Not sure where to start (... and no, I don't mean DTD!!)

My background ... just turned 38 and wanting to TTC third and final bub this year (fingers crossed). DS1 born March 08 - required two cycles of clomid to concieve. DS2 born Dec 09 conceived naturally - was a surprise package because AF did not return after DS1 (BFd 13 months). Currently BFing DS2 2 x daily, no AF since bub's birth.

My query. Given I haven't had AF, and I don't want to spend a freakin' fortune of OPKs, what's the best way to try and determine what the heck my body is doing. How much of a pain in the neck is charting temps, and is it a good indicator?

Obviously I ovulated about 12 months after DS1 was born, DS2 is living proof! But as yet, no AF since DS2 was born. Partly I'm keen to stop BFing DS2 to see what happens, but he loves his "boobie" and I'm reluctant to wean him if he isn't ready.

I don't know ... I'm thinking acupuncture to see if that can "make" something happen, or otherwise it's probably off to the GP (who would likely refer me to a FS). As my last bub was conceived easily, I'd like to think we could conceive a third easily too.

Bit confuddled as to where to start on our TTC venture. And rest assured, the actual mechanics of conceiving aren't a problem ... just the timing!:p

Would welcome any thoughts.

hi i temp..... i wake at 7 everyday and do it... but having 2 small kids might make it more difficult?

try ebay for some cheap opks? you can get 30-40 for around about $20 from some sellers....

good luck on you ttc journey :)

Thanks for the tip ... I saw an OPK in one of the major supermarkets yesterday. Was $25 for a 7-day kit. Couldn't imagine having to buy them there too often!

Temping isn't that much of a bother. As long as you do it around the same time everyday and it must be before you get out of bed in the am. If 6am works for you that's OK if 7am works thats fine as well. Just make sure you do it as soon as you wake. You'll probably only need to do it for a few months to get an idea of your cycles. You could also chart your CM as well as that will often be a better indicator that you are about to ovulate. I have a great book called Natural Fertility you are welcome to if you would like it. It goes into great depth about natural conception and natural contraception, inlcuding foods and herbs that help. Just let me know and I'll drop it in the mail for you.

Good luck!

There is also a BBT adjuster you can use if your wake up times are inconsistent. I used that for this baby as DS would wake anywhere between 4.30am & 6.30am. So I set my "usual time" for 5.30am and took my temp when I woke (whenever it was) then adjusted it. It worked really well. Just google BBT adjuster - there are heaps online. I was also using OPKs which I got from lullaby conceptions. I can't remember how much they were but definately less then $25 for 7 days.

Temping is a great way to tell if you ovulate but it won't tell you that you have ovulated until afterwards so it might not be much use to you.

Charting as an overall thing might be better to try as that will help you pick all the possible signs of ovulation before it happens and then the temp rise will just confirm it for you. Once you have ovulated, AF will arrive usually within 10 - 16 days unless you get a BFP. If you haven't had AF since your DS2 was born, then you haven't ovulated yet (unless you have in the last week or two).

Everyone is different and after every baby is different. I have always had AF back once before I have been able to fall pregnant again. My first AF after a baby is usually anovulatory cycle (meaning that I didn't ovulate in that cycle). My cycles are very irregular (especially in the year post birth) so I have to watch for signs of ovulation. I didn't use OPKs because I bought a box of them and didn't use them on a week when I ovulated so they were all negative. I didn't want to keep buying them and found them a bit difficult to interpret anyway so I think it is better to learn signs that your body is ovulating and learn about ovulation as much as you can.

The number of days that you have fertile CM present for is dependent on a number of factors including age, so you might find you only have fertile CM for a couple of days which might make it a bit harder to spot. If you get to know your own body though, you will most likely notice the differences when things start to happen. For me the most viable way of telling when I was about to ovulate was knowing how my cervix feels. You need to check it at the same time everyday, but you will feel differences as things start to happen. You have to be familiar with your body for charting to work though. If you aren't, it can be easy to get confused about what is going on. There is also a website called my beautiful cervix - if you google it, it comes up with a bunch of images of a cervix over a 28 day period. If you can get passed the ick factor, it is really interesting and very informative. I recommend taking a look if you want to do charting.

Temping is still important despite all the other stuff because true ovulation is always marked by a rise in temp just afterwards. You need to be temping if you want to chart so that you can confirm that ovulation happened. It is possible to have all the other signs of ovulation and for your temp not to rise. If your temp doesn't rise, no ovulation happened so you know to keep looking out for it or if AF does arrive that you had an anovulatory cycle. Although it can be frustrating, it is good to know. It also gives you more info that you can give to a FS, if you do end up needing to see one.

Anyway, I hope that is the sort of info that you are after. Good luck and I hope to be reading your PA very soon :)

Probably the simplest and cheapest method of knowing if you're about to ovulate is keeping an eye on your cervical mucus.
Google Billings Method for a fairly detailed description of CM as you approach ovulation and ovulate.

Keeping a chart of your temp is definitely the best, and cheapest method. If you are interested in using OPK's: check out the online stores and ebay - you can get about 40 OPK's for around $15: that means you can doo it everyday so you know if you have had a LH surge or not, rather then being unsure because you might have missed testing at the right time. CM can indicate O, however alot of women (myself in included) find their cm changes repeatedly throughout their cycle, particularly if you haven't yet got AF back.