Hoping to be joining you all here soon...

sarahlovesbryan · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 06:03 PM

Hey ladies, well I'm hoping to be joining you all in the 2WW here soon...I am HOPING I o'd today, looks possible based on my temps, but I haven't gotten any positive OPKs either, so who knows.

DH and I are going to keep BDing every other day just to cover our bases, though. I think the last couple of cycles we stopped too soon. So, we shall see!!!!

Haras · #2 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 07:30 PM

Enjoy the dance...remember it's not a job, it's an adventure! So dance the night way. Hopefully it will lead to a BFP. Here is another one...all work and no play makes you a very dull girl.hahahahaha

alexiewill2 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 07:07 AM

hi there. u r all so full of info & knowledge and i very new to this whole TTC thing. i'm pretty ignorant i must admit when it comes to charting, cycles, temps, etc. can you ladies point me in a good direction, like:

what exactly IS charting?

when you take your temp, does that mean you're looking for a 'spike' in temp to tell when you O?

once you O... is that it; as far as your window of oppty. to conceive?

it's horrible to admit, i'm 34 and a lot of this goes over my head. thanks!

Tkeys · #4 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 11:57 AM

Alexie - welcome! Charting is wonderful tool - basically, you take your temperature with a special basal body temperature thermometer (it is a bit more sensitive than regular thermometers) immediately when you wake up every morning. Your temp is your "at rest" temp, and least likely to be affected by anything else (exercise, food, etc.). The reason we temp is that after ovulation, your body produces progesterone . . . and a side effect of progesterone is that it raises your resting body temperature. So, the goal of the charting is to look for a "clear thermal shift" after ovulation - it helps you identify when you ovulate.

The website www.fertilityfriend.com is quite useful. It has an online charting tool, it has an FAQ, and when you sign up for a free account, you can take their email charting course - it sends you an email everyday explaining all about charting - how to do it, when to temp, how to identify ovulation dates, etc. Most of the girls on here who chart use Fertility Friend - and you can create a free ticker to put in your signature so others can see where you are in your cycle . . . or look at your chart (we fondly call that chart stalking!).

Feel free to ask away - there are lots of women here and on the Cycle Buddies Board who are full of information about charting, and always willing to help.

Tkeys · #5 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 12:04 PM

I just realized I didn't answer all of your questions. The "fertile window" is usually seen as the 3 days before ovulation, the day of ovulation, and the day after ovulation. Sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract for 3-5 days. It also takes the guys a little while to get through your cervix and over to the egg. So, the goal is to try and get sperm "waiting" there when you ovulate. This is much easier to do when you have a really regular cycle.

Once you ovulate, the egg only survives for up to 24 hours . . . and many think it is really only 6-12 hours. So, the goal is to do everything you can to get the sperm to the egg right when you ovulate.

There are other signs that can help you figure out when you are going to O. Cervical mucous (the stuff that ends up on your underwear sometimes) can be an indicator. Another thing that happens before ovulation is that we get a surge of a hormone called LH - it causes the body to ovulate. If you use an ovulation predictor kit (OPK - looks like a pregnancy test - you pee on a stick and if the test line is as dark as or darker than the control line, your LH is surging, which means you should ovulate within 12-36 hours), it can also help identify when you are about to ovulate.

After ovulation, you are in what is known as the luteal phase (LP) - a "normal" LP can last anywhere from 12-16 days. Most women's LP is the same every month - mine is usually 13 days - so I know that by 14 days after ovulation (or 14 DPO), I'll either get my period or find out I'm pregnant.

Hope this helps - definitely go explore Fertility Friend, and come back with questions - the women on here are quite helpful!

alexiewill2 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 03:41 PM

tkeys- thank you!! you are lovely 2 take the time to explain (and so well). i'm going to check out that fertility link now.

Lily2584 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 05:18 PM

I'm sure your dh is like mine and won't be upset about having a few extra

sessions in

jjwilson2004 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 07:38 PM

I hope this is your cycle Sarah!!!