On Charting

R & I started discussing babies almost as soon as we started discussing marriage - which was about 2 weeks into our relationship, lol. We had been friends for years and years, and had been teetering on the edge of a relationship for months, so really, this was a natural progression for us.

I knew that I wanted to start trying for a family soon after marriage. My initial concern was our housing situation, but we signed a contract to build our house a few months before our wedding - it would be completed 2 months after we were married. We both have great jobs, an awesome support system, we would have a beautiful home to fill with children, and most importantly - we both wanted to be parents more than we could describe.

So, in the plan I drew up in my head, I'd go off my birth control pills (which I had been taking for the better part of my life since I had turned 18), and then I'd get pregnant. I had even thought that I may end up pregnant for our wedding, a risk I was willing to take. Haha, what a fun little plan that was!

In reading online on some of my favorite message boards, I heard about a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I bought the book and began reading - I think I finished it in the better part of a day, lol. I learned all about charting and ordered my basal body temperature thermometer.

I started charting the month I went off birth control. I use Fertility Friend's VIP service to do all of my charting, and really, it was a no-brainer. I even went ahead and ordered some OPK's and sperm-safe lube for our honeymoon.

I was surprised, although not shocked or concerned, when I wasn't pregnant for our wedding. My charts showed obvious ovulation, albeit a bit late, every cycle on CD18. I was definitely shocked when I wasn't pregnant after our honeymoon - we did everything "right", which you'll learn in TTC world doesn't always mean a thing.

After analyzing my charts after our honeymoon, I noticed a pattern - I only had a luteal phase of 10 days or less, and this was often accompanied by spotting after ovulation and spotting after AF. After reading about the importance of the length of the luteal phase, I made an appointment with an RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist).