Without temping and charting, is there anything you learn by just observing AF?

I went off the pill in April have been marking AF on a calendar since I got off to have an idea of what my cycles are like (I was on the pill for 13 years and don't remember if they were normal before I started)

Is there anything I can learn from looking at this calendar and knowing when AF came, how long it was, etc.?

I know that I can count from day one to figure out when to BD (my dr. told me to start BDing 10 days after the first day of AF)

But is there anything else?

TIA!

Message edited 8/5/2009 10:22:00 AM.

Re: Without temping and charting, is there anything you learn by just observing AF?

Here's what I've learned so far.

Your cervical mucus (CM) will be the best indicator of your fertility status, not so much your period start date. Keep track of how many days your cycles are. You should see a rise in CM ABOUT midway through your cycle. The most fertile kind of CM is egg-white cervical mucus (EWCM) - it looks a lot like raw egg whites - clear or slightly cloudy and can be stretched more than an inch between your thumb and forefinger. You may have one day of EWCM or many days. Usually your CM will dry up after you've ovulated, so you can use that as an indication.

If you are TTC, you should BD when you have EWCM. If you want to be more precise, some women will use an OPK to tell them when ovulation is due (usually 12-36 hours after you get a positive on an OPK).

HTH!

ETA: If you want, keep track of your CM status on your calendar along with the start of your period dates so that you have a visual. My doctor told me that when we are ready to start TTC, we should BD every other day after my period ends, that that would be a good way to try without tracking anything specific.

Also, you can use one of the free fertility calendars online to put in just your period info and your CM info and it will calculate your estimated ovulation dates and fertile dates. One popular one is www.fertilityfriend.com.

Message edited 8/5/2009 10:31:54 AM.

Re: Without temping and charting, is there anything you learn by just observing AF?

There is so much you can tell about your body once you are off BC. It's amazing. Maybe it's just me but I feel ovulation and I can notice the CM. I followed my doctors adviced and BD'd pretty much every other day after AF ended and we got pg in our first month...it didn't end well but I am certainly going to try it again like that when we are ready to start again.

But if you pay attention and listen and notice your body i think you'll start to know it well.

Re: Without temping and charting, is there anything you learn by just observing AF?

there are still things you can notice
1 - length of your cycles

2 - ovulation pain (often covered up by BC pills)

3 - observe your CM; watery like snot or egg whites is ovulation time

4 - # of days from egg white CM until AF shows (LP or Luteal Phase)

Re: Without temping and charting, is there anything you learn by just observing AF?

I noticed so much about my body when I came off the pill. I'm not temping or using OPKs to see when I'm Oing. Instead, I'm checking my CM and tracking that on a calendar. This month is right on schedule according to last month.

CM increases as you approach O time. You want to look for CM that resembles egg whites and stretches between your fingers. This is when you want to BD. Once you O it will dry up again.

If you just track AF, I think you'll only know how long your cycle is. I don't think you could tell when you O or anything like that just from the dates of AF.

Re: Without temping and charting, is there anything you learn by just observing AF?

Re: Without temping and charting, is there anything you learn by just observing AF?

Thanks ladies! Great tips!