So the past couple days I’ve been reading up on TTC, and a lot of websites seem to recommend keeping basal body temperature charts and checking cervical mucus. Is there anybody here who’s done those things? If so, did it actually help you know when to try?
The BBT charts seem kind of intense, and the thought of checking my cervical mucus all the time just kinda grosses me out. I’m usually a go with the flow type of person (no pun intended), so I’m just wondering if any of this would be worth it for me/us.
I’m on my fourth month trying to conceive, but I haven’t charted my temperatures or checked my cervical mucus yet. I’ve used ovulation tests every month so far. I wouldn’t recommend getting too intense about TTC or it’ll overtake your life! If you’re a “go with the flow” person, then I’d suggest taking that route…for the first few months anyway! If we haven’t conceived within six months, I’ll think about charting.
I too have been TTC and this will be my second month trying. I havent done the charts, kits, etc. I am just having sex around the time of ovulation in hopes something will happen. Like other berries and even Sarahmezz have mentioned to me is to just relax and have fun with it. Looking to deep into everything or every little thing sucks the fun out of it and it truly drives you up a wall. Especially looking up info online, I stopped doing that because of how depressed it was making me with all the different info out there. Others have been trying a lot longer than me and I already am crazed. So my suggestion is to forget the body temp, mucus checking etc. and just have sex around the time of ovulation. I have used calculators online to determine the possible days of ovulation and I also know my body really well and know the 14, 15 and 16th of month is probably when I am super fertile since my urges are off the wall and I am not a sexual person in general. If it takes longer like [name]Sarah[/name] said then look into the kits, charts and body temp checking etc. Until then relax and keep it fun good luck!
[name]Sarah[/name] and [name]Scarlet[/name] gave good advice, and I’m going to add to it:
The simplest way of getting pregnant is by having sex every 2 or 3 days throughout your cycle. Chances are that some sperm will be in you when you ovulate.
But if that won’t work for you, then you’ll have to make sure to have sex every day or every other day starting maybe 5 days before you ovulate. This requires knowing when you ovulate. There are a few ways of telling when you ovulate:
You generally ovulate 12-16 days before your period starts. If you have regular cycles, you can do the math and figure it out. (or use calculators like [name]Scarlet[/name] mentioned.)
If you don’t have regular cycles or you want some more evidence, you can use OPKs. These are sticks you pee on or dip in pee that measure a hormone (LH) that surges just before ovulation (Best to use pee late morning or early afternoon if you can). Start using them a few days before you think you’ll ovulate (or if you buy Wondfo brand on Amazon, you’ll have so many you can check every day of your cycle if you want) and when you get a positive, make sure you have sex that night. Repeat until you no longer get a positive. (You may have to check twice a day.)
If you don’t want to buy anything, you can check your cervical mucus / fluid. No need to chart it or even to do in depth checking! [name]Just[/name] pay attention when you go to the bathroom. Sperm live best in wet fluid, so you want to watch out for what we call eggwhite cervical fluid - clear, stretchy, slippery, wet. It might hang out of you when you go to bathroom and it might leave a circle of wetness in your underwear (sorry for the gross images!). It signals impending ovulation. When you notice that wetness, have sex! [name]Every[/name] day that you notice it, plus the day after you stop noticing it.
Charting BBT isn’t necessary unless you think you aren’t ovulating or have other problems with your cycle. It doesn’t work as a predictor unless you’ve charted for a number of months and you are quite regular, and even then, not necessarily. Your BBT will spike the day after you ovulate - so it confirms you’ve ovulated but by that point, it’s too late to get pregnant. It is a pain to do, you have to check at the same time every day, first thing in the morning before you do anything else. If you want to go this route, I highly recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility by [name]Toni[/name] Wesschler. But, I don’t think you need to worry about doing this.
[name]Hope[/name] that helps!
ETA - In saying all this, I do chart BBT and CM, because I’ve just come off the pill and I want to learn how my cycles work. I have purchased OPKs but haven’t started using them - no point until I am actively TTC!
The charts are intimidating. I do not fully chart, but I do take my temperature. I started because after 4 years of Depo, 9 months without a period (after ending Depo) and then wacky cycles until recently, I wasn’t sure I was even ovulating. Taking your temperature confirms you did ovulate and helps you narrow in on when it happened.
I don’t necessarily check my CM either, but I do notice changes around when I ovulate. Like the PP mentioned, leading up to ovulation, you might notice a spot on your underwear, or more of a slippery feeling on the toilet paper after you urinate. I know, it’s not the most pleasant vocabulary! It’s just about being more observant. you don’t have to go full out inspector mode.
Ovulation kits have been a dream come true for me too. Putting it all together was kind of cool. I’d notice a change in CM, then my ovulation test strip would be positive, then a few days later my temperature would go up.
So in answer to your question, a big YES that all these things have helped me. No matter what you choose to do, just think about these being different tools in your tool kit, not as super strict rules and rituals.
I charted the month I got pregnant with my son. It was our eight month trying and I was really eager for it to work. I don’t know if it actually helped me or not since it turned out I was ovulating exactly when I had thought I was ovulating. It did make me think that I might be pregnant really early.
I didn’t chart with my daughter and got pregnant the first month. I don’t think I could manage to chart with kids since you have to wake up around the same time and lay in bed taking your temp in the morning instead of getting up and moving.
