Fit for Future Families - February 2011

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  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Sorry for the long post, but I figured I might as well get caught up now before I get stuck back into work.

    First off - there is a recipe on this board for a natural Nutella. I've heard it's great and if you only make a little bit......there's only a little bit to eat, I'm sure it's better for you than the storebought stuff (although there isn't a whole lot of chemicals in that jar). I am so making grilled peanut butter and nutella sandwiches sometime this week!!!!! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    Abeare, I love the new profile pic. Yeah, I always take the highest which is ridiculous because so does DH so we're covered for 160% of all transactions that we would normally have had to pay for - except for fertility stuff. That's why it's always such a shock to know what things actually cost...LOL I work for a large company as a business analyst. The project that I'm currently working on has millions of rows of really basic data, but we're having trouble matching them to our records so I have to go through the discrepancies and correct them so they match....I've been staring at spreadsheets all week. I'm about 20% of the way there. Hoping that this weekend I can really get to about 50% so that I can get the business users to validate that much. My project is set to go live at the end of March so it all needs to be done by the end of the week. If I hold it up, there is such large visibility to the project (it's global and affects approximately 50,000 people) that uh....that won't be nice :) It's easy work, just time consuming.

    Kcurtis, in past attempts to get fit and lose weight, I always end up being sore sore sore the next day (I go way to far) and so sore is not a good connotation for me. This time, I have enjoyed the sore after doing a good workout, but the sore from being sick was like a pressure headache in the various parts of my body.....so not like I'd done something right...it was weird. Have you had any further success with the testing?

    Kah, OMG. My heart is breaking for you :( I know what you're going through and it breaks over and over. I have 2 feline furbabies and 2 canine furbabies and I panic anytime I think anything is wrong with them, which thankfully it hasn't been. There are definite parallels between struggles with your pet health and struggles with people health and your DH was a smart man to draw them. The only thing you can know is that she had the attention of a very loving kitty family.

    Kt4au, Sounds like leaving your job was a good decision.I love the hope you have with the start of a new cycle :) It's such a rush to think things might be working out after all :) I hope they are for you!!!

    Erica - totally agree - there is always so much going on in these boards that it's tough to just jump back in :) I too have been curled under a blanket all week (partly because I was sick, partly because I could because I had an excuse)....LOL

    Alisa - 10lbs in weeks is totally realistic, and now you have that fun gym to go to and everything! I just realized I don't have a next "special event" although I guess it would be Easter when I see the family again next :) I think you'll find it easier next time you're actually trying in a cycle to recognize what all the signs mean when you've been doing it a few months...good plan to use this time wisely to figure it out. And I agree with Abeare, just have it checked by a doctor to make sure there is going to be no further issues :)

    Heather - wow, you really do have it down pat with the plan....I'm basically going to cut and paste that for my doctor....LOL How are you finding the acupuncture to help? I've read great things about it something like it increases your chances by 20% of conception especially when you have assistance. I need to find someone reputable around here.

    StrangeFamily - I have been reviewing my cycles since I started charting them again and I have a 12 day cycle followed by a 60 day one (that I have to jump start with provera) I hadn't realized how regular the short and then the long was - with of course the exception of this cycle. It should be a short, but I'm on CD27 today. I too have PCOS so I wonder how normal this really is??? The weight loss really will help!

    To all those ladies who had a BFN or AF show up, I'm truly sorry :( It will happen....if nothing, BFNs and AF teach us patience (Although I'm so full of patience right now that it's showing on the scale....LOL)

    DH is working this weekend so I'm home alone. I need to get some of my work done and then tidy the house some.....or I could sit here and play some games....LOL Feeling better although I sound horrible right now - I sound sicker than I did when I was actually sick. I'm just doing everythign I can to keep this out of my lungs (knock on wood). I haven't done terribly well with my eating this week, but I think the 1400 cals/day is definitely helping (HMKan, hows it working for you?).

    I thought I would ask a group question: Do you have any special plans for telling your family and friends about your impending BFP? When do you think is a good time to do it?

    A friend of mine wrote this as her status on FB this week.....I'm so glad I read it twice because I would have written something very inappropriate if I hadn't...LOL It got me thinking though....I couldn't post anything like that - too many people would be too happy and then disappointed....

    Pam is EXPECTING!!! I know, I know, its crazy isn't it? I can't believe it myself! I was not going to put it on here because its obvious - but wanted to make it official...I mean who would have guessed!! Yup its official... We are expecting snow tonight and again tomorrow!!!
  • kah78
    kah78 Posts: 391 Member
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    Hey Pam--I saw that on FB too--only they had substituted "snow" with "Steelers superbowl ring." Hahaha...
  • heathercrist1
    heathercrist1 Posts: 810 Member
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    Ashley I like your new picture as well! :) Always fun to have a good idea of how the women look that you are spilling all these personal details to daily!

    Kah I'm so sorry about Merlin. At least you found out what was wrong and are now able to take each day as it comes completely appreciating each day with her. If only we could truly live like that with all the people in our lives as well. When my father died when I was 15 I vowed to never take anyone I care about for granted and always tell people how you feel. I think I do a good job at my efforts most days and have tried to carry that to my canine furrbaby 1 1/2 y/o German Shepherd Ellie Mae. Her and I are pretty in sync and I try to never take a single day for granted. Our beloved pets are unfortunately only in our lives for a short amount of time (compared to a human of course). Glad she is doing okay right now though. So I'm on day 3 of taking the Clomid and so far so good. Maybe just a little light headed at moments and motivation is at a 5 when it would normally be at a 7 or 8. But besides that I think I'm just going to stay busy busy this month and pray that this is THE month!

    nkster I LOVE Tracy Anderson Method. I've been doing it for several years off and on. I am by nature a muscular/athletic body and I'd rather be more long and lean like a dancer body. With her method she helps you achieve a more long/lean look as opposed to the muscly look I'm so prone to with normal workouts. She has a dance cardio component to her method but I get bored so I take cardio kickbox and alternate spinning (which is a no no on her method but I love it), treadmill, and elliptical for cardio. I strictly stick to her toning though. My arms have never looked better. Now if I could just get my butt/thighs/hips to cooperate and get with the program that would be great! :)

    Pam sorry you still aren't 100%! I had seen a homemade recipe for nutella and I stayed away. Something about nutella and regular peanut butter I can't have in my house! I could literally eat an entire tub of either. I have no willpower when it comes to that. So I know myself enough to know that organic natural peanut butter can be eaten in small quantities (like it should be). But anything other than organic natural and it doesn't stand a chance in this house! lol! What can I say, at least I know my flaws and know that if I can't control it, it doesn't come into my house! Sounds like you have some craziness going on with work. That could make anyone stress and hold onto weight or be more hungry. I'd recommend planning out your meals and making sure you always have a healthy snack at hand for those long hours at the desk (apple/cheese, almonds, pear/greek yogurt). I have been going to the same chiropractor for a couple years and she does the acupuncture. She does both the needle and the electroacupuncture (which both have been proven to have the same results). I did the acupuncture with the clomid and metformin and preseed when I conceived in Sept so I'm hoping it works its magic again. I have read studies that it does increase your chance of pregnancy when doing IUI or IVF. So it definitely couldn't hurt!

    For your group question...I learned the hard way and my husband and I have talked about how/when we will tell people when it happens again (we told EVERYONE immediately and it was the hardest thing ever to do to tell them after the miscarriage that I lost the baby)....so we are choosing to wait until at least 10-12 weeks to tell family/close friends (besides 2 of my very closest friends that follow my cycles like it is their own and you ladies of course!). We will then tell my family and then his family and then after 12 wks we will announce it to friends/acquaintances.

    AFM I had a pretty decent workout this morning. Not as motivated as I usually am but doesn't surprise me since motivation is the first thing Clomid zaps for me. I'm gonna stay strong though and get through the slump when it starts to happen. A sweaty Heather is a happy Heather! lol! And it will keep me busy this month. After this round we will do another round of Clomid in May when DH comes back if it doesn't work this month of course, but after that we are all out of options. It is kind of daunting. Our insurance doesn't pay for ANY infertility treatments so we will have to sit down and reorganize our thoughts on this whole situation...kinda scary. My parents are coming over tonight to eat dinner and drink some wine. I'm definitely going to partake in the wine drinking! :) Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend.
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Kah - I almost said, Congratulations. The kids must be thrilled to have a new addition soon.....LOL it still would have made sense, but would have been weird......LMAO

    Heather - I'm the same way about keeping stuff int he house. I used to be really really good about it, but with lack of motivation, the junk snuck back in. I agree on the organic though....use it as much as I can. What a great place to start. I'll call my chiropractor on Monday and see if there is any one he recommends (I don't think or his RMTs do acupuncture). I know what you mean about reorganizing the thoughts....this last year has been one of intense reflection. Especially after someone at work (a close friend) said "What if the IVF doesn't work? When do you say, enough already. We weren't meant to have kids". I was really taken aback actually, not because he said that, but because I'd never really thought about it. He and his wife are now talking about kids, but both would be fine if they didn't have any. I came home and asked DH about it and he had the same reaction as me.....what???? That's just not a reality (at least we're on the same page). I think we're going to try 3 rounds of IVF (or IUI) if we have to and then regroup ourselves, but that's a long ways a way.

    As for my question (that I never answered). I would probably keep it quiet with the exception of a few people (one person for each of us to go crazy with and not have to put all that stress on one another). Family would be told at ~10weeks and everyone else would be told at 13 weeks. That is...unless we start the treatments. So many people know when the appointments are that I won't be able to hold it off telling them until those dates......LOL
  • kah78
    kah78 Posts: 391 Member
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    When we had our first, we didn't tell our parents until we were about 7 weeks along. Then it was just them until we got through the first trimester. I'm always a play it safe sort, and my brother's sister had to do the whole thing of telling everyone after she miscarried. My parents had wondered....apparently when I get pregnant, my mental "filter" doesn't work as well, and so some comments I made about something just made my parents wonder. Haha. If I have another one, I'll have to be extra careful with what I say. Although, Clomid seems to do it to me too, so I'm just needing to watch what I say in general. :-)

    I don't know if it is the Clomid or what, but I wanted to eat EVERYTHING today. I have 33 calories left for the day. I'm hoping I can make due....but I just want to inhale everything I see. We ate dinner at 4:45 because I was just so hungry....
  • heathercrist1
    heathercrist1 Posts: 810 Member
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    I don't know if it is the Clomid or what, but I wanted to eat EVERYTHING today. I have 33 calories left for the day. I'm hoping I can make due....but I just want to inhale everything I see. We ate dinner at 4:45 because I was just so hungry....

    It is totally the Clomid! Yesterday I was so hungry all day long and today isn't looking much better. It only gets worse throughout the month.
  • kah78
    kah78 Posts: 391 Member
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    I don't know if it is the Clomid or what, but I wanted to eat EVERYTHING today. I have 33 calories left for the day. I'm hoping I can make due....but I just want to inhale everything I see. We ate dinner at 4:45 because I was just so hungry....

    It is totally the Clomid! Yesterday I was so hungry all day long and today isn't looking much better. It only gets worse throughout the month.

    Okay---well at least I know I'm not just imagining it. BTW-I did manage to not eat the last 33 calories...I brushed my teeth after dinner and then watched Bones on Netflix last night till bedtime to stay out of the kitchen. Small victory!
  • heathercrist1
    heathercrist1 Posts: 810 Member
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    Great job kah! My family came over and I had logged all of the food I "intended" to eat....didn't know my mother was going to bring a cake made with raspberry wine with a raspberry wine glaze with pecan pieces...can we say DELICIOUS?! I couldn't stop shoving it into my mouth! I'm gonna blame it on the Clomid (that's my story and I'm sticking to it! lol!). Oh well, today is a new day. So far so good.

    Well we had our very first argument/discussion regarding ttc since this whole ordeal started 3 years ago. We have come down to taking a few more rounds of Clomid and then we are out of on our own options (before having some serious medical interventions). So I wanted to talk about what the next plan of attack will be....he immediately went right to the financial aspect of doing IVF. We are just a normal middle class family, but the concept of spending $10,000 PER IVF cycle without a guarantee is quite daunting and I totally understand that, I just didn't want to hear how money could possibly be the final factor standing in the way of such a natural thing of having a baby. It makes me mad that our insurance doesn't pay for ANYTHING regarding infertility and all of the insurances offered to us through my husbands work didn't either. The last appt with the specialist he said we were no longer infertile because I had conceived, but now it is just a matter of 'making it stick'. Well where does that leave us?! What are our options?! All of these things are making my head swim with emotions and 'what if's'. I'm normally a pretty level headed person who doesn't stress about things that haven't even happened yet, maybe it is the Clomid, maybe it is the impending lack of options...I don't know. All I do know is the emotions filling my head all I wanna do is eat....there is that emotional eater monster I so despise.

    Thanks for letting me vent....
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Yah Kah - Heather, I would have totally caved too!

    I know the thought of IVF is daunting, but it doesn't go from Clomid to IVF - there are lots of in betweens. What does the doctor recommend for helping it stick? I know they had some suggestions last time, but maybe there are some stronger interventions they can do in that regard?
  • nkster781
    nkster781 Posts: 235 Member
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    Heather: Good for you for talking about something so difficult with the hubby. It can be really hard to talk about these things. It can be really emotional. I think it's hard because we hold a lot of these feelings inside and when we finally open up about them, the hubbies don't always say the right things. Give him some time and hopefully he will come around. Hopefully it will just stick this time and you won't even have to worry about it. But I do think talking through all options is important. It's good to know what page you each are on. Even if it's not the same page it's really important to just keep communicating. I feel for you and really feel things will work out for you. Keep up the positive attitude. I send you buckets of baby dust:flowerforyou:
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    2011 SW: 241.8

    Week 1: 237.9lbs (-3.9 lbs)
    Week 2: 235.5lbs (-2.4lbs)
    Week 3: 238.9lbs (+3.5lbs)
    Week 4: 236.2lbs (-2.7lbs)
    Week 5: 238.1lbs (+1.9lbs)
    Week 6: 235.2lbs (-2.9lbs)

    Yup the trend continues - up one week, down more than 2 the next.....ARGGGGGGGG Next week will be DOWN, not up!
  • kah78
    kah78 Posts: 391 Member
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    Hey Heather--more than just our cycles seem to be corresponding. We have had the exact same discussions..well, except that we already have one kid, so it's not quite the same, I guess. It's SO hard. My hubs and I originally decided that we would try Clomid, but that we weren't going to go to a specialist...we just don't feel like we can afford to do it. And I just hate typing that, because there is that little part in my brain that says "How can you make a decision like that based just on the monetary amount." and then the other side of my brain says "Hey, let's be realistic here...you can't support a family on dreams."
    One of the hardest things for me right now is the insurance thing. We have nothing covered too--it's like it adds insult to injury. Especially when you know people who have "good insurance" that does cover it. ARGHHHH!!!

    But, it's a new cycle, and we aren't to the point where this hasn't worked yet, so I'm trying to stay positive. The Clomid is making me so hungry...so I have stocked the fridge with veggies and good snacks so that if I have to eat, I can make better choices, because the willpower is just not there right now. I just have to hope that I don't have any crisis that sends me straight to the nutella. :-) My husband actually asked me if I was going to start going "crazy" since they upped my Clomid. I told him that yes, I probably would get crazier...but not until next week, if it goes anything like last month. He was glad for the warning. Heh heh...

    Congrats to those of you who lost weight! Great job--especially with the SuperBowl last night! I've held steady from last week-no gain, no loss, but right now I'm calling it a win.
  • abeare
    abeare Posts: 510 Member
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    Heather – I really hope you get to give your husband the best b-day present ever. My fingers are crossed for you!
    I’m glad to hear the Clomid hasn’t taken all your motivation, unfortunately the winter has for me. I see your week’s workout schedule and am tired and sore for you! I’m envious, I wish I had the energy for that, but I’ll get there one day. Keep up the good work, you’re definitely keeping your body in the best shape it can be for TTC.

    Kah – I’m sorry to hear Merlin, at least she’s out of the dark for now, hope all goes well with her new diet & that it helps with the IBD.
    WTG on not caving into the munchies!

    Nkster – Sorry to hear that your pet is having health problems too, I hope Lucy gets better!

    Pam – I feel your pain about work, it sounds like we’re doing similar work right now. I work in the financial industry and am not only gearing up for our busiest time of year (tax season) but we’re changing platforms too and so I’m having to pull reports to find discrepancies and exceptions on our current system to try to fix them before we merge over (in April). I hope you had a productive rest of your week, and that everyone working on it didn’t loose steam. I find that to be the biggest delay with data entry style tasks.
    I’m hoping my insurance will cover the sono I’m calling today to see. Next renewal will be very different though, I want to be sure I can have private rooms covered and all for when I finally do get a BFP.
    Hope you feel better soon, sinus colds are the worst when you’re trying to loose weight.

    Pam’s question: I have no idea how we’ll tell family and close friends. I do know DH will be so exited the moment we get a BFP that I won’t be able to hold him off from telling at least close family right away. I too have a close friend that follows my cycle as closely as her own that I couldn’t get away with not telling her right away (she calls me the day AF is expected to see if she didn’t show).

    About the “what will we do if this doesn’t work” talk, DH and I have disagreed on this many times. Never a full out argument, but I think that’s because we’re not there yet. If in a year we’re still TTC and the only options are IVF or IUI, it would absolutely come down to cost for me, but DH would be willing to put us into major debt for this. I really hope it doesn’t come down to it, and if it did I may feel differently in a year, but for now it’s an avoided topic because there are no answers.

    AFM: This was actually a good weight loss week! I lost 2.4 lbs, which is the most I’ve ever lost in a week! So thanks to Pam and Heather for renewing my interest in low GI foods, its my second week of being mindful of what the GI content of my carbs are and it seems to be working. I had a pretty busy weekend yet managed to stay food conscious and it paid off! Now if I can continue the trend I’ll be really happy!
    On the TTC front, I have my sono appointment tomorrow so we’ll see what the doctor has to say. Finally I’ll get to have the results of the blood tests I took on Jan 14th!

    Ashley,
  • heathercrist1
    heathercrist1 Posts: 810 Member
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    Thank you ladies for your kind words. At least it is nice to know we aren't the only couple in the world seriously discussing the "value" of a baby....

    Ashley that is pretty exciting news! Losing a great number of weight AND getting to do a sono tomorrow! Keep us updated on the info you find out at your appt. It really does amaze me how we live in a world where "low fat, high carb" diets are pushed down our throats as the end all be all to superior nutrition when the reality of it is that MOST people do very well on a low GI diet. Go figure...money rules the world and the agriculture business is no different. Have any of you watched Food Inc? It is a pretty eye opening documentary about our food and the business behind it.

    kah again it is good to know I'm not alone in this world of hormonal Clomid bliss and all the "what if" talk with lousy insurance... Not that I would wish this on anyone, but sometimes it is nice to know you aren't the only one struggling with these issues. My husband has already been forewarned about the "crazy"...he even mentioned as well that he expects for me to be crazy this month. So nice to hear from your closest ally in the world huh?! lol.

    Pam congrats on the loss! You are doing great! As for options the doc had ran a myriad of tests and they all came back just fine. I don't have clotting disorders, I don't have anything wrong with my thyroid, I don't have inflammation....etc. etc.... So besides what I'm doing there really isn't an alternative. I read some statistics that state that women with PCOS under the age of 35 have a 20% of conceiving with Clomid/Metformin then a 40% with IUI/clomid and a 60% with IVF. So basically my options are spelled out right there. But seems the problem isn't conceiving so much as making it stick. So...those options are still a mystery to me.

    nkster I truly agree. It is so important to keep the lines of communication open even if you aren't agreeing on everything talked about. We strive to do this daily in our marriage so we aren't going to stop now just because the road gets rocky.

    I failed miserably last night at eating good...blah. Today is a new day and it is a new week. I'm going to stay super busy as to not have a temptation of unhealthy eating! Also, the hot flashes in the middle of the night are getting a little old! lol! Kicking off blankets and then freezing cold a minute later is not my idea of a good nights sleep! Well I'm off to workout. Hope you ladies have a wonderful Monday! :)
  • epa422
    epa422 Posts: 1,009
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    Heather, a friend on my BBC board is taking antibiotics after multiple miscarriages. Her doctor thinks she may have issues with mycoplasma. "This bacteria is present in the vagina of many women, and passed back and forth from man to woman. It is possible for this bacteria to travel through the cervix into the uterus, on it's own, or with the help of sperm, where it can be detrimental to fertilization/conception, implantation, and successful pregnancy." She will be taking antibiotics at the first of every month for several months after her BFP. It's cheaper to just take the antibiotics than get tested for it, but it might be something to ask your doctor about.

    We decided long ago that IVF is just too expensive with too low a return rate to pursue it. We might do IUI, but that's probably as much as we're willing to follow-through on regarding fertility treatment.

    As for telling family, we won't until after the first sonogram. I've had a million different ideas for telling them, but I imagine it will end up just being a phone call at this point.

    Congrats to those who lost. Hang in there for those who gained! Just keep on keeping on.
  • kcurtis05
    kcurtis05 Posts: 530 Member
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    I've been a little MIA lately.... Sorry can't catch up on everyone individually. Congrats to the losers and keep working hard gainers (including me)

    I am up 2.8 lbs this week!!! I know I fell off but didn't expect that much! Ugh! Just confirms my feelings lately. :frown: I just want to go back to bed! 4.6 lbs up from 2.5 weeks ago with the weird spotting... I really hate Mother Nature, my body, and life right now. Sorry for the pity party...:cry: I'll get over it...it's just that this is the biggest gain I have seen in my journey and I really need to get control again! I met my goal of 139 and now I am back up to 145.6.... :noway:

    As for the group question....I really haven't thought about it too much. My hubs and I really aren't that good at keeping secrets. So I have a feeling that we will tell everyone right away. Also, my mom has the biggest mouth EVER, so I know that if we tell her everyone will know very quickly.
  • Better_Balance_2011
    Better_Balance_2011 Posts: 3,711 Member
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    Hey everyone. I have a question about ovulation predictors. This is my second month using them. Last month my LH surged on CD18 of a 27 day cycle. Today is CD21 and still nothing. Shouldn't I get a positive test every month? My cycle seems to have pretty much sorted itself out after being on BCP for 15 years so I expected regular outcomes. Any ideas? Thanks ladies.
  • epa422
    epa422 Posts: 1,009
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    Hey everyone. I have a question about ovulation predictors. This is my second month using them. Last month my LH surged on CD18 of a 27 day cycle. Today is CD21 and still nothing. Shouldn't I get a positive test every month? My cycle seems to have pretty much sorted itself out after being on BCP for 15 years so I expected regular outcomes. Any ideas? Thanks ladies.

    How many times a day are you testing? If you're only testing once, you could have missed your surge. Or, you might O later this month than you did last month. CD 18 on a 27 day cycle is really late with a really short luteal phase. You might want to keep track of that and let your doctor know if it remains like that. Less than 10 days is a defect and could keep implantation from happening.
  • HMKan
    HMKan Posts: 472 Member
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    This brings up an interesting question for me too. I went off BCP in December. How long does it take for my body to sort itself out with ovulation? I was on BCP for about 13 years. Just started my cycle yesterday. I have no idea where to begin trying to find out if things will work pregnancy-wise or not. I feel sort of lost.
  • epa422
    epa422 Posts: 1,009
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    This brings up an interesting question for me too. I went off BCP in December. How long does it take for my body to sort itself out with ovulation? I was on BCP for about 13 years. Just started my cycle yesterday. I have no idea where to begin trying to find out if things will work pregnancy-wise or not. I feel sort of lost.

    It's really different for everyone. I regulated right away after 12 years on BCP, but some people just don't. You could start temping in order to see when you're ovulating, but it will only tell you after the fact and it often takes a few months to see a real pattern. If you do want to temp, I highly recommend www.fertilityfriend.com. Actually, even if you just want to track how long your cycles are, it's a great website with a lot of helpful information.

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