Tag Archives: ovulation

Cycle 17, IUI #2.

Posted by

14

The deed has been done. IUI#2 went off without a hitch (other than a stubborn cervix), and I had 59.1 million sperm injected straight into my uterus. Fertility Friend says I ovulated on the day of the IUI, and I am now three DPO. I wore my second pair of fertility socks from Amy at Dwelling on Dreams. This pair is particularly awesome. Grumpy. That’s what I’m going to be if this cycle is a bust. Fucking grumpy.

That’s right. Grumpy.

I’ve had some weird and disparate fertility signs since the IUI. First my cervix didn’t act like it normally does, which consists of clamping down hard and tight after ovulation. I also had some fertile mucus after my suspected ovulation. That freaked me out, and I spent some time obsessing about timing. Yesterday, at two DPO, I experienced some mild cramping and had one instance of spotting. Implantation at two DPO? Ha. Not likely. The cause? Who knows. I give up. I have no control.

Also, I’ve been conducting a bit of an experiment with charting. Since moving to the desert I find myself waking up with my mouth wide open and dry as, well, the desert. This seems to affect my temperatures a bit. So, I thought I would try temping vaginally. Don’t worry, folks, I bought a new thermometer. I’ve been taking both temps this cycle to see how they differ. By and large the vaginal temps are .5 degrees higher than the oral. This was consistent until I ovulated. Orally I saw a nice shift, but I am not seeing a shift vaginally. Big Guy suggested I try to push excess air out of my vagina prior to taking my temperature. I told him I didn’t think that would work. I suppose the moral of the story is that people primarily discuss temperatures methods as oral or anal for a reason. I don’t have the dedication to do anal temperatures. I’m not that interested in continuing my personal science project. Vaginal temping did not produce a thermal shift for me. Perhaps I can’t maintain a pregnancy because I have a frigid uterus and vagina.

My luteal phase is going to go fast. This is a welcome relief after the self-inflicted crazy of last cycle. I have a friend coming into town early this week and then we are heading back to Nebraska for my sister’s wedding. I return to the desert on 11 DPO. Our plan is to test on the morning of 12 DPO fully expecting a positive because I metabolize the trigger at a glacial rate. So, the test that matters will be at 13 DPO, or on next Wednesday morning. Darker, lighter, nonexistent? Who knows.

Here is the question: Should I pack some tests to take with me? You know, just in case I’m feeling pregnant…

CD What?

Posted by

23

I got a positive OPK this morning. On CD 11. In shock, I checked my cervix and it was soft and open and producing some nice mucus. Fertility Friend says I am to ovulate sometime between CD 11 and CD 13. This is bananas. With and without Clomid my typical ovulation day is right at CD 19. This is so fun! It is so fast! It is like a whirlwind! I love Femara! Continue reading →

The Point At Which My Composure Crumbled.

Posted by

17

Four seasons are my favorite.  I like four distinct seasons, none of which have to be so unruly that my health is in danger.  Denver has four beautiful seasons.  It gets cold, but not too cold.  It gets hot, but not too hot.  Spring and fall are both glorious in the Mile High City. Four beautiful seasons.

I miss the four temperate (to me) seasons. It was 115 degrees yesterday here in the desert.  Today’s temperature is estimated to reach 120 degrees.  That’s right: one hundred and twenty degrees. I woke up early yesterday to get a start to the day, hoping to run a 3.66 mile route through some local neighborhoods.  Alas, I did not check the thermostat before I started and, as it turns out, at 7:45 it was already 90 something degrees.  Suffice it to say I did not complete the run.

As we moved through June, I thought that 110 was the point at which I began to lose my shit, but I was wrong.  Yesterday I officially lost my shit.  It went something like this.  1) Run Errands. 2) Sweat profusely. 3) Run errands. 4) Sweat and chafe profusely. 5) Fail to find necessary items. 6) Sweat profusely and feel sick. 7) Pull up to our garage. 8) Garage won’t open. 9) Sit in air-conditioned car contemplating the need to enter the heat. Again. 8) Run around front and enter garage through alternate entry. 9) Grab remote opener and hurl it to the ground wherein it shatters in pieces. 10) Hurl some expletives and enter the safety of my house. For the record, the point at which I lose my shit is 115 degrees with almost zero humidity. However, I blame the Clomid.

In other news, I’m currently on CD 13 during Cycle #14.  I started the OPKs on CD 10 and much to my surprise they started getting much, much darker on CD 11.  Yesterday my test, if not positive, was damn near there. It would be super duper exciting to ovulate today or tomorrow.  Unheard of really.  So, I’m checking my expectations and acknowledging that I am probably just experiencing a stronger than usual mini-surge leading to my normal ovulation pattern where I ovulate between CD 17 and CD 19.

Did you know that extreme heat can affect sperm? My research is a bit spotty here (ie lazy) but I am going to interpret these research results broadly.  As a result, since I may or may not ovulate today or tomorrow, I am not going to go outside.  I would hate to harm the swimmers by getting too hot.