what do ovulation pains feel like?
I've been feeling very crampy like going to get AF but there's no sign of her, no spotting or anything. I haven't had AF this month (CD43 now) but I did only come off the pill at christmas (with no intention of ttc just yet, wanted to regulate my body though to start ttc some time in the next year) I did a pg test this morning but got BFN (pretty much as expected) but I am crampy and achey without other PMT symptoms. Erm...also there was clear and stretch CM today so I started thinking maybe the pain is ovulation and not AF at all and that I didn't ovulate in the first month of bc or something.

Any thoughts?

In spite of not TTC this morning's BFN made me really sad and made my DP really sad as well and led to long discussions of marriage and TTC in the next 12-18 months

I know my cycle went doolally after i came off pill. My cycles went form 28 day cycles to 38 day cycles and are still the same now so yeah maybe you are ovulating. My ovulation pains are more like feelings or twinges and i ususally get them low down on my left hand side where as my period pains always feel like a general draggy feleing all over my front, if that makes sense? If you got the egg white mucus too, sounds like youre ovulating to me but everyones different I guess. Try an ovulation kit in the future if you get really stuck at least youll know when you are ovulaitng. It helped me xx
Sorry about your BFN, im in exactly the same boat as you , keep getting bfn's and its really hard to take, I know and the worst thing is you don't realise how much you want it 'til you see the negative result do you??. Good luck, hope your cycle levels out for you xx

Hiya,

I think its difficult to fully answer your question completely and i'll tell you why...

here's the annoying bit to ttc..

Firstly , as you know every body is different so what ov pains feels like to me might feel different to you. Secondly, and here's the reaaaallly annoying bit...our bodies have a tendency to feel very (very!) much the same at times at af coming and pregnancy, trust me , i know, lol!

Having said that, I get sharp cramps every time i ovulate and they last for a minute or so but are really baad, but luckily i dont have bad cramps w/af, hardly any. Also, the cm you described is what i get when i ovulate, strethy and clear...sooo, could be your ovulating!

You and your OH seem really level headed and united in your plans which is so important and i wish you both all the best for the future!

Hope any of this helps..

I get ov pains, they're like a sharp stabbing pain low down on my left side, they don't last that long and are differant from my AF pains, I also get the white cm around the same time as well.

well I know all bodies are different I'm just trying to work out what on earth is going on! it's so long since I was off bcp I can't even remember what anything felt like! Actually I think I hardly knew what ovulation was before then as I'd never even thought about pregnancy other than not wanting it!! I feel twingy, it is different to AF pain and just comes and goes...who knows! I'm sure I'll learn about my body over time, or not and just be confused forever!

Monkeyfeet if you really want to know if you are ovulating, i wuold go get an ov kit from boots or somewhere (tell me to shut up if im telling you info you already know) , you just pee on a stick (the same as a preg test) and itll give you a control line and then if you are oving, another line that will come out as dark as the control one or darker. The week or so before you ov youll still get two lines its just the ones will graudally get darker towards you ovulating. It might put your mind at rest?? I have to admit, i came off the pill orginally just to get my cycle back to normal but then we deicded to start trying and wish id known then how long it can take to get preg. im 8 months later and still trying, mainly cos my cycle was sooo messed up plus didnt understand my new cycle and so didint even know when or if i was ovulating. It might help you to to start using a kit now if youre thinking of trying at some point in the near future anyways, is all im saying. You might not wanna go down that road and just do it au natural, so please dont think im being pushy im just suggesting as you sound as confused and frustrated as i have been xxxx

Hi MonkeyFeet. I've been off the pill for a few months now, and i've been getting the same feelings as you! Period hasn't come at all this month (last one was early January) i've has twinges and cramps (no AF kind) on my left side of my womb area this aswell this week. I'm testing on Monday, but i really think it's just the pill messing me about. I'm trying not to get too excited, but i know its really hard. TTC is a waiting game hun, and right now i personally wouldn't get to excited, as it's probably just your body re-adjusting. Good luck xx

Bah maybe i'm back-to-front, my OV pains are usually on my right hand side lol.
They are really sharp sudden twinges but don't last long luckily.
The pill might have messed with your system and you could only just be OV'ing now. Sound's like you are with clear stretchy cm. It sometimes take a while to get the pill out of your system, get bd'ing hun while you have the stretchy cm xx

i really feel for you both, i came off the pill in Sept 07 after being on it 11 years, for the first 4 cycles i was between 24-26 days then they have been 30/31 days for the last two. I've just started to ovulate i think but its not very clear even with charting. Got a cbfm now to try definately pinpoint. Good luck xx