Taking Charge of your Fertility

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2003
Taking Charge of your Fertility
4
Tue, 07-13-2004 - 12:52pm
Well I finally read the book that everyone is talking about. And yet I still find myself a bit confused. Especially in the section about cervical mucus. It still all seems so vague to me. Sticky, wet, lotion-like, egg whites, etc. The discharge that I get (I am on the pill) can be described as being white in color, sticky-ish though sometimes a mixture of lotion and sticky, and I get it all month long and the amount is always the same.

How can you tell between normal vaginal discharge and ovulation discharge?

That is the one question I am still not finding an answer to. I go to the Gyno for my yearly at the end of July and am going to ask him because I just can't seem to find an answer to that question.

I tried taking my BBT but alas, I couldn't seem to wake-up at the same time every morning. The main reason being my dogs wake me up whenever they feel like it. So that means sometimes I would take it at 5:15am and other times at 6:45am. Or I would let the dogs out, not take my temp, and go back to sleep for 45 min. Then when I got up 45 min later I would take my temp. In order to get accurate BBT readings you have to take it almost at the exact time and conditions have to be the same. That is too much to think about! :-)

Thanks, Katie

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2003
Tue, 07-13-2004 - 1:04pm
The pill changes your cm so you really can't chart that while you are on it. The first month I started charting I couldn't tell the difference in my cm at all. The second month it somehow clicked :) I guess it just takes a little practice and getting used to the unique changes in your body. One thing that helped me was paying attention to how I felt down there during the day. Around ovulation my sex drive increased, I felt more lubrication, etc. Then I was able to tell the difference in cm.

As far as taking BBT, that is probably a little more tricky on the pill too. I don't wake up at the exact same time every day. I take my temps with about an hour difference. I'm still able to see the thermal shift.

Hope that helps!
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2004
Tue, 07-13-2004 - 3:24pm
Hi Katie,

I know, all of this can seem a bit confusing! For me, I'm on the pill and I do take my temperature at times to make sure the pill is working for me. I did it more religiously the first few months I was on the pill. What you should be looking for is really no change in your BBT. Your temps should be relatively flat and elevated. In my case, my temps are usually about 97.9-98.1, for the entire month. It's not the same every single day, but it's pretty close. If you're having trouble waking up at the same time every day, try looking at the "bigger picture." There are often temps that I throw out due to factors beyond my control (i.e. a restless nights sleep, lack of consecutive hours of sleep, going to bed too late, even alcohol). Even during your off week on the pill, you should have flat, elevated temps. I hope this is making sense.

As for CM, again, in my case, I remember when I was not on the pill and I was having regular monthly cycles . . .there was no doubt when I was ovulating. This is going to be gross but . . . my discharge was such that when I went to the bathroom, it would actually flow out of me - and not just in small drops. I understand that not all women have this kind of egg-white discharge as it's described but I think the majority of women do. On OTC lo now, I have a discharge pretty much all month. It's sticky and creamy. This is not at all abnormal. Most discharge isn't.

Did this help at all? I feel like I'm just blabbering!

Kristina

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2003
Tue, 07-13-2004 - 3:32pm
Kristina,

That does help. My temps were between 97.4-97.7 when I did take it at the same time. So I shouldn't count times when I would get up, let the dogs out, go back to sleep for 45 min, and then take my temp? Cause it was during those times when my temp was off. Or if I woke up earlier then the "normal" time. Does that make sense?

Thanks!!

Honestly, I have learned so much about my body then I knew before. I wish they would teach more of this stuff to girls so they know what is going on more specifically with their bodies.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 07-14-2004 - 8:13am
I temped when I first started using the ring. I do get up at the same time every weekday, and all five days I'd have absolutely the same temperature, but I have an extremely regular schedule and always woke up out of a sound sleep. I found that if I woke up gradually and laid in bed a while dozing my temperature would be higher and I tended to ignore those readings. So don't pay attention to the ones where you're letting the dogs out and going back to bed!

You absolutely can't check cm when you're using a hormonal contraceptive, the progestin and the lack of ovulation change all that--remember that the progestin in the pill acts to make cm sticky! That's one of your protections.

I do think TCOYF should be on the mandatory Mom list--all you moms out there might consider getting this book for your daughters when they reach an appropriate age to learn about periods and sexuality! There's a lot of stuff I wish I'd known too.

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control