I love BBT charting!

Two different docs at two different hospitals told me not to temp. They said it was unreliable, and there were more accurate methods, such as OPKs. But, clomid caused my OPKs to be less reliable, and my body symptoms to decrease, so I realized I needed another method to monitor ovulation.

Temping can provide a lot of information about a woman's cycle that OPKs can not. Most importantly, temping confirms that ovulation occurred, while OPKs can not. You can watch for patterns such as biphasic, triphasic, temp dips, see how quickly your temps rise or when they fall, or if they stay high - all these things indicate different information.

Temping is SO easy!! The hardest thing about it, was finding a basal body thermometer! Walmart doesn't carry them, CVS had one for $11, and Walgreens had one for $9 something, so I bought at Walgreens. This is how I do it: At 6AM I take my temp without turning on a light or putting on my glasses. It takes less than a minute and beeps when it's done, my husband never wakes up. Then I either get up and read the thermometer, or go back to sleep until 7AM. Whenever I get up, I use the handy memory feature and record my temp on paper. Then I enter it into Fertility Friend and it creates my chart. And I'm probably a nerd, but I love plugging in my values every day to see how my chart takes shape! It's so rewarding to believe I ovulated and then have my temps confirm it. I had always thought my temps would be very erratic. But, I am pleasantly surprised that it doesn't matter if my cat wakes me up at 4AM, or if I kick the covers off and wake up cold, or wear flannel pj's to bed and wake up hot and sweaty, amazingly enough, my core temp remains consistent regardless of how I feel outwardly. I never had any idea! Now I know. So simple.

Temping this month helped me definitively pinpoint when ovulation actually happened, something I haven't known until now. It confirms that I have been correct with my body symptoms, even the new ones while on clomid. And going just by them, I would have correctly guessed ovulation. I've been thinking the OPK's were turning positive the day I ovulated, but they really do turn positive the day before ovulation. I think I have a beautiful biphasic pattern this month. The most exciting part was when Fertility Friend put my ovulation crosshairs on the chart, it does that after three days of high temps. I'm new to BBT, so take a look at my chart and please share your analysis!

User Manual for my Body

I feel like I have a User Manual for my body, thanks to ttc! I have learned about the monthly cycle, read about hormone's affects upon the body, and studied my body's symptoms. Now I can finally explain the waxing and waning in CM, mild pains in my lower abdomen, acne breakouts, emotionality, and feeling hot or tired at certain times of the month. It all makes sense. I had known it was hormonal, but now I know which hormones and what's happening in my cycle. It is incredible how hormones affect so many aspects of ourselves.

Even women who are not ttc, I think it would be helpful for them to learn about the Fertility Awareness Method just so they can read their body signs and understand themselves better. Plus, they will be 10 steps ahead when/if they decide to ttc. Take it from someone who knows and wishes she knew this stuff earlier. Wouldn't all you ttc'ers agree? I'm convinced, every woman should learn her body and it's cycles, ttc or not.

Mid-cycle update: I got a near positive OPK on Valentine's Day, CD 17, and ovulated the next day. I don't get clear positives anymore since I am on clomid. Started temping this month and it's looking good, more on this later. Just got my CD 21 progesterone results back and the nurse said it is "very high," 43.6!!! Also just found out one of my friends is pregnant with her first, I hope we can be pregnant together!

A Lesson from the Yoga Mat

I wanted to share a valuable lesson I learned in my yoga class. It might seem like an obvious lesson, but sometimes you hear the right thing at the right time, even if you've heard it before, it can take on a new meaning.

A number of months ago, I was at the height of my ttc frenzy, and completely obsessing in the 2WW. I was beginning to get frustrated with not getting pregnant, and still learning how to deal with my monthly disappointments. My yoga class is on Saturdays, and I was expecting either AF or a positive HPT that weekend. My emotions were running high. I was hormonal, either PMSing or pregnant, and why do the symptoms have to be identical to each other? The 2WW was culminating into what would be either the "best news of my life", or "total devastation." I was already anticipating how discouraged and desperate I would feel if I got AF. I was actually telling myself, "you better be pregnant this month!" I was in a funk before class, and my anxiety increased during class as I thought AF was coming, I even went to the restroom to check.

My yoga teacher asked us to imagine a container large enough to hold our perfections and our imperfections. The lesson for that class was that we are perfect just as we are, wherever we were in a pose, it was just where we needed to be. That was when it literally hit me like a ton of bricks: I am perfect just as I am, pregnant or not, everything is exactly as it should be. This immediately released all my worries and stress, and I felt complete peace and acceptance about whatever was going to happen. I experienced a blissful state, which lingered with me the rest of the weekend. I often remind myself of this lesson, particularly when I am in the 2WW, and it helps me tremendously. So, I share this with you in the hopes that it can help you. Namaste.

Reviews of Fertility and Prenatal Yoga DVDs

These are the only two yoga DVD's I've ever seen.


Yoga Practices for Fertility
by Tami Quinn, and Beth Heller, Pulling Down the Moon, 2004 on video, 2005 on DVD case.

Total run-time unknown. Yoga practice is 40 minutes. DVD Menu selections: Introduction, Breathing, Practice, Svasana, Visualizations, Restorative, Training, and Play All. Filmed in the Pulling Down the Moon studio in the city of Chicago. The studio has hardwood floors and brick walls, complete with city views and noises. The production quality is simple. The music is atmospheric instrumental with a beat. Both instructors have been infertility patients and understand how stressful ttc can be. One instructor narrates while the other demonstrates in front of the class. You can tell they have mid-Western accents. There are male and female students in the class, and a few races and body types are represented. You feel like you are actually in a yoga class, and they explain the basics so this would be a good DVD for beginners in yoga. The practice is gentle and relaxing. They do moon salutations. However, once the practice moved to the floor I found it harder to follow her instructions. I really enjoy both the guided visualizations, "Lake of the Mind," and "Chakra Healing." I find all the Menu selections cumbersome, if you select Play All you have to sit through their Introduction and detailed instruction in how to breathe, but if you select Practice, you miss the breathing section. Also, the end of the Practice includes svasana, so the Svasana section seems a little redundant. It is nice that they continue the music and allow you to stay in svasana as long as you like, in both sections. And I haven't been interested in the Restorative section. I don't know that I would buy this DVD again, I might want to try something else.



Prenatal Yoga
by Shiva Rea, Gaiam, 2000

Total run-time 70 minutes. Yoga practice is 50 minutes. DVD Menu selections: Program, and Interview. Filmed in a beautiful studio in California with nature views outside the large windows. The production quality is professional and aesthetically pleasing. Shiva Rea's voice is low and steady, I find it very soothing. The music is a simple piano piece, which I really like. There are three women, in each trimester of pregnancy, demonstrating varying levels of modification for each pose. The practice flows through Seated poses, Standing poses, and Floor poses. It is a gentle and relaxing total body program. She even does some good kegel exercises. At the end she guides you through a relaxation in svasana pose. It flows well because you can stay there as long as you like, the music continues through the credits, and then it flows back into the Menu screen with continued music. I think this is the gold standard for prenatal yoga. I'd highly recommend this DVD for pregnant women, but it can also be used by ttc women if you don't mind her regular references to "your baby." I prefer Shiva's program and her explanations for the poses. She works the pelvic area and gets more circulation there than the fertility DVD does. A friend gave this DVD to me (thanks, Stephanie!), but I would pay full price for it.

The winter of my discontent

This winter I have morphed into an unhappy, ball of stress with a sedentary lifestyle. I have a desk job, and I really don't think I'm getting enough circulation in my body or reproductive area.

I finally admit to myself that my stress level is hindering our ttc efforts.

What a shame because I know so many great ways to relax, and I'm not using them. I take a weekly power yoga class, and enjoy workouts at the gym (when I'm not too tired to go). I have been trained in Transcendental Meditation (TM), plus I know how to do deep breathing, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation... but it's like, how often do I really do these things, you know? So, I have made a commitment to myself to do some form of exercise or relaxation technique daily. I will either work out at the gym, meditate, or do yoga. I just received a DVD I had ordered a few days ago, Yoga Practices for Fertility, by Quinn and Heller, so I can do yoga at home every night if I want to. I'm really excited about it!! I think this will make a big difference in my sense of well-being, and fertility.

Also, we are going on a family ski trip to Colorado in the beginning of March! I've never been to Colorado, and can't wait!! But, I haven't been skiing in about 7 years. I really need to kick my butt into gear and try to get conditioned for the trip.

Now, let's play the "What If I got Pregnant this month" game. I think you all know how this goes. This month I should ovulate sometime around Valentine's Day, isn't that an appropriate holiday to make a baby? Then, if I were to get pregnant, I would find out on the ski trip, or hopefully before we go. My period is due the first or second day of the ski trip, don't you just love how periods like to vacation with you? I've researched skiing while pregnant, and although it's a personal decision based on competency and comfort level, the consensus is: don't do it! It is just too risky, even for good skiers, because there are too many other variables, such as someone else crashing into you. So, here's the kicker: If I got pregnant, I would choose not to ski on the trip. My husband's family knows how much I've been looking forward to going skiing, so we would have to tell them immediately! I would prefer to wait until I'm farther along, but I guess, sometimes you have to tell it early.

Thanks to all my new followers, and thank you for all the great comments! Best wishes and babydust to you all!