Ovulation Calendar (7) - try No.3 and BFP

This period was a very exciting one. First the 'busy bee project' (we did our very best!!), then the signs and little symptoms which made today's outcome possible, the BFP!

Probably many of you know the feeling that you want to shout it out to the whole world and to keep it in secret at the same time. I want for the whole world to know and I want to hide and cherish my precious little secret.

The signs were unmistakable. After ovulation on the first Sunday (one week) uncomfortable breasts, which from the second Sunday (two weeks) are constant, plus the occurring 'spotting' 9 days after ovulation. I did not have 'implantation bleeding' in January, so I took it as a very good sign.

I DID NOT expect my period today, and after this morning's arisen temperature I couldn't help and I did a HPT, and it was a BFP straight away!! It was a confirmation what I already knew, I am pregnant again.

There was the question, should I call DH and tell him the long awaited sweet news, or just send him a text message with a + sign, or just wait impatiently until he comes home and let him discover the wonder. Eventually I chose to wait. I left the test in the bathroom so when he comes home and goes in to wash his hands he will find it.

When he arrived his first question was Did you pee on a stick? I did not answer, said something else. He asked me few more times but I couldn't hide the smile on my face. He knew then that the answer is YES and POSITIVE.

Ovulation Calendar (6) - try No.2

Measuring and recording the Basal Body Temperature (BBT), plus observing and recording the Cervical Fluid/Mucus (CF or CM) and the position and texture of the cervix are the ways to keep an eye on fertility signs. Watch for the signs and you will get a good chance to get pregnant (read more on FertilityFriend).

To reach my cervix (same position, same time) I never tried. It's too uncomfortable, besides it took 3 or 4 tools to reach for the GP herself when she took the smear test. She said there is a bend, a curve in it. Fertile when it's open, high and soft), non-fertile when it's closed, low and hard.

But observing the cervical mucus is much easier. There is a pattern throughout a cycle: it is dry after the period, then gets sticky, creamy, watery and becoming eggwhite like at ovulation, and dries up again afterwards. When ovulation is approaching it increasing in quantity and becoming more clear and stretchy, and it is a good host for sperms. The eggwhite cervical fluid is the fertile one.

The lifespan of the egg after ovulation is just around 12 hours, not much huh! Fertilization must take place within this timeframe. A very short window! But sperm deposited prior to ovulation can survive for 3 to 5 days, hurrah! So baby making intercourse not to be limited to that 12 hour only but upto 5 days ;-)

On cycle day 10 and 11 my cervical mucus was sticky. I looked on the tissue for consistency, it was thread like. We made some Baby Dance (PM-AM-PM) on day 11 and day 12...

Looking at my temperature curve I thought the day 8 or day 10 is too early but the day 12 is sure. The automatically detected ovulation day is on day 19. Well, with the cervix position and texture and the cervical fluid could be more precise, now just looks for the temperature shift, but day 19 is too far I think. In the past months it was on day 14, day 18, day 11, day 13, and now on day 19. There is a long distance between 11 and 19. My period length varied from 25, 25, 25, 27, and 26 only. There is not much of a difference in the length, so it cannot be much difference in my ovulation days from month to month. The length of the follicular phase may vary but the luteal phase length is generally constant from cycle to cycle for the same woman. But clearly day 12 wasn't my ovulation day either as I am not pregnant.

Ovulation Calendar (4) - try No.1

Three months passed, we waited as we planned. It is time for the first attempt. I had an extremely greedy appetite for sex on the 8th, 9th, and 10th days of my cycle. The hormones were working and we did our best ;-)

My past menstrual cycle's Ovulation Calendar is below (the whole cycle (especially the follicular phase) was a hectic one). As you see my computer-calculated-ovulation-day is on the 11th -- on the first day of our BD. And on top of that it was a PM BD (all of them actually). When it shows the ovulation day it is already happened. It shows afterwards, never ahead. According to this, we've missed it.

At the end of my cycle when the temperature drops from 35.5 °C to 35.3 °C, on that morning I know my menses is on it's way. And later that morning, maybe early afternoon it arrives. I usually welcome it but not his time.

Ovulation Calendar (3)

Here is my fertility chart for June. The story behind it is that in the first two weeks of the month we went on holidays. First few days to parents and for the rest of it to France. Paris, to be more precise. During visiting the parents both of us got sick. The weather wasn't summery at all. Or we caught something on the airplane. Either way we cough real bad within 2 or 3 days. Runny nose, constant coughing just two of the highlight. I stopped the charting as I couldn't stick to my usual 06:45. After returning home I started to chart again. Because of the missing data, the dots are linked with a dashed line. With this nice respiratory tract infection we thought it is best to postpone the trying, the BD (Baby Dance) as nothing good will come out of the past two weeks events. Besides it is not even three months sice my miscarriage.

Fertility charting - Ovulation Calendar

I have always been recorded the first day of my period as far as I can remember, from the beginning I think. I noted down the first day and also for how long it lasted (usually for 5 days). My cycle was 26-27 days long. It's a good way to keep an eye on it and easy to know what's happening.

On the tenth day after my miscarriage I started to measure my BBT (Basal Body Temperature) and started to charting it on FertilityFriend to find out my ovulation day. With an 'average' cycle length (28 days) it is on the 14th day, so half way, two weeks before the period (a menstrual cycle may be anywhere from 21 to 35 days). I calculated mine would be on the 12th or on the 13th and I was curious to see it.

So I stared to chart. Every morning, same time (yes, even on weekends too) after waking up but not getting out of the bed. It is best done with a special BBT thermometer, but is was expensive and unavailable so I bought a digital thermometer (it beeps when ready and remembers the measured temperature). The key is same time every morning!


Each cycle has three phases: menses, follicular phase and luteal phase. Menses is the period (the cycle begins on the first day of the period). Follicular phase is the phase before ovulation, when the ovarian follicles are developing. Luteal phase is the phase after ovulation. The length of the follicular phase may vary but the luteal phase length is generally constant from cycle to cycle for the same woman.

In a menstrual cycle several ovarian follicles begin to mature and develop under the influence of pituitary hormones. The growing follicle secretes the hormone estrogen. The surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) triggers the release of the fully developed (matured) egg from its follicle. The egg (ovum) begins to travel towards the uterus in the fallopian tube. This is where fertilization takes place.

The follicle that released the egg (becomes corpus luteum) begins to secrete the heat-inducing hormone, progesterone (only released after ovulation). When you see the BBT raise the ovulation has passed. So charting the BBT alone it only can tell you when you pass ovulation. Temperature rise after ovulation!


Chart Key: On the side is the temperature scale, the top is the date, and the bottom is the cycle day line with the cycle days. Day 1 is (cycle begins) when fresh blood observed (spotting doesn't count). The menses (pink square) can be light (L), medium (M) or heavy (H). A star (*) is for spotting. Blue dots are used when temperature is measured in the set time (mine is 06:45), and circles are in use when there is a large time difference. The vertical red line marks the day of ovulation (detected automatically based on recorded data). The horizontal red line is the coverline (it helps to see the pre- and post-ovulation temperatures).

To observe other fertility signs (estrogen levels are high and ovulation is approaching) such stretchy, egg white' cervical fluid (CF or CM) and a high, soft and open cervix can more correctly pin-point the ovulation. As a beginner in all this I am just measuring my BBT for now.

12 weeks in a nutshell

05 Jan - LMP
17/18 Jan - ovulation (?)
27 Jan - smear test
31 Jan - period due
01 Fed - two positive home pregnancy tests
07 Feb - GP confirmation (EDD: 11.10.2011), Flu Vaccine;
12 Feb - 51.3 kg (no boots, no jacket)
21 Feb - skin start to get loose on both thumbs
23 Feb - appetite loss, queasiness, nausea starts;
07 Mar - GP (loose skin, peeling fingertips on all of them), Emollient cream & wash;
13 Mar - toes start to peel
17 Mar - loose skin on both heels (where they touch the floor);
18 Mar - 1 am fresh blood, 8 am ER scan, empty sac;
21 Mar - EPAU scan, empty sac;
24 Mar - pm brown discharge
25 Mar - from 2 am to 4 am period like cramping
27 Mar - 54.7 kg (but with shoes and jacket on)
25/30 Mar - dark brown discharge (my period would due now for this month);
31 Mar - EPAU second scan, empty sac, anembryonic pregnancy;
01 Apr - waiting to miscarry naturally

Busy little bees

Calculating back my last ovulation: we stopped trying 3 days earlier. November: it was 3 days late when we tried. The sperms can live for 3 days, and in a good condition for up to 5. The egg lives around 12 hours only, so the little fellows must be waiting for her in the fallopian tube where the conception takes place. I must admit I previously thought it happens in the womb.

Making a baby can be tiring. For five days in a row, for 1-3 times a day especially is. My calculated ovulation is well in the middle. Three days before and 3 days after, we couldn't miss it this time. I couldn't feel much down there by the end!

Staying in bed, legs up for half an hour could do the trick. I want a boy for the fist one to be so I avoid dairy (calcium-rich food), I ate lots of bananas and lemon (freshly squeezed, diluted in water) for a week for alkaline conditions. Pregnacare Conception does not contain calcium.

A marathon

Ovulation is a tricky thing. As my period is regular and very predictable I am using the calendar to count it out, but looks like we missed it last month. We tried too late and only once. This month we did not leave to chance, we started early and with repetition ;-)