How To Guide: What I Learned About Getting Pregnant

Warning: I do go into details so of you get weirded out by feminine stuff you're not gonna like this. However, this is everything I learned about charting when we were trying to get pregnant so if you if you are or will it'll help.

Here is a link to a website where you can set up a chart of your own for your cycle. A fancy version costs money my version is free. I'll tell you about how to do it first:

http://www.fertilityfriend.com

First, why am I thinking about this now? Are we trying again? No, we aren't trying to get pregnant. It's the anniversary of something strange that happened to me in 2008. While watching Super Bowl 42 (you know, the last time the Giants beat the Patriots) we had been trying to get pregnant for 18 months.I said while watching that game, "God, if the Giants win I don't care if I don't get pregnant this month" for me that was like actually giving up a child. I had just gotten my period and was refering to that new cycle. Right after I said that the infamous David Tyree helmet catch happened and the Giants won. I was on Clomid at the time (a medication to help me ovulate at the right time) Since I bled enough for a period I took the clomid. Read that carefully, bled enough for a period, it wasn't my period though. I knew when I was supposed to ovulate because of charting and when my Basil Body Temperature (from now on called BBT) never dropped for ovulation, I took a pregnancy test. Yup, I was pregnant and didn't know it during that Super Bowl. I started Progesterone medication (that's why I miscarry, low progesterone) but it was too late. You're not supposed to take Clomid while pregnant and I miscarried on February 26th at 8 weeks (3rd and final). This is the anniversary of when we choose the name Zach. During the time I was pregnant, we were watching a  NJ Devil's Hockey game going through all the names of the players. We settled on Zach for Zach Parise.

This is from the cycle I micarried. The coverline was drown for me after I got the +HPT but not before.
http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ttc/index.php?d=2008-01-03

I was on a few message boards during that time (okay 11). While we had issues getting and staying pregnant (I just wanted to shoot some glue up there!!!) I know a lot of women charting worked for. If I wasn't charting, I don't know if I would have known I was pregnant (and therefore wouldn't have found a name for my son). I used fertility friend and the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=taking+charge+of+your+fertility&sprefix=taking+cha%2Cstripbooks%2C174

It's the trying to conceive bible. This is a chart I made in excel to sort out the instructions from that book in a way it would be easier for me to follow. I also below put a chart I made (blank). To be honest, I never could figure out where to draw the horizontal part of the coverline but I always knew what was ovulation. I used the coverline from fertility friend in my own charts. You can use these as a reference for yourself. Doing this made me aware of when I was ovulating even though we weren't trying (just not preventing) when I got pregnant with Zach. I wasn't charting that cycle but was so aware of my body I couldn't ignore knowing pregnancy was a posibility (and obviously happened)

Here is the Glossary:
bd: Sex
TTC: trying to conceive
TTA: Trying to avoid
EW: Egg white cervical mucus
AF: your period
DPO: Days post ovulation
CM: cervical mucus
LP: Lutal Phase
CP: Cervical Position
               High:ovulating
               Medium: almost fertile but not yet
               Low: infertile (sex'll hurt)
 O: ovulation (funny how in Cosmo that's orgasm)

How to Chart
TTC: Cervical Mucus
AF	Dry	Sticky	Watery	EW	Watery	Dry	Creamy
infertile	infertile	infertile	fertile	fertile	fertile	infertile	fertile/not
		bd	bd	bd	bd		bd
Notes: bd during fertile days at least every other day. I can stop after o has been determined by 3 high temps. Hit all patches of fertile cm just in case.
TTA: Cervical Mucus
AF	Dry	Sticky	Watery	EW	Watery	Dry	Creamy
infertile	infertile	infertile	fertile	fertile	fertile	infertile	fertile/not
bd	bd					bd
Notes: bd only during clear infertile days. Once cm dries AND I have 3 high temps, bd can continue again.
Temps
Ovulation		Implantation		Af Dip		Coverline
Determined by 3 high temps after a dip		Determined by a dip at about 5 - 10 dpo		dip below the coverline determines af is coming		Drawn 1/10th of a degree over the highest of the 6 temps before rise.
Notes: 18 high temps are basicially a guaranteed +HPT so waiting until 18 dpo to test is best.
Other Notes
OPKs		O Pains		LP		Spotting
O 2 days after +. Detects the LH surge (me:11:30)		Sharp cramps in the sides around o time.		Time between O and af. Always the same (me:14)		not af can be b4 af, with o, and with implantation.
AF - starts 1st day of red flow 4-5 days			Spermies:		Discard Temps:
Dry - No or damp cm			Rubbery whitish strand		1. Fever/ Very Cold
Sticky - sticky similar to watery			slippery foam		2. Drank Alcohol the previous night
Watery - slippery but doesn't stretch			Thin		3. Taken out of 30 minutes avg window
EW - Slippery and stretchy like an ew			Breaks easily		4. < 3 hours sleep
Creamy - White and creamy			dries quickly		5. Sleep w/electric blank or AC
Note: Don't discard temps if you are doing what you normally do. It's more important there is a pattern.  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 97 CM BD OPK/HPT CP

Sample:
http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ttc/index.php?d=2007-10-15