Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Caron Gremont: Obesity's Officially a Disease, So How Come My Child…
Karri-Leigh P. Mastrangelo: Am I Going to Hell For My Position on…
My Vicious Cycle
Filed under: Medical Conditions
Today I'm feeling more positive and less apprehensive about my ability to have a baby. Maybe it's because I have a new game plan, for both "Baby Quest 2006" as I'm now calling it and the 2006 NYC Marathon. I'm the kind of person who operates best with a checklist and a deadline. I love training for races because there is a set list of activities that leads to desired results. All you have to do is follow the directions.
With the baby thing, it's a little more complicated. My main gripe right now is figuring out when the heck I am ovulating. And don't give me that bizwaz about ovulating on day 14 of my 28 day cycle. Finding a woman in the world with a regular, "like clockwork" 28-day cycle is about as easy as finding Carmen Sandiego. Me, I'm back and forth each month. Some months it's 28 days and then some months it's 32 days long, with a 30-day cycle thrown in every once in a while just to get my hopes up and then cruelly dash them to the floor. This is why I fondly refer to my cycle as The Vicious Cycle.
I also keep reading different information about exactly when I am ovulating, regardless of the length of my cycle. I've read that I should count 14 days starting with the first day of my period and also that I could backwards from the day of my proposed next period. The latter option of course doesn't work for me because I have basically no clue when it's going to hit me, up until about an hour or so before it happens. Also, there seems to be some dispute about the number of days to use if one is not a 28-dayer. I've read to use 16 days for a 30-dayer and 18 days for a 32-dayer. I've created an excel spreadsheet to document and predict everything and the only conclusion I've come up with is that I still don't like math.
Believe me, I've done my homework on this one--I know how to look for many of the tell-tale signs of ovulation. I keep a vigilant watch over my boobs in case they start hurting, monitor my grouchiness, check my underwear constantly and take part in a slew of other activities designed to help me figure out what the heck is going on inside me but I just can' seem to detect it (if, in fact, I am ovulating at all).
Of course, I've also read differing reports on what such signs mean. I could The only thing I haven't tried without the help of a monitor is the old sticky fingers egg-white test, which frankly grosses me out. I know I'm 31 and should be adult enough to do it, but I just can't seem to muster up the courage to do the deed. For those of you who don't know what this is, apparently you're supposed to be able to tell when you're ovulating or about to ovulate or some such thing by sticking your fingers there to see if what gets stuck to your fingers is sticky and has the consistency of an egg white.
So right now I'm sticking with math. I fully realize that plan may not work out and in the end I'll have to do the sticky fingers test anyway. Ultimately, if that's what it takes for me to have a child then I guess a few minutes of queasiness is worth it. Besides, if I can't handle something as minor as that then I certainly won't be prepared for all the gross (yet adorable) things babies do, right?
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- D. hickman v. intel, microsoft et.al federal district court dc (bill gates deposition part 1 you tube?) are you a owner of a company?
- LAW SCHOOL OR COPYCAT would'nt it be a difficult profession ( lawyer)if anyone could use your court case defense as plaintiff or defendant
- Does Liz Carmouche got a plump coochie?
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Basics of Baby Sleep Training
In this video, baby sleep expert Suzy Giordano (aka the “Babycoach”) guides you in training your baby to eat every 3-4 hours during the day, sleep 12 hours at night and sleep 3 hours during the day. This video is designed for first time parents or parents who wish to take a different path with their next children.
-
New Campaign Looks To Curb Baby Suffocation Deaths
L.A. County officials unveiled the first-ever Safe Sleep for Baby campaign on Wednesday aimed at reducing the number of infant suffocation deaths.
Every five days a baby suffocates while sleeping in L.A. County, according to health officials.
In fact, from 2008 to 2011, more babies died from suffocation due to unsafe sleep than all other types of accidental deaths combined.
-
Newborn Baby Feeding Schedule
Newborns sleep many hours during the day, maybe between 13 and 17 hours. There are two schools of thought here. One is putting babies on a feeding schedule, and the other is what we call 'demand feeding', which simply means that when the baby starts to fuss or cry a little bit one of the best ways to calm the baby down is through feeding.
-
How to Put Your Baby to Sleep
Lots of sleep is incredibly important to a baby's cognitive and physical development. In fact, it's when they do most of their growing. Join an experienced mom as she shares the four steps of a healthy bedtime routine, as well as the importance of distinguishing between night and day, creating a nap schedule, investing in a baby monitor, and having a high quality diaper.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
7-06-2006 @ 11:16AM
Rachel Mosteller said...What worked for me was taking my basal body temp every morning. It takes all the guesswork out.
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 1:51PM
Catherine said...Get yourself a basal thermometer and use OPKs (ovulation predition sticks - $18.99 for 50 at http://saveontests.com/ ) and let FertilityFriend.com (free online charting) chart your cycles. No more math!
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 1:56PM
Keri said...Or have sex every day for at least 30 days. ;)
Have you seen a fertility specialist yet? They could help you with ovulation issues.
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 2:14PM
Meg said...I tried everything the others mentioned, but the thing that actually worked for me was the mini-ovulation microscope - it accurately identified my fertile time the first month I used it, and we're now pregnant. A weird fact: your saliva dries in a fern-like pattern when you are fertile. Who knew? There are a few out there, but I used the Maybe Mom version. You can get it at drugstore.com.
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 2:24PM
Sadie said...Get yourself a copy of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". Seriously.
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 2:28PM
Chris said...Nobobdy else has mentioned this so I am going to throw it out there:
It might be harder to get pregnant if you are strenuousely working out for the marathon. Aerobic exercise like that (hard training, not just running a mile or two a day) can throw off your cycle.
Maybe talk to your doc about that as well.
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 2:46PM
Tara said...Sadie mention TCOYF. Great book! Even if you're not ttc. Although it sounds like you have most of that info already. BBT charts are a great indicator of when you ovulated (if you ovulated). Most insuarance companies define infertility as ttc for 12 months or more. You've exceeded that mark. I would suggest a consult with a reproductive endocrinologist. I can't stand it when people say "relax, it will happen". Ugh! *eyes roll* Good luck in your journey. It's going to be an interesting six months in whatever you decide. Marathon or ttc, or both!
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 2:48PM
erin said...Yes, absolutely get yourself a copy of 'Taking Charge of Your Fertility,' and a basal body thermometer. Charting can be really helpful in understanding what's going on with your body. A friend an I agree that every girl should read this book in junior high. Why didn't I know this information sooner?!
Ultimately for us, things were still confusing enough that we shelled out the money for the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor. It was expensive, but unambiguous.
I don't know why we had trouble getting and staying pregnant. It was most likely stress-related. After three months of using the monitor we succeeded and are due next week. Obviously your mileage may vary.
Good luck!
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 3:23PM
ann adams said...I was going to state the obvious but Ken beat me to it.
Seriously though, good luck.
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 3:31PM
Amie said...Another thing you could try if you decide to go the sticky fingers route is natural family planning. You take a series of classes with an instructor and learn how to determine your fertility. My instructor came to my home for my classes and is still available to help me interpret my charts and fertile days. The fee for the class included the book _The Art of Natural Family Planning_ plus the thermometer and some other materials.
This course is religion-based (Catholic) but I'm not Catholic or even religious and I was fine with it. You can find an instructor here:
http://www.ccli.org/
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 3:39PM
Leslie said...After trying for 12+ months and using the ovulation sticks we ended up in the Dr's office. We were told that as long as we were having sex at least 3 times a week (it didn't matter what week) we would get pregnant.
A blood sample was taken to even see if I was ovulating, sure enough I had ovulated. The next step was a sperm count for my husband and an HSG for me. That is a test to see if my tubes are blocked. It took a few minutes for the contrast to enter my left tube and none entered my right tube. That meant that my tubes were blocked. The nurse that was helping with the procedure let me know that most of the time this test clears up the problem.
Sure enough the next week we got pregnant!
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 3:40PM
bluepaintred said...i am one of those "like clockwork" people. infact my kids are born onteh 23rd 27th and 29th . very close together!
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 4:09PM
Meena said...I wasn't a 28-dayer either! I highly recommend checking your temp with a basal body thermometer. That's what I used before both of my pregnancies. It was the only way I could figure out that magical time of the month. "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" is a good resource to figure out what the temp means. And there is plenty of software on the web to use to "chart" your temp. Best wishes to you.
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 5:07PM
Pamela said...Definitely read Taking Charge of Your Fertility. There's also an accompanying software (available at Ovusoft.com I think) that I found really helpful when trying to conceive. Combines taking basal body temps with the "sticky fingers" route.
Reply
7-06-2006 @ 7:19PM
ann adams said...Sorry #3, that was KERI, not KEN. It's very fine print.
Reply
7-07-2006 @ 10:05AM
lim said...I also love TCOYF and charting your temps. It really helped me understand things. I thought I had a normal cycle b/c I was "regular" but I actually ovulate late in my cycle and had a short luteal phase. I charted online for free (think the site was fertilityfriend or something like that).
Reply