My husband and I have been trying since July 2008, I am on meds for an underactive thyroid, my dosage was increased in early May after only being on the the med for 5 1/2 weeks, negative pg test late May, assumed the meds are not working to regulate my cycle yet, so I am trying to stay positive. This month I finally tried OPK on day 16 and finally got 2 lines. We left for our first wedding anniversary getaway and on day 20 my temp increased to 98 but fell back to 97.5 on day 21 so I guess I didn't ovulate. Within this time I had the physical twinges that come along for me when I ovulate. I took an OPK test on day 24 and day 25 and both had a faint 2nd line but day 25 I had increased physical twinges and was fairly uncomfortable and checked cm and thought oh, now I must be ovulating....... I am so confused and frustrated. Why are my cycles so long, why does the OPK show me 2 dark lines 2 days and then physically I feel I am ovulating later than I thought again and the 2nd line is faint. I used to always be cycle 22-28 very consistent. The past 3 years I have been under severe stress which I feel brought on the underactive thyroid, some of my weight gain and of course I am 39. I am so worried that I won't be able to have children. :-(
I really thought I had it figured out this month. My temps have stayed at 98.0 and 98.1. safe to say I have ovulated and now I wait.......ugh!!!
I haven't gotten very many responses to any of my posts... is there anyone out there with a similar situation?? Anyone to share their thoughts???
I am not TTCing yet, so there's nothing much I can say, except that I hope you get your BFP soon! Also, stress can actually prevent you from getting pregnant, so it would be good if you could somehow ease up on yourself and try to overcome your fears. Easier said than done, I know.
Hey Dak. Perhaps your body needs a chance to get used to the thyroid meds to regulate your cycle. I don't know if you have that Taking Charge of your Fertility Book, but it has a few sections about hypothyroidism- it ususally causes long cycles in which you have extended periods of fertile-quality cervical fluid , low temps, and cycles with no shift in temps. I would really pay close attention to those temps and cervical fluid because that should definitely reflect if the problem is thyroid related. Good luck Dak!
I am the biggest worrier in the world.... I have actually been less stressed in the last 2 months and feeling much calmer but I hear BIG BEN ticking and I fully admit I feel like I am running out of valuable time.... but also know that if I keep stressing and worrying it'll never happen too...... I do have the "Taking Charge of your Fertility" book.... it's been very helpful.... never thought I would need it or read it but I have learned soo much. We are just so anxious to have a family, I have waited soo long, I can't go back to my 20's...... so I hope the Good Lord can give us a healthy baby :-) I will have my bloodwork tested in about a week so I hope the meds are working....I also thought I would see more of a shift in my morning temps..... 3 days in a row, it stay at 98.0-98.1 no variation but before ovulation the temps were up and down staying primarily at 97.2-97.5, 97.8etc.........and I am aware of the effects of low thyroid... I have had those..... now I understand why. As my husband likes to remind me.... I need to be patient, yes easier said than done.....LOL!!
Thanks again........:-)
Last edited by dak2005; 06-27-2009 at 11:49 AM.
Reason: spelled words wrong
I just got my results back from thyroid blood test and my levels are good!! I am very relieved so hopefully a baby will be in the future. We have to keep trying and do lots of praying :-)
This month I finally tried OPK on day 16 and finally got 2 lines. We left for our first wedding anniversary getaway and on day 20 my temp increased to 98 but fell back to 97.5 on day 21 so I guess I didn't ovulate. Within this time I had the physical twinges that come along for me when I ovulate. I took an OPK test on day 24 and day 25 and both had a faint 2nd line but day 25 I had increased physical twinges and was fairly uncomfortable and checked cm and thought oh, now I must be ovulating....... I am so confused and frustrated.
Glad to hear your test results are good. Have you seen an infertility specialist yet to check everything else? If you can afford it, it might be worth it especially with your changing periods. And get a SA!
Temperature tracking to figure the exact ovulation time isn't entirely precise according to the Dr I saw. There are a lot of factors that can change it. When I did it I did not have a rise in temp for a day or two after I was sure I had ovulated. So it is very possible that your ovulation was happening on CD 17/18, then your temps fluctuated a bit after CD 20.
OPKs can also have faint readings before and after you ovulate. You have to go with the darkest one in conjunction with your other signs. It's possible that your twinges could be misleading you since we become hyper sensitive to our bodies at this time. It could be other things causing the discomfort too.
I would recommend checking your cervix daily in the shower if you really want to know if you've already ovulated. It moves a bit during the cycle, but the big difference is in the feel. During your fertile time it's softer and when you're not, it's firmer. At that time you can also check your CM. When you do it daily like that it's a lot easier to see what's going on.
On another note, from the Dr I saw, frequency of BD is a lot more effective than exact timing. If you can do it every other or at least every 3 days during your wide window of possible fertility, you'll have a chance of hitting your day since the sperm can stay alive for a while.
For myself after TTC #2 for almost 1 1/2 yrs, I've laid off on the being obsessed with when I'm ovulating (as it can add some stress) and we're sticking to about every other day for my fertile week. I was a pretty regular 28 days, but now I'm shifting to 27. I am however taking cough syrup (Guaifenesin only) to loosen my CM. I did get PG using it and then had a MC. I'm 36 and some months I do know my CM isn't as great as others, or when I was younger, so I figure it can't hurt.
Temperature tracking to figure the exact ovulation time isn't entirely precise according to the Dr I saw.
That is correct, I read a study which showed that a number of women ovulated as much as 2 days before/after their temperature rise. However, the majority did ovulate as their temperature indicated.
Also, if you use this method to prevent conception, it has a 98-99.7% effectiveness (another study). If women were ovulating much sooner or later than their temps indicate, that number would be much lower. So it can still be a useful tool.
If you don't have luck with OPKs, you could try the saliva microscope, or do the OPKs twice a day. The LH surge can actually be so short that you can miss it otherwise.
Thanks for the responses. I think my husband should go to get tested i but I thought too we should wait to see if my thyroid regulates this month. Fertility specialist isn't out of the question just yet. I took 5 OPK tests starting day 8 and will take one again today day 19, still a very faint line and I guess I should take 2 a day, they're sooo expensive!!! I fully admit I am obsessed with all of this.. trying to understand, time it just right, do everything right, eat right, exercise etc... driving me crazy!! and my poor husband...ugh, he just takes it in stride!!
I am doing all of the CM and CP checking too.... I have learned a lot... so I hope we are pregnant this month.......
I suggest getting a saliva ovulation microscope (look it up online), it's about 20$ and you can use it for a lifetime (to coceive and prevent). It's very easy to use and read the results as well. OPK's are really horribly expensive.
