Fit For Future Families 2

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  • kiffypooh
    kiffypooh Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I weighed in on Friday, but wanted to regroup myself on my goals since it's Monday and I overate WAY too much this last weekend.

    Starbucks only on Friday and a day I have to leave before anyone else is up in the house

    Walk the neighborhood (2WW so slow down the workouts) every day (I did walk to my mom's last night)

    In general get back to the frame of mind to just be healthy (even if it's going over the cals a little bit) and try to reconnect with what got me started on here, being healthy and a good example for my daughter.

    I hope everyone has a great day!
  • epa422
    epa422 Posts: 1,009
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    Yeah, I'll probably test this afternoon, though maybe I just have a short surge. The OPK is all new to me. Though I've heard the issue with first morning testing which is why I was testing in the afternoon previously. Thanks!
  • abeare
    abeare Posts: 510 Member
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    OPK = Ovulation Predictor Kit. They are sticks that can test the LH levels in your urine. LH is the hormone that tells your body to release an egg. So you get an LH surge 12-48 hours before you actually ovulate and a positive OPK as a result.

    Thanks for the clarification! Which one is more reliable the basal thermometer or the OPK? Or are you supposed to use them together for more accurate of a timeline?
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Temping and OPK both have their issues with things if you are not 100% healthy.

    OPK will give you an idea of ovulation before it happens - but you need to have a certain level of hormones before it works properly, so if you don't ovulate at those levels or miss the time when the levels are acceptable, you'll get negatives.

    Temping tells you when you ovulate, but only after it's already happened. I'm personally a temp-er, only because you can also tell when your AF is going to visit. You also learn much more about your cycle.

    If you get really into it, CM (cervical mucus) is the best indicator but a lot of people find it too intense to go that far to predict. I found it most accurate, especially with PCOS. Temping wasn't always accurate (environment plays a factor there too I found, time, etc.) and OPK would never work for me since ovulation is a hit or miss monthly. Temping also requires a minimum 3month baseline, whereas OPK can be used on the first cycle but can get expensive.

    My opinion, do everything you can to get to where you want to go - all hands on deck so to speak. If you use more than one method, you're more likely to identify the ovulation time period (and added benefit, plan around AF).
  • paldal
    paldal Posts: 154
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    OMG! So, much talk over the weekend. I'm actually worried about going off BCP now, if I'm going to so aware of my body soon after. I guess some of it is in the head too though, when you want something so bad, everything seems like a sign....just like seeing all those preggo people on the streets now-a-days. I swear every family has at least one person pregnant in this city.

    With all the pee-talk...I take a iron-free multivit, and my first pee after I take the pill is green, but it goes back to normal after. So, maybe it's just different with different pills?

    abeare - good luck with your temping...

    kiffypoo and ericaroo - good luck with your OPKs. Keep us posted!
  • kcurtis05
    kcurtis05 Posts: 530 Member
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    Wow, it's getting hard to catch up on everything that is going on.. LOL

    Thanks for all the "O talk". Being that I haven't Oed in prolly 4 years, it's nice to learn the ins and outs from those that have. And yes, I'm still waiting...:grumble: Anyone know what I can do to naturally boost my system, or at least help it along? Hopefully by January it will be time to TTC.
    Great job to those who lost this week! Keep up the good work! :flowerforyou:
    And for those who have seemed to not make the right choices (like me) lets get back to it together! This weekend was terrible! I over ate horrible foods! I'm sure the pound I lost this week will find it's way back. Thank goodness I had time to go grocery shopping yesterday! Now I can get back on track. The rental house is still not done, so I am going to try my best to not stop at fast food for dinner after working on it.

    LW 147.8
    CW 146.8 (this is my first time ever loosing a whole pound in one week!)
    MG 145 (YAY Getting close!)

    I have completely forgotten about my goals! So here we go again!
    ~ At least 8 glasses of water (this is hard for me, I can go all day without drinking any!)
    ~ 20 push-ups every morning
    ~ 100 crunches every morning
    ~ Eat out only once this week!
  • epa422
    epa422 Posts: 1,009
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    Thanks for the clarification! Which one is more reliable the basal thermometer or the OPK? Or are you supposed to use them together for more accurate of a timeline?

    I've been temping for 7 cycles or so and, for me, it has been pretty accurate and easy to tell when I'm going to ovulate based on previous cycles. But I have a very regular cycle. After 7 cycles of temping and no BFP, I decided to throw in OPKs to make sure that I was actually getting accurate temp results. We have had issues with timing everything just right because my O day ranges from CD 13-17, so sometimes we lose steam before it happens. It was nice this cycle to know that we're actually going to have the timing down. Of course, if my period shows in two weeks, I'll probably be even more depressed than usual.
    Thanks for all the "O talk". Being that I haven't Oed in prolly 4 years, its nice to learn the ins and outs from those that have. And yes, I'm still waiting...grumble Anyone know what I can do to naturally boost my system, or atleast help it along? Hopefully by January it will be time to TTC.

    I've heard soy isoflavones can act as a natural estrogen supplement. Also, maybe try fertility yoga. This site has a few videos:
    http://www.conceiveonline.com/fertility-videos/fertility-yoga/
  • AlisaToth
    AlisaToth Posts: 415 Member
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    Morning Ladies!

    Hope everyone had a great weekend! I tried to keep up with everyone this weekend (while hubster watched football...) and looks like people are O'ing all over the place! :-) I like to see that and hope the best for everyone! Enjoy the BDing!

    It was so nice to get to spend some time with my family. It's nice having my husband back. It's amazing how quickly we get back into a routine together when he's home. Although Saturday afternoon i was informed that i am NOT allowed to mess around with my B.C ever again...I had a bit of an emotional breakdown that was CLEARLY hormonal and completely out of the blue...I promptly informed my husband (even though he already knew....) that this was the last month i would be ON B.C anyway so it didn't matter. We were able to kinda sit down and really talk about it, he expressed some concerns about how his big fear is that i will get preggo really quickly and he'll miss the birth, I told him we would do what we needed to make sure that we didn't get pregnant until we were ready. I told him we would go out and buy the "his and her pleasure" condoms to make sure that even though we have to use them we would make it fun! I hope this eases his mind. I don't want him to not be on board with everything but he also doesn't understand that going off birthcontrol does not mean that i'm going to get preggo right away and that my body needs time to adjust to not having help regulating AF and I need to O on my own for a month or two so we know when to try to get pregnant. * sigh * Men... :-)
  • sasmll6577
    sasmll6577 Posts: 37
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    Hi Ladies, I'm new to this post, but so glad I found it! Here's a little about me (or a lot) :)

    My name is Sara, I'm 30 years old and have a 7 month old daughter named Madison. I want to start trying again, but want to lose about 20 lbs first and I've had no success over the last few months. Hubby and I started TTC in April of 2008. We conceived our first baby in June of '08, but had an ectopic pregnancy and lost that baby almost as quickly as I found out I was pregnant. I had to wait 3 months before TTC again. In September of "08 we started TTC again and I got pregnant in December, found out at my 11 week appt. that our baby had no heartbeat. It was a little girl and I had to have a D&C on Feb. 27th. We started trying again almost right away and I got pregnant in May and had my daughter Feb. 13th.

    I did everything, used OPKs, temped, charted, checked cervix, you name it so hopefully I can help a lot of you ladies while I bide my time trying to lose this weight and TTC again.
  • ivygirl11
    ivygirl11 Posts: 59 Member
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    I weighed in today and i am at 195.6 So i have totally come up since what i lost when i first joined this site. Kind of sad, but oh well today is a new day.

    I have a dr appt on Weds (day 28) to get a new RX for clomid. That is if i am not pregnant!!!

    Good luck to you ladies that i O'ing. I know what your doing right now :)
  • abeare
    abeare Posts: 510 Member
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    Temping and OPK both have their issues with things if you are not 100% healthy.

    OPK will give you an idea of ovulation before it happens - but you need to have a certain level of hormones before it works properly, so if you don't ovulate at those levels or miss the time when the levels are acceptable, you'll get negatives.

    Temping tells you when you ovulate, but only after it's already happened. I'm personally a temp-er, only because you can also tell when your AF is going to visit. You also learn much more about your cycle.

    If you get really into it, CM (cervical mucus) is the best indicator but a lot of people find it too intense to go that far to predict. I found it most accurate, especially with PCOS. Temping wasn't always accurate (environment plays a factor there too I found, time, etc.) and OPK would never work for me since ovulation is a hit or miss monthly. Temping also requires a minimum 3month baseline, whereas OPK can be used on the first cycle but can get expensive.

    My opinion, do everything you can to get to where you want to go - all hands on deck so to speak. If you use more than one method, you're more likely to identify the ovulation time period (and added benefit, plan around AF).

    Have I mentioned lately that everyone here is awesome!
    Thanks again for the info, I’ll try temping for a while seeing how my cycle has been at 32-33days for the past 8-9 months now.
  • JennyBoBenny
    JennyBoBenny Posts: 274
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    Temp doesn't go up until after ovulation. Expect the peak of temping to be tomorrow. As for the OPKs, I think they are designed to show when best to time things to conceive. Theoretically, you want to actually baby dance before ovulation so everything is at the right place at the right time. It's riskier to wait until after O'ing although still possible to conceive.

    Right, I've read that ovulation can happen anytime between 12 and 48 hours after a +OPK, so I wasn't fully expecting a temp shift this morning as I got a - yesterday morning and + at 7 pm. I figure I'll get my temp shift tomorrow. However, I was expecting to keep seeing a +OPK because it said your surge can last until you actually O. So that confused and concerns me.


    I'm on another TTC site and from what I get from the women there the morning OPK isn't very accurate. I know the Clearblue tests say you can do it, but I've heard it's not a good idea. Maybe you want to try to test again tonight. Otherwise, I would assume you are Oing 48 hours from last night. I don't temp, so I'm not really sure.

    I'm on Fertility Friend and I read in the VIP boards about OPKs and how they work. Apparantly it can vary woman to woman. Sometimes you may get a +OPK for a few days and sometimes just on one. It definitely tells you when your hormones are surging and O will be on its way (whether that's the next day or two days from now, you won't really know until your temp rise happens and by then it may be too late!). Basically, I think the idea is to go to town with the BDing on the day you get a + and continue after that until you know you've O'd by a temp rise.... or if you're not temping, you can just guess I suppose!:laugh:

    I'm a temp-er & monitor my CM, and I'm getting to know my body quite well because of it. I may incorporate OPKs when the time comes, but I find I can tell from my CM and my low temps that I will O sometime in the days of 14-18 (been day 18 both months so far). I've also felt a slight cramp on day 17 both months since charting, so I'm guessing that's ovulation cramping... or gas. :laugh:
  • epa422
    epa422 Posts: 1,009
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    I think I just talk to too many women with PCOS who get a +OPK and don't O. I won't worry about it unless my temps don't go up by Wednesday. We started BDing last night since we missed our EOD on Saturday. It's still better than we usually do when I O on CD 15 or 17.
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    For those looking for something to help get them kick started, I've heard really great things about Vitex blends. I think GNC US has them for men & women. They are specifically designed to have hormonal results. PCOS'ers seem to love em. My only issue is that GNC CA does not carry them. When I approached the salesman, he offered one for men to help his "vitality". LOL that's not our issue. It's having the hormones to do the things we want to. Vitex is a natural herb - from the chasteberry tree.

    With my sister finishing her Masters at Niagara University, I have asked her to pick it up. But she doesn't want to bring drugs back across the border. We might have to just suck it up and go down for a weekend shopping trip - maybe for Christmas shopping.
  • kcurtis05
    kcurtis05 Posts: 530 Member
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    For those looking for something to help get them kick started, I've heard really great things about Vitex blends. I think GNC US has them for men & women. They are specifically designed to have hormonal results. PCOS'ers seem to love em. My only issue is that GNC CA does not carry them. When I approached the salesman, he offered one for men to help his "vitality". LOL that's not our issue. It's having the hormones to do the things we want to. Vitex is a natural herb - from the chasteberry tree.

    With my sister finishing her Masters at Niagara University, I have asked her to pick it up. But she doesn't want to bring drugs back across the border. We might have to just suck it up and go down for a weekend shopping trip - maybe for Christmas shopping.

    THANKS! :happy:
    So I have looked into this a little more....and WOW! Everything that I have found is positive! It sounds like a little miracle pill! I will have to look into it further if I have no luck by Jan. I would like to let my body work on it's own for a bit.
  • ivygirl11
    ivygirl11 Posts: 59 Member
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    I took vitex and bled for 2 weeks straight. I have never done that before... it was awful. They taste SO nasty, and you should have seen the look on my Gen Dr's face when i told him that i took vitex. he usually is one for trying more natural practices but he didnt want me to mess around with this...
  • JennyBoBenny
    JennyBoBenny Posts: 274
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    Vitex is a natural herb - from the chasteberry tree.

    Chaste-berry? :laugh: How ironic!:bigsmile:
  • kt4au
    kt4au Posts: 64 Member
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    Okay, so I tested today and it was a negative. I should have just waited another day and could have saved a test because AF showed up about 30 mins later. Oh well, we will see what this month brings. I left a message with the doctor today to see what the next step is because I already did 6 cycles of Clomid. DH is always trying to look on the bright side of things. Today he said, "that's okay, we can try harder this month, if you know what I mean." He cracks me up sometimes. Good luck to everyone this month!
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    I took vitex and bled for 2 weeks straight. I have never done that before... it was awful. They taste SO nasty, and you should have seen the look on my Gen Dr's face when i told him that i took vitex. he usually is one for trying more natural practices but he didnt want me to mess around with this...

    Strange. My doc is usually against natural therapies but found Vitex to be fine. You're also the first negative I've heard...good to know
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Okay, so I tested today and it was a negative. I should have just waited another day and could have saved a test because AF showed up about 30 mins later. Oh well, we will see what this month brings. I left a message with the doctor today to see what the next step is because I already did 6 cycles of Clomid. DH is always trying to look on the bright side of things. Today he said, "that's okay, we can try harder this month, if you know what I mean." He cracks me up sometimes. Good luck to everyone this month!

    That happens to me EVERY time. Seriously - in 9 years, I've probably bought 100 individual sticks. Every time I test, within 24 hours, AF shows. My husband's joke is we should go straight for blood tests - either natural or lab. LOL

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