[doctormom]

I realize I must sound crazy... DH & I are interested in TTC late summer, so as to be due somewhere around late May or early June of '08. It was simple the first time around cuz I was as regular as clockwork. Now, however, I've had a Mirena IUD (the one with progesterone) in since my 6wk pp check, which was like 10/05. Plus, I'm still nursing 2x/day. Between the two, I've really never gotten real periods back. I have some occasional spotting, which might last a day and a half at most, but it hasn't been anything consistent or predictable. I have ovusoft from a friend, some software that does the charting and figuring for me, but I'm just waiting for a period now I guess. I bought my BBT thermometer tonight. I don't wanna get the IUD out till we're ready to start TTC, but I wanna make sure I'm ovulating so I can predict things as well as I did last time. I'm also trying to decide if I want to wean or not, and if it's keeping me from ovulating then I definitely want to help DS along. If I'm already ovulating then I don't have to force the nursing issue and I can wait till the last minute to get the IUD out. But if not, I don't have too many months left to figure this out! Any advice? Thanks!!!!

[ShawnaCAN]

I realize I must sound crazy... DH & I are interested in TTC late summer, so as to be due somewhere around late May or early June of '08. It was simple the first time around cuz I was as regular as clockwork. Now, however, I've had a Mirena IUD (the one with progesterone) in since my 6wk pp check, which was like 10/05. Plus, I'm still nursing 2x/day. Between the two, I've really never gotten real periods back. I have some occasional spotting, which might last a day and a half at most, but it hasn't been anything consistent or predictable. I have ovusoft from a friend, some software that does the charting and figuring for me, but I'm just waiting for a period now I guess. I bought my BBT thermometer tonight. I don't wanna get the IUD out till we're ready to start TTC, but I wanna make sure I'm ovulating so I can predict things as well as I did last time. I'm also trying to decide if I want to wean or not, and if it's keeping me from ovulating then I definitely want to help DS along. If I'm already ovulating then I don't have to force the nursing issue and I can wait till the last minute to get the IUD out. But if not, I don't have too many months left to figure this out! Any advice? Thanks!!!![/b]

You cannot chart with a synthetic hormonal contraceptive simply (including the Mirena which contains progesterone) because the synthetic hormones suppress your signs of fertility and will affect basal body temperature. Even when there is breakthrough ovulation, your mucus can still be affected by the synthetic progesterone. Natural progesterone is secreted after ovulation and it is precisely this hormone which is responsible for the thermal shift, so with synthetic progesterone on board all the time from the Mirena, you will always have elevated temperatures and be unable to detect a shift when and IF ovulation occurs with your IUD. Breastfeeding may very well be affecting your fertility right now too.

Hope that helps!

[TeresaSuperMama]

I agree with Shawna. Mirena has hormones so I really don't see how charting would be very useful right now.

Teresa