When should I start?

[Aimz]

I am about to go off the pill and begin charting/temping my cycle. For now we are not TTC, so we would be charting as a method of contraception.

Should I start charting in a few days when I get AF or should I wait until I get my first natural AF before I start? Will it make a difference?

Am I likely to ovulate this month or will it all be out of wack because of the pill?

Should we avoid DTD this month as I will not have an accurate idea of when I will ovulate?

I am so confused and new to all of this so any help/advice would be appreciated!

[sloane]

hi there

i'm not sure about using FF as a contraceptive aid because when i came off the bcp we weren't trying not to get PG (if that makes sense!). i'd say start charting as soon as you get your first bleed after stopping the bcp. even though it's not your real AF it does help you get an idea of what your body is doing right from the start & is also good practice for later on.

i was surprised at how quickly my body returned to normal after stopping the bcp. my doctor warned me it good take a while for my body to normalise (sorry, can't think of a better word!). i had a 28 day cycle in the first month (which was unusual for me - i've always had longer cycles) and then it went more back to what it had been before the bcp (around 32-35 days). i think i still o'd in that first month but all i was doing to chart was checking CM, i never temped.

i don't know if i'd rely solely on charting to help avoid falling PG because, as you say, you might not have a good idea yet of how your body will behave, but avoinding DTD seems a bit extreme for my liking - maybe use additional contraception in the first month?

sorry, that seems like i've typed a lot for probably not alot of info!

[Heaven]

I would start charting the first day of AF. But you probably won't be able to predict when you're going to ovulate so I'd be using condoms or something JIC.

[Aimz]

Sorry I should have clarified - we will be using a diaphram but I don't have my next GYN appointment for 5 weeks which is when I will get fitted. We can't use condoms so not DTD is really the only option. I have just had a lap so I'm still in quite a bit of pain anyway.

We will be using another method of contraception, as well as charting. But not for another month!

[sloane]

then i would say, chart away! even if it's not the most reliable info in that first month, it's good to get into the habit & it does give you an overall picture of what your body is doing

i've never used a diaphram so i'm not sure on the DTD side of things in that situation.

[Heaven]

Oh ok then, well yeah prob avoiding dtd then coz I remember the first month off the pill for me was very unpredictable.

[Gabi]

We've only ever charted as birth control and we were told to have at least one cycle where we didn't DTD in order to gauge what my cycle looks like. I don't think there's any harm in charting.

[Aimz]

I think it will be helpful to get to know my cycle before we start TTC.

I'm due to get AF this week so I think it's safe to say I am officially OFF THE PILL!!!