sharedjourney home

And we love you too. Sorry it wasn't the heart beat but hey its ok you saw the unit of you and hubby and its doing well. Smile Mommy.

The Four Signs of Fertility: What You Need to Know to Track Your Cycles

1. Menstruation
Menstruation marks the beginning of a new cycle and its onset is a sign that you aren't pregnant. The iVillage Fertility Planner relies on the accurate recording of your first day of menstruation to properly compute the arrival of your fertile period. You will need to record the days of your menstrual period in your Calendar.

2. Temperature Changes
Throughout your cycle, your temperature rises and falls in a consistent pattern. You will need to record your temperature each day in your Calendar. The iVillage Fertility Planner looks for the temperature rise to determine when post-ovulation infertility* begins. Ovulation causes your temperature to remain elevated for about two weeks. It is important for you to take extremely accurate measurements of your body temperature, using a basal thermometer. This type of thermometer, unlike a regular 'fever' thermometer, can detect minor but significant changes in your daily waking temperature.

3. Cervical Fluid
Cervical fluid, which is secreted by your body before ovulation to improve the sperms' chance to survive and reach the ovum, changes over the course of your cycle. Because of the timing of its secretion, it can be used to interpret the onset of your fertile period. When there is a complete absence of cervical fluid, it is a strong indicator that you are infertile at that time. Here are the different states for cervical fluid and vaginal sensation that you should record each day in your Calendar.

* Dry: No fluid is present, or there is just a slight dampness that dissipates quickly when exposed to air.
* Sticky: Not truly wet; feels sticky or tacky to the touch, perhaps similar to rubber cement. May be opaque white or yellow in color, although it can also be clear.
* Creamy: Has a smooth feel, similar to hand lotion; is typically cloudy in appearance, and is either white or yellow. It is sometimes wet and watery, although it is very thin and doesn't stretch easily.
* Egg White: Typically clear, but may have brown, bloody or cloudy streaks. Similar to raw egg white in appearance and feel, very slippery and lubricative. May stretch from one to ten inches.

4. Cervical Characteristics
The cervix is the muscular opening of the uterus. With the approach of ovulation it becomes softer and opens and raises its position relative to the uterus. At infertile times the cervix is low, closed and firm. While the iVillage Fertility Planner does not make use of this sign directly in calculating your fertility, you can record your cervical characteristics for cross-referencing.

* The term "post-ovulation infertility" refers to the period of time after ovulation when it is highly unlikely that you will get pregnant. This period of 'infertility' is cyclical and does not affect your ability to conceive during the more fertile times of your cycle.

You are so sweet MH! I am almost off work so I'll be offline in a few minutes. I am taking Tylenol for the cramps... my pain killer of choice!

I know I will conquer infertility... it is my pledge after all! :) Thanks again for everything and Happy Thanksgiving!

You are welcome!!!

Thats what sisters are for each other!!!


I Love My Sister Hood!
Sixteen Sisters on the Pledge:
Mahogany Heart
Nanci And Dessie
Chynnadoll
Cin
Tosha
Andrea (Conquered Infertility)
Amy
Dona
Les23
Sarah Soveran
TTA
Native
Garffan
Morgan01
Debbie
Shara

Thanks for the advice Mahogany
I really appreciate your advice-
I want to know if anyone has ever tried the ovulite fertility monitor and what was the experience like

hey there ladies :D i am finally off work and can rest im taking a p/t tomorow and going to see what happens maybe maybe not if not always try next month and the one after that write well my sisters we are still keeping up the hope i love it i really do we will all do this each and everyone of us i really know it i just do but i gotta go make something to eat so i will talk to you all later ok ... baby dust to alllllll!!!!!

hello sweeties
just came in this morning and have read the posts

sorry about af Tosha: it's a new chance again

good news Andrea: i wonder how you feel now that you have seen the beanie

MH- you are still your loving self. when do we get to see you rpictures?

i agree one would need a book to recognise everyone here and i don't think i'm really good at that; would love to say something to everyone

hello to everyone else that i have missed out
have a lot of work this friday but will get back as soon as i can

tta

also sending lots of love and babydust the way of everyone

think the ticker stuff is working now
thanks ladies: i've learnt one more thing

mh - i did see the heart beat - just didn't hear it.
hopefully i will be able to see it again this morning!!!

i am drinking a whole bunch of water (from 6am-7am i have to drink 5 glasses for my ultrasound at 8am). it's like some kind of cruel joke on their part - "hey let's see how much we can make the pregnant lady who has to pee every 20 mins drink, then make her hold it for 2 1/2 hours"....it ain't gonna be pretty sister's, let me tell you.

sooo...i am sitting here looking out my patio doors and my deck has about 6 inches of snow. and it is still coming!!!!!
my cats - who don't have a litter box (they are trained to go outside) get like 3 steps out the back door and book it right back in the house...it's so funny they are kittens so this snow thing is new to them.

ok hubby is brining the little one to school today so i better get her lunch made - i'll let everyone know how the ultra sound goes!

hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!!!!!!!

Hello, all. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Seeing the in-laws isn't always the best experience. DH's grandmother had to inform me yesterday that I had better be careful if I get pg bc of my anemia. Except I haven't been anemic in about 4 yrs. She is kinda loopy. Well, I am on cycle day 37, and I should be starting either today or tomorrow, but sometimes it is off, and I haven't built up the courage yet to get a hpt. I always get so nervous, and I am one of those who gets AF while taking the darn things, so I have convinced myself to wait just a few more days to see what happens. Then I will take a test. If AF comes, I already have my order form ready to start ovulex. I can't wait to start it if I do get AF. The clomid helped regulate me somewhat, but my cycle is still anywhere from 30 to 40 days. Plus the clomid has caused me to gain about 10 lbs. Has anyone experienced weight gain from ovulex?

Andrea,
I am so excited for you. You get to see your little one 2 days in a row. Good luck today!

Baby dust to all!!

Oh ok Andrea you saw the heart beating but was not able to hear the little bundle of joy heart beating.

hey there ladies i took my p/t today and it was a negative but im still happy and still staying strong will just have to try harder next month but i wanna know how is everyone doing how was your guys thanksgiving ?? i finally have to days off and am so happy cant believe i had to work 9 days in a row that is sooo hard when you are on your feet all day long well just wanted to check in and see how you guys were doing well going to go clean my house now will talk to you guys later ok

Hello, ladies. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. AF appeared today :( . Oh, well. I guess I kinda expected it , even though I always try to stay positive. I still have that thought in the back of my head that I will start every cycle. I ordered my ovulex this morning, so I can't wait until it arrives. I will take it as my fresh start and hope this is the product for me.

baby dust to all!!

Morgan01

hey dont worry i have those times to maybe ovulex will really help you im on my second bottle and still nothing but im still staying strong so will you dont worry

Sarah,

Thank you so much for your encouragement. It makes it so much easier when you have other people with the same issues to talk to. I am sorry your pt was BFN. I use to go through that every month when my cycle was so irregular, and I let myself think I was always pg. It was tough, and I am on clomid now, which has helped regulate my cycle but my cm is very poor, and I hate having all of those chemicals in my body. I can't wait to try ovulex, and I am sure you will get a BFP soon!

I just wanted to ask if anyone that has been on Ovulex hasit made you go to the bathroom alot. I started it last Wednesday taking it like it says and I found that I can not stop using the bathroom (BM) like every hour even in the night. I just wanted to know if anyone else had this problem, if so please write me back. I just want to know if it is the pills or something else that I might be going through.

Thanks,
Novella