[krissy1989]

Well, now that DF and I have a set TTC date in October, I want to really crack down on this "trying-to-understand-my-cycles" bit. I've started by creating a chart which shows my periods for the last year (there are actually 13 periods over 12 months), and I'm a little shocked by how irregular it seems. If you'll notice the one big jump in April, that was because of an ovarian cyst, which I was taken to the emergency room for because of the severe pain. (Because of my period being so late that month, we thought that I might have actually gotten pregnant. That was fun! ) So, I don't really count that month....but it could very well happen again, and I don't like that I can't predict my cycles. What do you think? Do you think I'll have problems conceiving? I honestly don't really know what irregular cycles indicate: PCOS? Not Ovulating? Endometriosis? Other problems? Take a look and tell me what you think:

[Effervescence]

hmm, it's hard to tell what's going on with your cycles just by charting their length. A lot happens to our bodies over the course of the "month" Looking at other aspects of your cycle may better pinpoint the issue. There is a wide range of things that can cause the cycle length to vary.

[krissy1989]

Thanks for the reply. I suppose that pinpointing my ovulation by using temp charting would work best, instead of trying to guesstimate it from cycle length. I'm going to have to buy a basal thermometer.

[Effervescence]

It's great to have an overall view of how long your cycles are; it kind of gives you an idea of where to start with what's going on. Now you know that you don't really have textbook length cycles, so you won't be looking to ovulate on day 14 etc.

Some ladies on this board have just used regular thermometers that measure up to the .1 degree. I just bought a cheap digital basal body thermometer from Target- target brand and everything. It works fine. I've read some hard core texts that say you must have a glass BBT thermometer, but I don't think it's necessary.

Something that might help along with the temp charting is looking at your cervical mucous. It can tell you a lot about what is going on with your body. I've read that some people use that alone to tell where they're at in their cycle.

[krissy1989]

Yeah, whenever I was here a good few months ago I tried the CM thing, but for me, that's not very reliable, because I tend to have three separate occurrences of EWCM or bountiful CM. It usually happens right after AF, and then like a week after that, and then like a week after that. And what goes on in between varies. lol. So I guess temp charting is definitely sounding up my alley! Thanks again for your advice!

[Misty_X]

Hi Krissy

I ditto temping, it's a great way to really get to know your cycle, and you are at an advantage as you are not TTC yet so you can get to know your body's patterns in advance and know what is normal for you personally.

Lots of things can cause irregular cycles, and for some women that's just normal. If I were you I'd try temping to get a better idea of your cycle before you worry too much. Remember, your cyst may have been causing some issues too x

[krissy1989]

Thanks, Misty! I'm just going to go ahead and order a basal thermometer today. I am, after all, only on my second day of my period, so by the time it gets here, I should be ready to start temping my first cycle! *yay*

[Blue Eyes 409]

your cycles do seem diffrent every month. I would start charting your temps or planning on using OPK's to help when you start TTC. Even if your cycle is the same number of days it can still be hard to know when you are going to O. I used FF to chart my temps and I like it a lot better and I have to admit it has really helped me in seeing what my body is doing.

[ShawnaCAN]

It's 100% completely normal for a woman's menstrual cycle to fluctuate a bit in length from cycle to cycle. It's because the time of ovulation can move from cycle to cycle. If you consistently have cycles which are longer than 35 days and the length between cycles varies by several weeks, then it would be time to start thinking about PCOS. But your cycle lengths look perfectly normal to me. The next thing it would be helpful to see is, are you ovulating? How long is the time from ovulation until your period? That's important information to have when TTC.

[krissy1989]

Thanks, girls! I haven't ever used fertility friend before, but I remember reading about it a lot in the past. I'll check it out. And I am really excited about learning about my cycles, like length of LP and such, so I'll definitely be posting about that as soon as I know. Oh, and I'm glad to see that you think my cycles are normal!

[Admin-pattyandthemoos]

Ditto what everyone else said. I think a lot of women have cycles lengths that vary from month to month. I ovulated every month by my cycle length is rarely the same from month to month. It is one of the big reasons I like charting. Glad to have you on the board!

[krissy1989]

Thanks, Patty!

I just ordered my basal thermometer yesterday, so hopefully it will be here by Tuesday. AF has almost left the building (down to pads) so I should be ready to start temping by the time it gets here.

[dapgal]

Before I got on the pill my cycles were way off. And when we were TTC Collin I had a 24 day cycle and then a 40 day cycle the next month. That is when I started to chart and we got pregnant that first month. Even though my cycle length isn't too far off of the normal 28 day cycle (my lat 3 were between 29 and 33), I don't ovulate at the middle of my cycle. So going off of a calendar method would not work for me. Temping tells me so much about what my body is doing and I think you would definitely benefit from charting since your cycle isn't predictable. Good luck and let us know if you have any questions. I can't wait to see your chart!

[krissy1989]

Thanks, dapgal! I can't wait to start temping! I told Jimmy that my thermometer will be coming in soon, so he'll help me to remember to temp!

I've never had a cycle before as long as the one in April. I've also never had one shorter than 23 days. So, I would say that my usual average is between 26 and 29 days long. But, like you said, it's not predictable. I could just not ovulate, or ovulate really early, or get another cyst which wacks everything up. :eyeroll:

[krissy1989]

Oh poo. My basal thermometer still hasn't arrived. I hope it comes tomorrow. I have a question that I probably should have asked earlier, though: When should I start temping? Do you ladies temp even while on your period? I'm just getting off my period, with only some light spotting today. Tomorrow it should be completely done, and I really want my thermometer so I can start temping the following morning!

[Effervescence]

I started temping this cycle two days after my period ended. I wish now that I would have started temping during. I will probably temp through my period for a while, until I get a feel for what is normal for my body. Once I get the hang of it, I will take a few short cuts.

[krissy1989]

I'm just afraid that I might ovulate right after my period or something (because I've noticed a heigtened sex drive and EWCM just days after AF has ended in the past, though not every month), and that I'll miss it on my temps. But that will hopefully not happen. I'm hoping that my thermometer comes in today. I have the whole day off work (which rarely happens with two jobs), so I'm watching for that mail truck!

[krissy1989]

My thermometer came!!! Wooooo! I guess that means I can start temping tomorrow! Perfect timing, too! I'm just having the last brown spots of the end of my period today!!

[krissy1989]

Question: Does waking up and almost immediately falling back asleep count as "getting up?" Will that make my temp higher? The reason I ask is that I woke up all hazily for maybe five minutes with DF as he left for work, and then fell back asleep for about an hour (in which I dreamed like three times that I was temping). I woke up, temped vaginally, and I was 98.0 degrees F. I thought that it was supposed to be lower than that, so now I'm worried that I messed up my first temping already.

[Effervescence]

I would just make a note of it, and see what the rest of the week's temps are Glad the thermometer came in time!