Announcements, Baby Showers, and the 2WW

So lately I find myself getting phone calls, text messages, or announcements on facebook from someone telling me they are expecting. I am certainly excited for their new journey to parenthood but I find that I can't muster up any truly excited congratulatory voice in which to respond. It is quite frustrating when there is something you want so badly but have no control over and everyone else around you seems to be achieving just that.

I'm feeling annoyed at my body. I don't understand what is going on, what is preventing me from getting pregnant, and how to fix it. I plan on seeing my OB soon because I have a past history of cysts... who knows what role that might be playing in this unsolvable equation. I have been working really hard to stay positive and maintain hope. Some days it is just really hard.

There are a few baby showers coming up and I don't want to go them. Period. Of course, I feel terrible because I feel selfish and I want to celebrate with the mom-to-be, but there is no way I can sit there and feel joyous about the numerous cute outfits or bibs for a baby that takes the same amount to cook as it is taking us to try to get pregnant. Would I be a horrible person if I don't go? I would plan to give a gift regardless.

Here is a blurry picture of my current chart. I am only 6dpo. Fingers are crossed. Toes are crossed. Eyes are crossed and so are my butt-cheeks.... if that is possible. :-)

Merry Christmas, Love AF

Well, it wasn't quite Christmas.. she waited till the 26th to ruin my holiday. I know I've reached the point where I haven't much hope, but she still ruins my day.

You see up until CD 27 I had this beautiful chart:

Perfect in every way.. clear ovulation, beautiful rise, "dip" that everyone on my message boards was SURE was an implantation dip... then she struck. My one consolation: I switched from B^ to a B-complex for my luteal phase defect and it seemed to work half decent. I didn't have days of spotting before AF showed.

And the witch didn't show alone.. she brought a whole family of migraines with her who plague me daily so far this cycle... since I didn't want HER I surly don't want her stowaways. CD4 and I'm sick of it.

I'm going back to soy isoflavones this month. I do ovulate but I would like some stronger, larger follies in the event that one is caught.

Cycle #16 TTC#3... here we go again.

~dreamersaur

There's a New 'Saur Up in Here!

Hello! I am Laughosaur, a new 'Saur, and I couldn't be more excited to have a place to share my journey through TTC. I am honest and open and don't mind sharing anything and everything, hopefully you're ok with that!

My husband and I have been married for 2 years. We live in a house with a cat and a dog that drive each other crazy, which seems natural to me. What I find unnatural is when cats and dogs like each other and cuddle. However, it is really cute and I would love to see our pets do that.

Anyway, we have been TTC since May for our first baby. We have lots of friends that have babies and toddlers or are pregnant. We used to enjoy being the only ones without kids but now it is getting old. Of course, it seems like everyone I know or see is pregnant. Isn't that the way!?

I would I could tell you that I wasn't naive when I thought getting pregnant would be easy. I had it all planned out in my mind. We'd get pregnant with in a month or so and we'd be celebrating the Holiday Season with me having a baby belly and enjoying all that comes with that. By spring we'd have a bundle of joy and life would be grand.

As many of you know, that hardly ever happens. Unfortunately, it wasn't until we find ourselves 8 months into it that I am realizing that there are in fact people I know that have not gotten pregnant the first or second month of trying. It is wonderful to know that there are other couples going through the same thing you are. Of course you wouldn't wish the stress and frustration of this magical time on anyone, but it is a relief to know you aren't the only one. It took this long to find out that I know people in real life going through many months of trying because people don't talk about it. Not at first. It takes a few times of you bringing it up and talking about yourself before they get comfortable and share with you their journey. I wish people were more open about it because it might give many people some relief because here I was thinking that it would be super fast for us based on the fact that "everyone" I knew had experiences like that. However, I realize how private an experience this is, so I can respect that.

So, what have we been doing throughout this process?

I've read Taking Charge of Your Fertility and pretty much know the text like the back of my hand.

I have been charting my basal body temp since last October.

*images from google.com

Not my chart, though I wish it were because that would be a good thing!

We have used Pre-Seed a few times.

We also started using OPKs this past cycle.

I look forward to sharing more with you all! Feel free to ask any questions about whatever you want because like I mentioned above, I am open and don't mind sharing!

40 kazillion sperm can't get me pregnant

So we did this 30 in 30 challenge (being intimate 30x in 30days) and got more than 1/2 in BEFORE O.

I got my OPKs in 3 days before my spike, got pretty lines, and I ovulated beautifully, right on time.

Perfect charting spike said I O'd and my temp stayed up...

4 days ago I started spotting. On/Off. Test. On/Off. Test.

Today at about 1 am I started AF in full.

I guess 40 kazillion sperm can't get me pregnant...

So, Mr. Dreamersaur wants to order Zumba for me since I'm loving it from the infomercials. I love to dance, so it's right up my alley. If I can't get pregnant I'll just get skinny! Still TTC for sure... just focusing on me for a change.

Sometimes my post-o temp spike leaves me wondering...

Hmmm.. is that 3/10ths spike gonna stay up?
Nope, went down 1/10th today.
Ooo.. it went back up!
Oh wait, yep FF gives crosshairs at 3dpo, so i guess I did.
Did I really ovulate?
Wow, low coverline.
Is my progesterone high enough?

This month there is no wonder. It's simple.

My temperature rose by 5/10's of a degree overnight.
Yes. I ovulated.

It also rose ANOTHER 2/10ths last night. Definitely a clear thermal shift! I wish it was always this simple. See teh sidebar for my chart if you want to see this amazing phenomenon! LOL!

We have definitely reached maximum BDing for the alloted time, so all we do now, is sit back, share some more of the awesome intimacy we've got going this month, and wait a few weeks to test for pregnancy.

Testing Halloween Morning...COME ON BFP!

Until next time...

dreamersaur

I've got the "almost a year" blues...

I'm sorry I haven't posted more often lately. I've been in a serious TTC funk.

So October 24 is one year TTC. What does that mean for THIS cycle, my 12th since beginning TTC. That means I' am 12 dpo and scared to death to test. I don't want to see a lonely single line this month. I think I may just fall to pieces if I do. Any other month I'd have been testing since 8dpo.

My chart is okay this month (link in sidebar). I ovulated close to a week late, and my post-o temps are really fluctuating. But I'm not taking any supplements and my LP is still more than 10 days so I guess that is a bonus, especially since I went 100% natural this month with no supplements at all to help O or my LPD (luteal phase defect). Maybe my body is straitening out just a little??

How do the women who TTC for 2-3-4-5 years do it!! I'm pushing one year and I am so ready to just give up!

Can everyone who is so inclined throw a little positive baby dust and prayers my way?? I'd love to be posting here as a real pregosaur and not just a TTCosaur....

Crazy temps!

I'm on CD10 and so far my temps have been crazy! I take my temp at 6am each morning. For the past 5 months my temps for these first 14 days or so would hover around 36 degrees C (+/-). This month, they're hovering around 37 degrees C. During my period I think I was running a low grade fever as I was not feeling well (nausea and diarrhea) and my temp got up to 37.6. But now, I feel okay and they're still running at 37 (which is the same as 98.6 degrees F). The funny thing is, for the past few nights I've taken my temperature right before I go to bed and it's been back down around 36. What gives? I would think my temps right before bed would be higher than my BBT. My digital thermometer is 6 months old and I use it at least once per day. Is that their lifespan? Should I get a new one?

The girl who knew too much

The first few days after my new niece was born were fairly rough on me. My husband has definitely noticed this in me and instead of our usual plans to BD, we had a heart to heart.

He was pretty worried about me and how I get so emotional about ttc sometimes. Usually it's just before I "find out my fate" each month but I've also been greatly affected by this new baby too.

I told my DH that I just wished there was a way to stop getting so emotional about ttc and thinking about it all the time. I know that it's a matter of me just choosing to stop feeling sorry for myself or worrying about the future or being jealous or whatever it is that is causing my pain. We talked about how everyone has a cross to bear in their lives, and no ones cross is exactly the same as someone elses. We both feel that God is using this situation to help me learn and grow in my relationship with Him.

DH has been feeling like things were becoming too mechanical in our approach to ttc. Honestly, I had been thinking about this for a little while now, and the new baby situation has simply been the catalyst for us to sit down and talk things through. He thinks that ttc is coming between us in our relationship, and that something has to change. That I need to start focusing on the familiy we DO have instead of dreaming about the family that MIGHT be.

He really cut to the heart of the matter...

We decided after our talk that it's time to stop ttc. It's been a year since I started temping my bbt again, and it's been a good thing since it prompted me to go see the doctor and get some answers. Then after that I was on clomid for those 3 months, so I needed to track my bbt and ovulation date etc. But now, we're done with that chapter of our lives and it's time to get back to basics.

I need to feel spontaneous again when it comes to intimacy. No more focusing on timing and the infamous 'fertile window.' I refuse to let that get in the way of the closeness I share with my husband.

It's time to move on and focus on my family 'as is'.

I threw my thermometer in a drawer and was done with it. It was such a relief...a breath of fresh air. Freedom!

On to Cycle #7.....

Mr. Pharmasaur and I have returned from Mexico where we had a nice, relaxing holiday.


We didn't invite AF along on our trip, but I was prepared, just in case she decided to join us. A few days into the trip, I had several days of spotting and at first, I was hopeful that it was implantation bleeding. I religiously kept taking my BBT while on vacation. That means I was taking my temp at 4:45 a.m. local time each morning! When I saw my temperature take a nose dive on the Saturday morning, I knew that AF would be visiting on Sunday morning. And she did. We flew home Sunday morning so she wasn't too much of an inconvenience while we were on our trip. Except for the spotting. I was disappointed that I didn't even get to take a HPT this cycle. My CBFM gave me a peak reading for the first time last cycle. FF thought I O'd on CD11 and said our intercourse timing was good. So, I got my hopes up and started to get excited at the possibility of maybe getting pregnant again.

You can take a peek at my FF chart here if you are interested.

So this is now Cycle #7 of TTC since the miscarriage on July 24, 2009. On February 24, we were in Mexico and it was the first time I didn't think of the anniversary date of the miscarriage. I remembered when we got back home and I felt guilty for not thinking of it on the actual date. I was distracted by being on holiday and perhaps I am starting to heal from the loss. But I still get teary and wistful thinking about the precious baby that we lost. And I sometimes still feel angry, frustrated and question "Why us?" I wish no one ever had to go through this devastating experience.

image source

I had seen a gynecologist on February 9th who was referring me to a fertility specialist. I called the Fertility Clinic today and they have no record of the referral. So, I need to call the gynecologist back and ask them to fax the clinic. I imagine it will take several months to get an appointment with them and I'm not getting any younger!

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I made an appointment for next week with a Naturopath who specializes in fertility issues. I think she will probably make nutrition and lifestyle recommendations. She also uses a lot of acupuncture and homeopathy in her practice. I imagine she will also recommend some supplements for me to take. I am doing everything I can think of now, so Mr. Pharmasaur and I have agreed to take these next steps.

I will continue to use my CBFM, chart on FF including my BBT, and do the BD every other day (at least!) until my O is confirmed by FF.

Any other tips you can share that helped you to conceive would be most welcomed!

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Discouraged and Determined

What a crazy cycle #5 turned out to be! I started using my CBEFM on CD6 and used it until CD18 and saw the same thing everyday:

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Translation: 13 days straight of low fertility.

I was charting my temperature which seemed to be doing some really weird things. Since it was my first month charting, I didn't know what to expect. Plus, I had a cold and I wasn't getting a very good night's sleep for about a week. I did open a Fertility Friend account. Even FF didn't know what to make of me! I got a little message that said my ovulation couldn't be pinpointed to a 24 hour time period but I may have ovulated somewhere between CD5-11. Gee, thanks!

Surprisingly, my cycle #5 was only 18 days long!

My theory is that I probably ovulated on CD5. I started using the CBFM on CD6. Therefore, the monitor had no chance to detect any hormone changes because it was all over by then. I started feeling PMS symptoms on CD12 and started to spot then as well. I thought that it was impossible AF could be on her way. Mr. Pharmasaur thought she was and he was right. I am finding I do like charting my BBT. I could tell by my temperature drop that AF really was on her way the next day.

I am pretty discouraged and frustrated about my crazy cycles - 27, 32, 21, 53 and 18 days long since the miscarriage.

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I did buy some Preseed. Mr. Pharmasaur and I tried it out once and liked it. But between my cold and my short cycle, there wasn't much BDing this month.

I am going to see a gynecologist this coming Tuesday. I am bringing all my charting info with me and will try to get some answers.

So, it is on to Cycle #6 for me. The plan is to keep using the "Big Guns" - PreSeed, charting on FF with BBT and CM info and the CBEFM. I think we need to start to BD every other day as soon as AF has gone, which will be very soon. I am feeling determined to start fresh this cycle.

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Getting out the "big guns" for Cycle 5

After 6 days of disappointing spotting, AF decided to arrive after 52 days! At first, I was excited. Finally I could get on with TTC and stop wondering (for at least a couple of weeks) what was going on with my body. Then, I felt kind of like this:

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Perhaps because AF had been away for a while, it was not a very pleasant visit.

This is Cycle #5 of TTC since my miscarriage. So, now we are getting out the "big guns".

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I started using the ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor this week. I was very excited about this, much like Lillysaur has mentioned in her recent post. I was also in a hurry to get my monitor so I could begin using it ASAP. Since my previous cycle had been 21 days, I hoped the monitor would get to me in time to start using it for my next cycle. Ironically, the monitor sat here for several weeks while I waited for AF!

Using the CBEFM feels like a new beginning for me. It is my understanding that the monitor tracks 2 hormones, both estrogen and LH, instead of just LH like the traditional OPK tests. This could give me the heads up on up to 6 fertile days per cycle as opposed to 2 with the OPK strips. Well, that is the theory anyway. I'm not sure what my body is actually doing or not doing. I hope the CBEFM will help to clarify this for us. I feel like I have access to more information about my cycle now. This gives me renewed hope that we really can conceive again.

Since I am not sure if I am really ovulating, I have gotten out another "big gun":

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I was against taking my BBT for the longest time. I now think that this information is too valuable to ignore any longer. So, my alarm is set for 5:45 a.m. each day to do this deed. I've only done this for 2 days now so it isn't too bad yet. I am also toying with the idea of setting up a Fertility Friend account. It seems like this is another "big gun" in the TTC arsenal that has helped a lot of women conceive.

I am drinking a cup of green tea and pomegranate juice every day faithfully. I am considering purchasing some PreSeed in case Mr. Pharmasaur and I need a little help with the BD process. And of course, BDing needs to be a very regular activity in the next week or two!

If I do appear to be ovulating, I will stock up on pineapples and munch on those daily. Luckily, I love pineapple!

I have no idea how long this cycle will be. My longest cycle recently was 52 days and my shortest cycle was 21 days. This is why I am pulling out all the "big guns" for TTC on Cycle #5.

Does anyone else have any other tried and true TTC suggestions they'd like to share? I'm all ears!

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A Second Opinion

Yesterday, I met with my former OB-GYN and it was a much more pleasant, positive, and informing experience.

When we first arrived, we sat and talked for a few moments about if we wanted to get pregnant, when I last took birth control, when my last period was, anything that's been going on, the cramps, etc.

He left the room for a few minutes so that I could undress and get ready for an exam.

Mr. Joggersaur insisted on staying in the room with me... just in case anything was wrong.

Part of me was thankful, and part of me was slightly embarassed.

The doctor came back in and performed my exam. It was like a normal pap, except when everything was in place, he says, "Let's get a better look at your cervix." And shoves whatever they use down there even farther up in my cervix causing me to cringe.

He looked around, takes a sample, and feels around.

At this point, I couldn't even look at Mr. Joggersaur, because it's moments like this (when I'm completely uncomfortable) that I'm slightly immature, and would have totally busted out laughing.

When the exam is finished, the doctor leaves so I can get dressed and to put the sample under a microscope.

He returns and we talk for quite awhile.

He said my cervix looked really good. There was no swelling, no abnormalities, and everything felt good. And my cervical mucus sample looked good. He said it was thick.

He suggested that some of my cramping could be trapped air from frequent sex and maybe even changing positions, or it could be from emotions (good or bad stresses), and even bowel obstruction.

I was in with him for almost an hour.

I left with a perscription for progesterone to get things going. Instructions on how to take my basal body temp, because even though my cycles have been regular for awhile, it's only been a year since they were irregular. He suggested taking Citrucel for regular bowel function. And to keep taking my pre-natal vitamin.

After we left the dr's office, we went to the nearest Walgreens to stock up on supplies.

We bought a good themometer, a can of Citrucel, and ibuprofin.

I immediately popped in a couple of ibuprofin. The dr said I could take up to 2400 mg a day. The dr I saw the other day told me not to take anything!

After the pills were down, I started playing with the themometer on the long drive back "to the city".

Once home, I read all the instructions for the Citrucel and proceeded to take my first dose.

It said it would take 12-72 hours to take effect.

Let me tell you, it did not take that long.

Less than two before I was in the potty.

The first trip wasn't too bad. The second trip was only slightly painful. But the third trip was excrutiating!

I was completely drained after so much pooping. And I hurt in the same spot I had been hurting for weeks.

I told Mr. Joggersaur I wouldn't be taking that any more because there couldn't be anything left in me. He said you are taking it every single day, just like the dr said.

But I did get him to agree to taking just 1/2 a scoop instead of 1.

I took my temperature this morning and marked it down on the charts the dr gave me, but I will probably be setting up a fertility friend chart in the near future.

What other tools can I pull out of the toolbox now?

So, after the last crazy week DH and I are back to square one and trying again. I went to see my doctor after the bleeding started and she ordered an ultrasound to find out whether I was indeed pregnant or not. I have to tell you, that was the most uncomfortable thing I've ever gone through in my life! I had to drink 32 oz. of water and hold it until my appointment time. So, I was sitting in the waiting room trying really hard not to wet my pants. Finally, I got to go back for the ultrasound. I thought that you had to wait to use the bathroom until after the ultrasound, but thank goodness the technician let me use the bathroom first. I guess for some reason they wanted me to empty my bladder beforehand. It was a vaginal one too, so I'm glad I was allowed to go first! I guess the other ultrasound requires you to hold your bladder from what everyone tells me. Anyway, the technician told me that I was super fertile and that my ovaries were "screaming with eggs." I guess that's a good thing!

I decided to order Pre-Seed, which is supposed to be sperm-friendly and seems to have assisted many women in getting a BFP. It's hard to say if Pre-Seed is really the changing factor or not, but I'm willing to try it! It just came in the mail today, so I'm curious to start using it. The only downside is that it's $16.50 and pretty small. I guess the idea is that you don't need that much each time. Hopefully DH's little guys will go for it!


Once again I'm temping, taking OPKs, checking CM and cervix position. I'm really hoping this cycle is shorter, but we'll see!

How low can you go?

Apparently very low, and she´s out. Yup, it´s on to cycle IdontknowbecauseIstoppedcounting.

Hey, who took my crosshairs?

This was my chart before I entered today´s temp. I even thought it was probably right. The only other day I could have o´d would have been CD 14, the day I got my positive OPK. The gynocologist had told me that based on my ultrasound and the measurements she would expect me to O on CD 14 or 15. I think she was right. I had lots of EWCM on CD 14 and some on CD 13, and only some watery stuff on CD 15. After that, nothing, nada. And after CD 15 my cervix was not soft and open anymore. But thanks to my temp this morning......

Fertility Friend thinks I haven´t O´d. Shame on her. I am sure I have. Very sure. I wonder if it´s the new thermometer (I got a new thermometer at the start of this cycle), my poor sleeping habits as of late, the fact that I went to bed with wet hair last night, or that fact that I went swimming last night and was a bit tired? Or maybe that my throat was a bit scratchy? Oh dearest FF, please give me my crosshairs back, and please do not put them at some later date, please, pretty please? Sigh.

I have no clue

Really I don't have a clue as to my ovulation this month. I have taken a few OPK's (on Fri, Mon, & Tues) and they all came back negative. I have been checking my CM which I think is considered watery (TMI, I know). I didn't see any egg white this month or last. The only time I saw egg white CM is back in the beginning of July but a period never followed and then I got a positive OPK on August 4th. I know every month is not the same but last month I when I did ovulate I could feel it thru the pain and swelling of my ovary. This whole baby making process is a lot harder than I thought. As a 26 year old woman I don't really know anything about the baby making process with the exception of how to do it ;)

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I am learning more thanks to reading blogs and fertility friend, however fertility friend also confuses me I am still not sure how to read the chart. Last month it showed my forecasted ovulation day and was pretty close. This month it showed it to be this past Wed or Tues and Tuesday I was feeling cramps but they were more like period cramps. I have been having elevated temps the last couple of days but I really don't know what this means. My chart doesn't have any cover lines (red lines). Before birth control I was never regular so maybe my body is going back to its old ways or maybe my cycle is a lot longer than I remember. Below is my chart maybe some of you can tell me what you see because I am still a novice. Thanks

Good news!

It's 12dpo and I haven't started spotting! Ever since I miscarried, I've started spotting on 12dpo, two days before Aunt Flo shows up on 14dpo.

Now this could be regular good news...I could be down to only spotting one day (maybe even no days?!?) before Aunt Flo, instead of the usual two...or four, like last time.

Or it could be very good news...which I don't even dare to say.

It all hinges on tomorrow's temperature - I always get a massive temp drop on 13dpo, leading up to my period the next day. So if my temp stays high tomorrow, I might POAS in the morning. If not, then I have my answer, and at least I'm not spotting so far in advance!

For you chart stalkers, here's how things are looking - the hollow circle today is because I woke up an hour earlier than usual:
Why yes...that IS another pregnancy test on 11dpo. And yes, I am properly ashamed. What can I say? If I have HPTs at hand, I want to use them. Next cycle, I'm not buying any ahead of time - if they're not in the house, I can't pee on them, right? Well, not without getting arrested, anyway...

OPK Package Has Arrived!

So, I received the package of OPKs/HPTs yesterday as well as the BBT that I ordered. It's nice that they came right when AF ended, perfect timing! It came with 25 OPKs and they are just the basic ones with the double lines, so I'm hoping that they work well and are easy to read. I think I'm going to start using them on Day 10 of my cycle and since I have 25, hopefully I won't have to use them all up! The package also came with 10 HPTs, so I'm already set to test without having to go spend big bucks on tiny packages of two.

The BBT is really basic, but seems to be good quality. I took my temperature for the first time this morning, so my chart has one dot on it finally! The only bad thing is that it says to take your temperature at the same time every day, so I'm setting my alarm at 5:30 AM to take it since I'll be waking up that early once I go back to work in two weeks. I'm wondering though if you can give or take a few hours? I'm not really looking forward to having to wake up at 5:30 7 days a week if I don't have to. Of course I'm going back to sleep when I can, but it still doesn't seem to be as effective as getting non interrupted sleep.

I'm feeling really positive about this cycle, since I feel like I'm a little bit more educated about how everything works. I've been reading all the emails from fertilityfriend.com and they really give a lot of good information about symptoms and other things to indicate ovulation.

Cheers to charting! :)

On to Cycle # 6 I go...

AF arrived this afternoon. I am not terribly upset, since I have been mentally preparing myself for BFN's every month, but still a little morose.


I am giving it one more month before DH gets his next SA. Until then, I plan to continue acucpuncture and wear a medal of Rita of Cascia, the patron saint of infertility. Hey, at this point, I don't see the harm.

Here we go again...

So, today I finally got crosshairs on my Fertility Friend chart. But they're not the ones I want. Here's what my chart looked like right after I added in the high temp this morning:

The problem is that I am 99.99999999% positive that I ovulated two days later, on CD13. This is based on my cervical mucus and lack of a temperature rise until CD14 (yes I know there's a random high temp on CD10, but based on my CM and temps after that, I'm convinced it's an abberation and not really indicative of anything).

The thing that's messing up Fertility Friend is the postive OPK on CD10. Normally, you'll ovulate 24-48 hours after a +OPK, but we all know what happened to me last time: the big O showed up a full 72 hours after I got a positive, and it looks like the same thing is happening this time around (24-48 hours is only the average, and there are always exceptions - so for my last cycle and this one, I just seem to be outside of the usual curve).

The first thing I tried to get Fertility Friend to switch the date was to remove the +OPK on CD10. This worked, but I ended up with dashed crosshairs instead of solid ones:

Yet again, the problem is due to OPKs. I took one on CD13 for no real reason, just out of curiosity since it didn't look like I'd O'd yet and I wanted to see if the surge was building up again. Obviously not! So I didn't feel any real compuction about removing it, since it was really pretty meaningless and of no charting value.

And voila! Solid crosshairs!

I was 99.99999999% positive that the other chart was wrong, and I am 99.99999999% positive that this one is right.

Of course, instead of doing all of that, I can just manually set the ovulation date and coverline, so now that's what I've gone back and done (which probably makes this entire post kind of useless, but oh well - some people collect stamps, other people watch birds, I play with Fertility Friend). I prefer to leave the OPKs in because I like to add my completed charts to Fertility Friend's chart gallery so other women can see them - this way, just in case there's another woman who is having the same problem with ovulating later than usual after a +OPK, she can see that she's not the only one.

It might not make a lot of sense to go to all of this trouble, especially since we're covered with FWPing either way. But I don't want a repeat of the confusion and disappointment with the negative HPTs last cycle, when I thought Aunt Flo was several days late because Fertility Friend estimated my ovulation date way too early - so if there's any question about the matter, I'd rather err on the side of later.

Worst case scenario, AF shows up a few days earlier than I think she should - if that happens, I'll just go back into my chart and change the O-date back to CD11, like Fertility Friend thought it should be. If she shows up on the date that I think she should, then I'll know I'm right and I'll leave it as is. And if she doesn't show up at all, well...that would be the best!

P.S. I feel like I should add that Fertility Friend is normally pretty good at what it does...but on the other hand, it is still just a computer program, not an intuitive human being, so it just doesn't deal very well with unusual situations - and I seem to be presenting it with a lot of those lately, haha!