Ovulation and Such
So, it's pretty official: I did not ovulate last month.
I started my period last week. I counted backwards 14 days, and I definitely peed on an ovulation test strip that day (and it wasn't the day I was in the forest in 30-degree weather).
I also had very little discharge last month. Some months, I do get the stretchy, egg-white discharge that Taking Charge of Your Fertility describes. So perhaps I ovulate in some months but not others.
I should stop self-diagnosing. The last time I came up with my own diagnosis I thought I had a tumor in my stomach. I even went to the doctor for it. I sat on the table for a full five minutes describing my symptoms and answering his questions. When he finally came over to feel the tumor, he asked, "Are you sure this is what you're talking about?" I confirmed that he was, in fact, pressing in the exact spot. He said, "Well, this is just your rib."
As far as the anovulatory cycles go, I'm surprisingly not stressed out about it. Maybe it's because I think my issues are connected to stress, and I am taking serious steps to reduce my stress levels. Maybe it's because I'm already expecting conception to be a journey, and I'm okay with the fact that we are likely to face obstacles.
Regardless, I am going to the doctor tomorrow for my annual pap smear. I will explain my issues to her and hopefully get some tests done.
Wish me luck!
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A blog you may like: http://greenfertility.blogspot.com/
You may have ovulated just not on the day that you expected. I'm glad to hear you are going to tell your doctor about it.
They can do a day 21 blood test to see if you have o'ed. It will show a spike in your progesterone level. Anything over 10 is good and shows you o'ed. Anything below and they will probably put you on clomid to trigger it.
The opk strips are not always the most helpful. They can miss your hcg surge if the spike is less than 24 hours (totally possible) or your pee could be too diluted to have enough in it for the strip to show. And, you can have the hormone surge and still not ovulate because the surge just shows your body is TRYING to ovulate. Also, ovulation could have occurred anytime, not just 14 days before your period (I o'd about 12 days before my last period, based on CM and temps). My reading suggests that seeing a temp shift (if you get one, which not everyone does) is the most reliable self-diagnosis of having o'd or not because it is caused by the progesterone spike that happens after the egg releases. Anyway, good luck with your doc!
first of all: love the Taking Charge of Your Fertility Book.
secondly: are you an acupuncture fan? i'm a bit long-in-the-tooth, so i did acupuncture for fertility & regulating my cycle for a year before we started trying. now, i can't compare since i didn't try without acupuncture, but i *swear* the acupuncture helped. we got preggers on second try. i think the acupuncture also helped to keep my stress levels, low, which is key! i went weekly (it was covered by my insurance), but there's also schools that you can go to for a sliding scale...
lastly: good luck! it's quite a journey. relax, enjoy, and remember everything happens for a reason...
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