Chart Stalk + Questions

[pbsnowflake453]

As a total lurker/newb, can I ask questions? This is my first cycle charting so I just would like to discuss some things -- you guys have all the body knowledge.







I am on CD 37 with no sign of cross hairs. My temps have been all over the place, but I am thinking (hoping?) it's due to my not exactly consistent temping times. I temp vaginally, I don't get up first, but I have temped anywhere between 4 and 6 am (I sometimes wake up before my alarm).



I've been checking my CM, and feel as though I have seen a very clear pattern. If I wasn't temping, I would say that I ovulated on CD 30. My temps definitely do not line up with that, though.







So I guess my specific questions are:

1. Do you think I should go with my CM and say I ovulated, since I might not have been 100% accurate with my temps?

2. Can you feel PMS symptoms with no ovulation?

3. If I bleed without getting crosshairs, is there any way to tell the difference between a period or "breakthrough" bleeding?

4. Could being overweight (which may cause an increase in estrogen and therefore CM) be causing my increasingly fertile CM with no temp shift to confirm O?



Also, I've peed on approximately a million OPKs and have never even seen the faintest hint of a line, so I quit those. The blank window was just too depressing.



Andplusalso, I was on Depo for 6 years, switched to BCP last May, stopped all birth control last September. Didn't see AF until March, had 3 "normal" 28 day cycles, then my last cycle was 51 days.



TIA for all of the wonderful entertainment knowledge I'm sure to get!


My Ovulation Chart


Edit to fix words

[ceejay]

Whoa. That's a lot of questions.

Bottom line is your chart for your current cycle does not show ovulation. You don't have any temp shift. That could be related to inconsistent temping times, but even then, you would probably see some shift pattern if you had ovulated.

Also, I would not agree that your CM is showing a "clear pattern." It looks like you've had almost 3 weeks straight of fertile CM. That seems like a lot... is it possible that you're confusing leftover semen with CM? I did that sometimes when we first started TTC.

I would just keep temping and HIO, and hopefully you'll see a temp shift soon. Or you might have an annovulatory cycle. I would not recommend using fertile CM to "confirm" O, because you can have fertile CM without ovulation.

[Deleted]

1. Do you think I should go with my CM and say I ovulated, since I might not have been 100% accurate with my temps? No, there is no indication from your CM that you have have O'd. Some women experience multiple patches of fertile CM. It is also difficult to pinpoint O based only on CM.

2. Can you feel PMS symptoms with no ovulation? I'm not sure, but I do know that you can also get your period without feeling PMS symptoms.

3. If I bleed without getting crosshairs, is there any way to tell the difference between a period or "breakthrough" bleeding? I have a hx of breakthrough bleeding. The breakthrough bleeds that I experienced were usually lighter than a regular period but heavier than spotting.
Of course, this may differ from person to person.

[Daikoku]

I am neither a doctor nor a chart whisperer, but I agree with ceejay. It may be that you haven't ovulated yet. It may be that you're experiencing an anovulatory cycle. It's also difficult at first to distinguish all the "signs" of infertility, especially as it relates to cm. It was for me, anyway. 2+ years in and I still have to really pay attention if I'm checking something like that.

Q1: No.
Q2: I don't know. Since I've been tracking, I've not have an anovulatory cycle. Sorry I can't help with this one.
Q3: I don't know that I can answer this question.
Q4: Something like this depends on the person.

Try not to dig yourself into a hole of endless anecdote. I'm not sure of your history, but I recommend monitoring for a while. I don't know how long you've been temping/charging. Keep in mind, though, that even someone who has been monitoring for a number of years can have an "off" cycle. Human bodies are variable and always changing.

[Ray]

Temps are the only way to confirm ovulation. I agree with PP that 3 weeks for FCM is a lot and you may be Mis-categorizing what you're seeing.

Time of day may be more important than lack of sleep for your temps. For example , I can sleep 6 hrs wake up at 6 and have a normal temp. I can sleep 6 hours, get up at 4 and have a low temp. I can sleep like shit, let the dog out for a pee at 6, temp, and have a normal temp. For me it is all about time. For there it's about constant sleep. Try to figure out what works for you.

No help with your other questions though sorry!

[Deleted]

You guise are so much more eloquent than me.
I just want to emphasize what Daikoku, said. Do not start googling into a hole of anecdotes. Everyone is different, no two people will have the same exact experiences with their cycles.

pbsnowflake453,You're taking the right steps to better understanding your cycle. Just keep temping and HIO, and hopefully, you will have some more answers soon.

[pismoduo]

Ok, I'm going to weigh in mostly on the fact that you were on Depo for a long time.

I was on Depo for nearly a decade. My last shot was at the end of December 2013, ending effectiveness in late March 2014. I finally got a post-Depo period in October 2014. Between then and now, I've had 12 cycles, of which almost half were annovulatory. Cycles have bounced between short and long, finally starting to stabilize out and gain some predictability in May (almost a year from the end of the last shot's effectiveness)

Depo can seriously fuck with your shit when it comes to returning to normal. Particularly if, like me, you're overweight. Since it's an injection, it's stored in the fatty tissues of your body, so it takes longer to leave your system than oral BC.

With all that said - I'll echo what everyone else said - just keep temping. But I wanted to give you my experience with Depo, so you wouldn't feel like something completely abnormal is going on.

[pbsnowflake453]

Thanks guise! Good advice about staying out of the Anecdote Black Hole -- I was there for a while before I found TB and now TCF. (Yes, I have seen the light!)

pismoduo, that sucks. You did give me hope that it will eventually maybe stabilize out. After reading that Depo should not be used as a long-term contraceptive (i.e. longer than 2 years) it really makes me angry that my OB -- and countless others -- are still prescribing it for decades at a time. If I had been informed of any of the research concerning the shot, I would have stopped long before six years. The fact that it's so easy compared to many other methods keeps people coming back and back, not knowing they may be harming their future fertility.

[pismoduo]

Aug 22, 2015 11:00:35 GMT -5 pbsnowflake453 said:

Thanks guise! Good advice about staying out of the Anecdote Black Hole -- I was there for a while before I found TB and now TCF. (Yes, I have seen the light!)

pismoduo, that sucks. You did give me hope that it will eventually maybe stabilize out. After reading that Depo should not be used as a long-term contraceptive (i.e. longer than 2 years) it really makes me angry that my OB -- and countless others -- are still prescribing it for decades at a time. If I had been informed of any of the research concerning the shot, I would have stopped long before six years. The fact that it's so easy compared to many other methods keeps people coming back and back, not knowing they may be harming their future fertility.

FWIW, I haven't seen any studies showing permanent or real long term fertility impacts. It just tends to take longer to get back to normal. Last I read more than 90% of women who used depo still get pregnant within 2 years.

My doctor told me about the 2 year limitation, but at the time that was due to bone density concerns. We discussed at my annual each year whether it was still a good option for me, and she said she saw no reason for concern.