Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Chart Obsessions

Not surprisingly, I'm a dedicated member of Fertility Friend (FF). Most ladies I've become acquainted with on the internet use this site/app to help the conception process. Truthfully, I started using the app more as practice. Several months before we were interested in starting trying to conceive (TTC), I downloaded Fertility Friend to get to know my cycle. So I faithfully began tracking my basal body temperatures (BBT) and cervical mucus (CM). A few times I tried incorporating other cervical data like position, texture and openness, but that was a bit much for me. I felt like I couldn't understand the signs well enough for it to be meaningful data, so out the window with that piece! In time I was getting to know my cycle very well and seeing the patterns emerge. It kind of surprised me to see how incredibly regular my periods were and that I have a pretty average cycle, going for 28 or 29 days and usually ovulating around cycle day 13 (CD13). This came as a welcome surprise after years of exceptionally painful periods, concern about endometriosis and 16 years on various birth control pills.
Once we were serious about starting TTC, I picked up "Taking Control of Your Fertility" to supplement the knowledge I was gaining from FF. Even with my stressful job and hectic travel schedule, I was definitely ovulating which was a relief, if not a surprise. Just to cover the bases I started a prenatal multivitamin early on, probably in January 2013. Our official "pull the goalie" month was August 2013. And that first month I obsessed over every little sign every single day, entering any piece of data I could into the FF app, peeing on sticks for ovulation, peeing on sticks hoping I was preggers. Frankly, it came as quite a blow to have a negative result that first month. I was certain I had controlled every variable possible. That with all of my newfound knowledge applied to the process, a positive outcome was a sure thing.
Ahhh the innocence...
Months went by with similar obsessions. Finally, J just couldn't take it any more and asked me to please take a couple months off from the whole BBT thing. So I barely tracked this March and took April off completely. A part of me thought that by not paying attention to the TTC process, it would magically happen. Also, April was the month we moved to Denver, so I guess I thought there was some magic in that, too - finally settling into a place of our own after living with in-laws for 7 very not-private months. But nothing. Bringing us to the present...
I've reversed course and gotten back into FF with a vengeance for the month of May. My ovulation was apparently the day of our first CCRM appointment last Tuesday so now we're at 7 dpo and CD19. When I look at my temp chart, there is a mega jump from pre- to post-ovulation phases. My temps are overall pretty regular in each phase, not sporadic at all. So, as I am known to do, I immediately began jumping to conclusions and getting excited. Then, at some point today, I did a chart overlay. This neat feature allows you to look at your current chart overlayed with any of your other charts. And when I looked at that... well... it wasn't anything special at all. My current chart isn't all that different that the average of all my other months.
For a chick who is so desperate to finally expand her family and who has no job, this is an impossible waiting game! I really need to find some other things to occupy myself with! Why can't I apply this much energy into finding my next job???

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