You girlies should know me by now- i love a good discussion! This week i am wondering whether i should start charting or not?
So far (TTC for 8 months btw) i haven't been doing any OPKs or temps or anything, we have simply been around the time when i think i am OV-ing. I get OV pains, so i can sort of tell when its time to get down to it, and we try and BD every day in that week, so that we don't miss that egg!
Anyway, i am starting to think maybe i should get a CBFM or similar and start charting? I can't decide though!!!! To be honest, i have never been sure what the point is? Surely all it does is be a little more specific about when i actually Ov? Is it going to actually increase my chances of getting pg?! I'm not so sure... What do you think? Does it help you and if so how?!
Thankyou xx

Hi coffee - I guess that charting just allows you to be more sure of when you are OVing and so make sure you BD at the right time. But I've decided not to chart properly (sometimes use OPKs) because I know what I'm like and I will get mega obsessive and worried about it and it would stress me out. And I think that a lot of the time we don't get pregnant because we're worried and stressing out. So, we're just trying to BD every other day as then you should be covered whenever you OV. Apparently BDing every day means sperm quality is poorer so my GP told me just to do it every other day.

Not sure if that helps you or not. I really think that trying to be relaxed about it (as impossible as that is!), eating a healthy diet, doing moderate excercise and trying to relax and destress are the best things you can do to increase your chances.

I have the same dilemna. This is our 12th month of TTC! I actually got the book out by Toni Weschler - Taking charge of your fertility, looking into it it seem quite overwhelming. I'm not able to remember to do OPKs, I wonder how on earth would I discipline myself doing the chart! I may give it a go. What this book has put in my head is short luteal phase, because I had 2 very early m/c, I might try it just to see whether this is ok on my side. But I know, that I will find it too much hussle. I'll see how I'll do. Also for the pregnancy achievers, she's stressing throughout the book, that watching the cervical fluid is much more important.

Hello Coffee!!

im due AF according to my ticker in 7 days, i dont feel PG - and im sure AF is gonna get me as per usual... SO i have just bought my very first Basal Body Thermometer!!! im gonna start charting my next cycle for the first time (next cycle will be our 10th month TTC)

Good question!

I wasn't going to do the whole charting thing b/c I always get OV pains too. But last time around, I got them early and then two days later I got them briefly again and actually ended up missing my window by a day. Since I've read that OV pains aren't a great predictor (they can come early, on OV day or after OV) I decided to start charting to increase our odds. I'm getting my first basal thermometer today too!

I chart but it does make you a bit obsessive!

hey

I'm thinking of charting to so that i can pin point ovulation....where did you buy your thermometer from? xx

Yes, please. I'd like to ask the same. I went to Boots and Superdrug tody on the way to work and all they do is digital thermometer in Celsia, apparently it is not as sensitive as farenheit and all the chart I keep finding are in farenheit too.

I've been charting for the last month but just OPK and CBFM results and CM. I can't be bothered getting up at the same time every morning to do the temperature thing, I like my lie ins at the weekend too much!

I've found it useful as I really didn't have an idea of what my cycle was doing until I started charting. I don't look at it obsessively though, just plug in the information each day. My chart doesn't really indicate what I don't know without it, but it just records it somewhere as a reference.

Thanks for all the replies.
I think i might get obsessive about it! That's my biggest worry. That said, not a day goes by i don't think about TTC so i guess it can't get too much worse??!!!
I think the only reason i would think about charting is to check i am definitely ovulating. Can i just pee on a few sticks around my Ov time and it will tell me, or do i need one of these fancy things i keep seeing in Boots that seem reaaaallllyyy shockingly expensive to me???!! I wonder how much money companies like CB make from us girlies being addicted to POAS??!!!