Can I O without EWCM? New to all this..

[Sym]

Hi all, I hope there is someone out there that can give me a hand with all this charting business because I'm a bit lost.

I started charting on January 30 after having Implanon removed on the 10th. According to FF I have not ovulated and today I got my period, which means my cycle length is 26 days.

I noticed between CD's 10-15 I had cramps on my left side, creamy CM but the OPK test came back negative on days 11 and 12 (however there was a second line not as dark as the first line). These were Confirm brand OPK's.

I done an ovulation calculation on the Babycentre website and it predicted I was most fertile between CD's 10-15.

I started temping part way through my cycle but realised I need to buy a proper BBT which I will now get ready for the next cycle. I also bought a heap of cheap OPK's from Ebay and was using them almost every day from CD 20, they always showed a second faint line which I assume is negative.. ??

So does all this mean I haven't O'd this cycle? Or do i just need more practice?

[puppies]

I am also confused about charting, but from what I have read on forums and from other people charting with BBT is only good for knowing you have already Ovulated. I am more interested in when I am going to ovulate from each month to the next. So i use the Maybe Baby Saliva test. It was about $60, but it last up to 2 years of re-use. i just put a blob of saliva (when i get up), wait for it to dry and it shows different images in the microscope that tell you when your not fertile, then when your in transition and when you are ovulating. So you can do the BD from transitional to Ovulation. Although I have only just started using it last month, I saw the results just this past weekend. Although like you I had a 26 day cycle. This test told me that I ovulated on day 8 after my period. So I wasnt expecting that to happen so soon. I am not sure if it's because i have just come off the pill or not. But it was definatley showing ovulation. I did it twice just to make sure!

I am sure next month I will ovulate at some other stage of my cycle, but I prefer to know when I am going to ovulate rather than when I did ovulate. Defeats the purpose doesn't it. By then you've missed the boat.

Good luck with it mate.

I read this interesting article though on BBT:
NO - Relying on BBT charts to time your intercourse, and then still failing to conceive, can in itself be responsible for an undue amount of stress. When we tell our patients to throw away their basal thermometers, we take the first big step in reducing some of the pressure involved in their infertility treatment. BBT is a much misunderstood test. Many couples think that they can use their BBT charts to determine the best days on which to have intercourse in order to conceive. They don't realize that a BBT chart is of historical value only. It can indicate,after the fact, that you did ovulate. Over a period of months it can show you whether your ovulation is more or less regular. But what it CANNOT do is predict when ovulation is about to occur. If your goal is to have intercourse, or precisely timed fertility testing, that coincides with ovulation, a basal body temperature chart is NOT an accurate indication of when it will occur.

[Sym]

Thanks, I went to the maybe baby website and read all about it, sounds pretty good because I really want a baby girl this time (already have two sons) and it suggests to BD in the transitional stage, so it would be nice if that worked.

I also read some reviews where people said maybe baby didn't work for them but I suppose different things work for different people. I have been using OPK's with no success and they're gunna get expensive to keep buying, so $60 isn't so bad because like you said, it's reusable. I wonder if you could just use a normal microscope??

[Indadhanu]

Hi sym,

To answer your initial question... yep you can ovulate without EWCM. Some people don't even get the watery CM... its all individual and you should defiantely use a range of signs to help pinpoint ovulation.

My first thought when I read your post was that you have only just had the implanon come out, so with your cycle only being 26 days I would say that most likely has a lot to do with your cycles needing a few months to regulate after coming off the contraception and go back to normal for you. That might also explain the lack of CM.

I jsut wanted to point out also that sometimes OPKs don't work for everyone. There are a lot of posts on here about that, I'll see if I can find some for you and link them back.

I did chart my cycle, though I was having assisted conception treatment and my FS didn't look at my chart until the end of the cycle to see if I had ovulated. Though a lot of woman on here chart alongside other things, and it helps them to pinpoint ovulation (the 'dip' before the rise after ovulation) and help watch their cycle patterns and see if there is anything out of the ordinary happening. If you chart for a few months, you can generally get a feel of what is happening by the way your chart is going. A lot of woman see patterns after a few months, and can tell when they are about to ovulate based on what there chart is doing. But charting can be REALLY stressful, especially in the TWW.

Do you have an account with Ovulation Calendar and Ovulation Chart - FertilityFriend.com That really taught me a lot about the signs to look for, and also checking my cervix position which was a good indicator of ovulation.


ETA: Posts about OPKs...
When to start using OPK's, and why don't they work for everyone?
Negative OPK but still fallen pregnant?

[meow]

It took me two months to get my first period after getting implanon out. And then they were weird short cycles for a couple more months. Things settled down and we were blessed to conceive 5 months after the implant coming out.
I tried charting with OPK's and temp checking for a couple of months to work things out- but we conceived when I stopped using all that. Charting puts a lot more pressure on so I personally would try not to get too serious about it in these early days.

[Sym]

Thanks girls.

I had the implanon removed on Jan 10 and was told that I would ovulate in 3 weeks time but i actually got my period three weeks after. I thought after having it removed it would take a while for things to get back to normal becuase after I stopped having Depo Provera shots, it took me about 6 months to get pregnant with my first son.

I agree that charting can become stressful and obsessive, I feel for women who have to do it for so long. I initially wanted to start charting so I could gender sway for a girl, I'm the only one if my family with all boys. I'm hoping to just fall pregnant soon and not have to worry about it anymore. Also doing OPK's has become a little obsessive, I was doing those twice a day and just hoping to get a possitive - which I never did!

Anyway, thanks again for all your info. I didn't even know most of this stuff existed i.e CM, cervix position and temp changes.. I've just always fallen pregnant and that was it! lol