Odd Cycles

[Nickii]

I apologise in advance if I have posted this in the wrong place; I am new to this site and have yet to familiarize myself with it. Anyway;

Hey, my names Nickii and im a 23 year old female ttc with my 23 year old fiance. We've been together almost 6 years but have only been trying for the last 5 months. I started tracking my cycle using an app on my phone and noticed that one month my cycle is 30-33 days and the next, my cycle is 47-49 days then it goes back to 30-33 days again.

I haven't been to the doctors about this, I'm not overly worried at the moment. I just need help figuring out how to calculate my ovulation with them being so different. (I know I could get OPK's but I don't want to waste money if there is another way)
I've started temping as of this morning.

I'm also looking for people in the same boat, so to speak, to talk with and offer support to so thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any and all advice/support! 

[mrsp121308]

I would definitely continue temping, but cycles can vary in length. So like I've heard a lot of people say "you are normal until you aren't".

[getzystark]

Temping, OPKs (cheapie Wondfos are economical) and secondary signs. I relied mostly on temping because OPKs didn't always work for me, nor did tracking CM, so it's best to start with ALL the things and then narrow down what works for you.

[doodler]

Welcome! Please take a look at the newbie blog that is pinned at the top of the page. It tells about all of the ways to track ovulation. You are on the right track by temping, and many of us also track other signs such as LH surges(with OPK's), cervical mucus, and cervical position. Also, I'm not sure what app you are using but Fertility Friend is really the gold standard around here and most of us that are tracking use it.

ETA: Everyone else beat me to it while I was slowly typing

[wanderingheart]

Definitely keep temping; that will help you with pinpointing ovulation. If you're not wanting to do OPKs, I would recommend tracking either your CM or CP in addition to temping, though OPKS would be very helpful. You can buy them in bulk on Amazon for pretty cheap.

I would also recommend reading the newbie blog. Tracking your cycles on an app is pretty useless, but I'm glad you've taken up temping.

I wouldn't worry about seeing a doctor unless you can show you've had 3 anovulatory cycles...which you can't know without temping and OPKs/CM/CP. Total anecdote, I just temped but my temperatures never showed ovulation so I didn't bother wasting OPKs. I would still recommend trying those for a couple cycles at least just to get an understanding on your body. Good luck!

[kayladawn91]

Hi there. My cycles have always varied in length anywhere from 30-50 days. I do not worry too much about predicting O, but the previous posters have given you great suggestions on what you can use if you want to be able to predict ovulation. Temping is a great start though!

[Nickii]

Wow i'm impressed with the speed of all your replies! I will give the newbie forum a read. I will also try downloading the fertility friend app. Thank you so much for your replies!

[PirateCat]

Hello and welcome. I have irregular cycles as well, ranging from 30 to 47 days. I do use OPKs (Wondfos from Amazon are fairly inexpensive) but checking my CM gives me a really good idea on when to start OPKs (otherwise I could be using them for 3 weeks+). It can be different for everyone but after a few cycles of temping and charting CM and CP (not as helpful to me personally) you will begin to get a better sense of your body's pattern. Good luck!

[mikaela20]

Hi there and welcome. Everyone has given you great responses already.

I too have varying and long cycle lengths. Temping and opks (cheap internet ones, wondfos)are the tools I use. While both are helpful for me, they do come with their own frustrations.

Come join the WTO daily threads to share in the frustration

[JoBub]

Hi! You've gotten a lot of good info, but I'll just mention I learned everything I know about tracking ovulation from this board (the newbie blog, and also just reading threads here), and also from the tutorials on Fertility Friend. Once you sign up there's tons of stuff to read there. My preferred method is to use OPKs (cheap ones) to give me a heads up shortly before ovulation, and then also use fertility friend to track temps to confirm ovulation after the fact.

[icedtea]

Everyone's said what I would (the wondfo opks are quite cheap), so I'll just say welcome!

[butlerfan]

Welcome. I agree with the PP about Fertility Friend and temping.

[daisy818]

Also, you don't mention anything about prior birth control, but people who come off of hormonal birth control can sometimes have wonky cycles for a while.

[pismoduo]

Feb 22, 2016 17:06:47 GMT -5 daisy818 said:

Also, you don't mention anything about prior birth control, but people who come off of hormonal birth control can sometimes have wonky cycles for a while.

+1. Especially BCs like Depo Provera. It took me 6 months to get my period back after the end of my last Depo shot, and then the next 8 or 9 months after that were all over the place in terms of cycle length.

[Nickii]

Thank you again for all your replies, you have all been immensely helpful! I'm now on Fertility Friend (what an amazing tool!) and as for birth control, I haven't been on any in the last 4 years, only condoms

[Nickii]

I wonder if anybody would be so kind as to link me to the Wondfos kit only there are a lot to pick from and i dont know which would be best?? 

[requiressnacks]

Feb 23, 2016 2:12:26 GMT -5 Nickii said:

I wonder if anybody would be so kind as to link me to the Wondfos kit only there are a lot to pick from and i dont know which would be best?? 

Hey girl, there's a list of reputable sellers under the TWW section of the newbie blog. Link below.

tbttgp.wordpress.com

[Nickii]

Thank You very much