All aboard the SMEP train!

[jumpingo]

Hello all! I'm wondering if you SMEP ladies can help me come up with an adjusted SMEP for my irregular, long cycles. September was a little screwy because I had an HSG on CD16 and I've been spotting ever since which makes neither of us want to BD. Luckily, I haven't had a positive OPK yet either! Today is CD 20 for me. I normally O anywhere between CD 17 and CD 25 and it can be really easily pushed back. I'm quite sure it will be closer to CD25 this month!

Anyways, what do you all think I should adjust my SMEP to? I'm thinking of starting OPKs on Day 15 normally. Does that make sense?

Thanks for any help and I hope this train is full of BFPs by the end of this cycle!

i don't know anything about the effects of HSG... but if if you're spotting, i would say try to get in there mostly just because if you O between 17 and 25 and you are 20 right now, i'd hate to see you miss your chance! sounds silly, but i've totally put a towel under me during not so opportune BDing times when my husband was too frisky to care are you using OPKs to help figure out? temping? keep us posted! (and i added you to the list for september, let me know of you don't want to be on it)

 

[mangoberry]

Hello all! I'm wondering if you SMEP ladies can help me come up with an adjusted SMEP for my irregular, long cycles. September was a little screwy because I had an HSG on CD16 and I've been spotting ever since which makes neither of us want to BD. Luckily, I haven't had a positive OPK yet either! Today is CD 20 for me. I normally O anywhere between CD 17 and CD 25 and it can be really easily pushed back. I'm quite sure it will be closer to CD25 this month!

Anyways, what do you all think I should adjust my SMEP to? I'm thinking of starting OPKs on Day 15 normally. Does that make sense?

Thanks for any help and I hope this train is full of BFPs by the end of this cycle!

I would suggest the same, would hate to see that you miss your chance - and you are mid-way there so would not hurt. Regarding OPK's I decided to start them the day right after my AF stopped with cheapies and once I started seeing some dark lines used clearblue digital(this is the first month me doing this, otherwise I end up using only cheapies), though its always a doubt whether it is positive or not. Welcome aboard the train!

 

[Loo89]

Jumpingo, I totally understand what you mean about your sisters-in-law. I have two brothers, and was delighted when they both got gfs, as I always wanted sisters, but they are very close to each other and I just end up ignored usually. Same as before!

Also, just a little update - I am keeping my eye on this thread, but will be SMEP in my next cycle, and missing this one.
Hoping to see a whole bunch of bfps starting in a couple of weeks!

 

[jumpingo]

Jumpingo, I totally understand what you mean about your sisters-in-law. I have two brothers, and was delighted when they both got gfs, as I always wanted sisters, but they are very close to each other and I just end up ignored usually. Same as before!

YES. EXACTLY.

Also, just a little update - I am keeping my eye on this thread, but will be SMEP in my next cycle, and missing this one.
Hoping to see a whole bunch of bfps starting in a couple of weeks!

i hope so too!

i am pretty convinced that i'm 1DPO today. i went into FF and tried ALL all the detection settings to see what it was gonna do with my chart. for some settings, i entered some "hypothetical" data for tomorrow and the next day to see, and the Advanced setting will give me cross hairs on CD13 with 2 more temps that are higher than today's. if i switch to OPK/Monitor, it's obviously giving me crosshairs the day after my first positive OPK, so either way i'm thinking yesterday was O day. my husband got lucky because he is totally exhausted after a long couple days at work and he claims there was a lot of "performance anxiety" in the last couple days

i'm also eating pineapple core this cycle because i've read some girls on here swear it works. so made a nice pineapple, banana and apple juice smoothie


how's everyone else going? updates?

 

[mangoberry]

i am pretty convinced that i'm 1DPO today. i went into FF and tried ALL all the detection settings to see what it was gonna do with my chart. for some settings, i entered some "hypothetical" data for tomorrow and the next day to see, and the Advanced setting will give me cross hairs on CD13 with 2 more temps that are higher than today's. if i switch to OPK/Monitor, it's obviously giving me crosshairs the day after my first positive OPK, so either way i'm thinking yesterday was O day. my husband got lucky because he is totally exhausted after a long couple days at work and he claims there was a lot of "performance anxiety" in the last couple days

i'm also eating pineapple core this cycle because i've read some girls on here swear it works. so made a nice pineapple, banana and apple juice smoothie


how's everyone else going? updates?

Jumpingo! you have done a thorough research on Fertility Friend. I also tried what you did - i.e. give hypothetical data and saw that my temp if it rises tomorrow and day after then I get crosshairs on CD12, though I don't get dash'd crosshair but a straight line cross hair and I don't know whether that means different than straight line cross hair. I am going to make myself pineapple smoothie right now! My temp has not gone high till today though so waiting to see what happens tomorrow.

 

[mangoberry]

Jumpingo, I totally understand what you mean about your sisters-in-law. I have two brothers, and was delighted when they both got gfs, as I always wanted sisters, but they are very close to each other and I just end up ignored usually. Same as before!

Also, just a little update - I am keeping my eye on this thread, but will be SMEP in my next cycle, and missing this one.
Hoping to see a whole bunch of bfps starting in a couple of weeks!

I hope so too Loo89

 

[jumpingo]

Jumpingo! you have done a thorough research on Fertility Friend. I also tried what you did - i.e. give hypothetical data and saw that my temp if it rises tomorrow and day after then I get crosshairs on CD12, though I don't get dash'd crosshair but a straight line cross hair and I don't know whether that means different than straight line cross hair. I am going to make myself pineapple smoothie right now!

haha, yeah, i'm obviously in need of a *real* hobby at this point.

the solid line cross hairs are when FF is pretty confident in its assessment, and all the signs point to O without much guesswork. the dotted lines are when your fertility signs are not all lined up (OPKs not matching with temp rise or CM not in line with OPKs, etc), so FF is not quite sure, but making its best guess based on the data.

so, straight ones are, i guess, a little "better" but cross hairs are cross hairs! what DPO are you then?

bring on the pineapple party!

 

[mangoberry]

Jumpingo! you have done a thorough research on Fertility Friend. I also tried what you did - i.e. give hypothetical data and saw that my temp if it rises tomorrow and day after then I get crosshairs on CD12, though I don't get dash'd crosshair but a straight line cross hair and I don't know whether that means different than straight line cross hair. I am going to make myself pineapple smoothie right now!

haha, yeah, i'm obviously in need of a *real* hobby at this point.

the solid line cross hairs are when FF is pretty confident in its assessment, and all the signs point to O without much guesswork. the dotted lines are when your fertility signs are not all lined up (OPKs not matching with temp rise or CM not in line with OPKs, etc), so FF is not quite sure, but making its best guess based on the data.

so, straight ones are, i guess, a little "better" but cross hairs are cross hairs! what DPO are you then?

bring on the pineapple party!

Thanks for the info regarding crosshairs Jumpingo! I am new to FF and not done much research there, but I feel like I was a fool not using that till now and using Ovuview. If I put in guesstimate then I should be in 2DPO on Sept 17th(today) i.e. if my temp go up tomorrow morning, otherwise I don't know what is wrong with my temping this month.

 

[jumpingo]

Thanks for the info regarding crosshairs Jumpingo! I am new to FF and not done much research there, but I feel like I was a fool not using that till now and using Ovuview. If I put in guesstimate then I should be in 2DPO on Sept 17th(today) i.e. if my temp go up tomorrow morning, otherwise I don't know what is wrong with my temping this month.

if you haven't gotten the email "course" that FF does, you should. lots of interesting information about charting and fertility friend in general. i think there are youtube videos, if you would rather watch than read? not sure though.

i wish i had started temping and charting MONTHS before i knew we would want to start trying. i feel like i wasted the first couple months just trying to figure out what was normal for me so we could time things better. but, hindsight *is* 20/20 right?

my temp went down this morning, so am just confused by my chart. just have to wait and get more temps recorded to know anything. but now realizing that i probably need to get my husband for one or two more nights tonight and tomorrow, just in case i'm Oing later than what the OPKs are predicting

 

[mangoberry]

if you haven't gotten the email "course" that FF does, you should. lots of interesting information about charting and fertility friend in general. i think there are youtube videos, if you would rather watch than read? not sure though.

i wish i had started temping and charting MONTHS before i knew we would want to start trying. i feel like i wasted the first couple months just trying to figure out what was normal for me so we could time things better. but, hindsight *is* 20/20 right?

my temp went down this morning, so am just confused by my chart. just have to wait and get more temps recorded to know anything. but now realizing that i probably need to get my husband for one or two more nights tonight and tomorrow, just in case i'm Oing later than what the OPKs are predicting

Thanks! I will get the course and go through it

Yes, that's right hindsight is always 20/20 - though in my case I would say I was lazy before we started trying, I did get one of the books for these kind of things, but used to find it so boring to read. I believed that why would I need all these so foolish of me to think so!

Hope your temp goes up soon, and that's funny the way you said it - I need to get my husband for a day or two!
I don't know whats going to happen for me tomorrow, will see.

 

[librarianlady]

well...!!

i am an OPK newbie, so i could be wrong,
but i'm pretty sure this is a positive...??

my husband better come home ready!

Looks positive to me!!


Had a pretty dark line today on my opk, but not quite a positive IMO. I think I will be ovulating over the weekend.

Has any one noticed that their CM gets really thick before it "thins out" to the egg white consistency? I just noticed today how thick and WHITE it was today, and in combination with the opk test i feel like I'm just starting to figure out my body's ovulation cycle! I'm looking forward to a baby dance filled weekend

This is our cycle ladies!!!!

 

[jumpingo]

Has any one noticed that their CM gets really thick before it "thins out" to the egg white consistency? I just noticed today how thick and WHITE it was today, and in combination with the opk test i feel like I'm just starting to figure out my body's ovulation cycle! I'm looking forward to a baby dance filled weekend

This is our cycle ladies!!!!

i don't actually have a lot of CM to compare, or i'm not paying enough attention to it but glad to hear you are starting to figure things out!!

i am feeling the complete opposite today. my chart is confusing me. FF thinks i ovulated, i got a positive OPK, my temps don't really seem to show it but FF is giving me crosshairs in OPK/Monitor mode AND in Advanced mode, so i'm not really sure i can argue? but my temps just seem so low compared to last month's post-O temps.

sorry, am having a huge ef you TTC kind of day.

here's my chart, if anyone has guesses? either disagreeing with FF and giving me a better O day, or agreeing with FF, i am totally confused so would take either of those at this point.

(row 5 is sleep deprived, so you can see why all the circles. i think i only took 1 or 2 temps more than 30 minutes early or later than my usual time.)

 

[Loo89]

Sorry Jumpingo, I am so rubbish with charts. Hopefully someone will know though.

 

[mangoberry]

Jumpingo - I never used to use FF before till this last month, so cannot help much with it

 

[jumpingo]

think it sorted itself out, but it means that our timing goes from "High" to "Good" which is only really frustrating because i tried to turn my husband down on 11, but he didn't care. i knew it was too early and then by 14 he needed a break. ugh.


10, 11, 12, 13, __ with O on CD13 is high
12, 13, __, __, 16 with O on CD15 is good

i know there's still a chance, but then i started eating pineapple core on CD14 because i first got crosshairs then, but then i got an actual temp rise on CD15, so do those 2 days of pineapple kill all the sperm that were in there waiting??!
i told him that if we don't get pregnant this month, i WILL turn him down if it's too early and that it's not personal, but he'll get worn out too fast, and the same thing will happen. i feel like i was *just* figuring stuff out and then starting OPKs added another level of "stuff" to figure out and.... i'm just so frustrated.

anyway, 2DPO now. could be 4DPO, but i was reading about people who don't get temp spikes until a couple days later and lots of people said to assume it's the later O date, to avoid testing too early and getting false negatives.

some people said that you since you can usually expect to ovulate 12-36 hours after a positive OPK, hormone levels maybe didn't rise fast enough to show a temp rise until a day later, etc etc. and that there's no way to know EXACTLY when you ovulate, but that a temp rise indicates that it DID happen. judging from my chart, O could be anywhere between the early morning of CD13 or 14 (positive on 12 and 13) and the evening of CD15 (temp went up on CD16)

why can't it be easier...

 

[MrsG09]

Hey ladies! I haven't been on in awhile and thought it was about time I check in!

Jumpingo, sorry that you're feeling discouraged. I, too, wish it was all easier. You still have a fighting chance! Hope the TWW goes by at a reasonable rate of speed!

AFM, I'm still waiting to O, CD10 currently. Should happen mid to end of week this coming week. Started doing OPKs today, negative as I figured.

 

[MrsG09]

Any thoughts on my OPK for today, ladies? I'm torn on whether to consider it + or not. I did also follow up with a FR ovulation test (just dipped in cup), that clearly showed neg so I'm thinking that's the case. Just thought I'd get opinion on this one, since it seems to me the lines look equal but they also both seem fairly faint. Finding it odd.

 

[jumpingo]

looks positive to me!! get goin' girl!!

 

[mangoberry]

Any thoughts on my OPK for today, ladies? I'm torn on whether to consider it + or not. I did also follow up with a FR ovulation test (just dipped in cup), that clearly showed neg so I'm thinking that's the case. Just thought I'd get opinion on this one, since it seems to me the lines look equal but they also both seem fairly faint. Finding it odd.

Looks positive to me too! time for some

 

[winnipegk]

Hi All! Sorry if it's rude to just jump in on your thread here, but I have a question. I am CD1 today and would like to try SMEP this cycle...but I have NEVER had a positive OPK over months of testing in the past.

What do you do in that case when you're SMEPing?