Warming up...
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Hmmmm---not much of a warm up, but I will try to carry on and see if I get any further...
Right--I'll start with charting.
In an attempt to create a biologically viable combo of James and myself, I have taken to charting my temperature first thing in the morning.
I have been dutifully tracking the rise and fall of these readings on a website called (blush) "Fertility Friend".
The record-keeping part of the site has been great: there's a calendar that shows you roughly when you might be ovulating and what your "fertile window" might be based on past cycles and other relevant info you choose to share. And then the chart keeps track of everything from your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) to what mood you're in and what your energy level is like, from what medication you might be taking to whether you had a good night's sleep.
But then comes the bit which I keep approaching with a reluctant fascination: the Circle Posts and Chats.
Despite the best intentions of my husband and another good friend in encouraging me to shun excessive reading on the subjects of fertility and conception, I have been unable to stop myself from quietly flicking through the different posts as I update my data every morning. I find myself confusingly wistful and repelled at the same time as I read about all these different women trying to get pregnant.
I think I am wistful because I think it's rather cool that these groups of people find each other over the Internet medium and create these virtual support groups where the dynamics of friendship are not governed in the same way as they are in real life and real time.
But I am repelled because it all seems just so WEIRD! I mean no disrespect to any of these women, of course, but it's this whole little world of detecting various fertility signs and then analyzing them online in a language that is so FULL of acronyms that it really does feel like you've landed in a foreign country at first.
Here's an example--this is a composite/fictitious post to give you an idea of what you might find:
"Hi Everyone!
Just checking in to see how y'all are doing! C--, did you bake the chocolate cake in the end, or did you opt for the cupcakes? S--, it looks like you've got a great coverline on your chart! And R--, I think you should wait to use the OPK until CD 12--based on what your charting, it doesn't look like there would be a likely LH surge before then. Finally, B--, you should consider looking into possible MFI if nothing happens this cycle.
I'm 16 DPO and I'm itching to POAS, but think I should wait a bit longer... It was frustrating getting that BFN last month--I was convinced that AF wouldn't show 'cos it didn't FEEL like she would, you know what I mean?
Even DH said I wasn't my usual moody PMS'ing self! Ah well, positive thoughts for a BFP this cycle!"
(Glossary: DH = Dear Husband, CD# = Cycle Day #, OPK = Ovulation Predictor Kit, LH = Lutenizing Hormone, DPO = Days Past Ovulation, POAS = Pee On A Stick, BFN = Big Fat Negative (with a substitution for the F-word optional), BFP = Big Fat Positive, AF = Aunt Flo (menstrual period), MFI = Male Fertility Issues, and the list goes on.)
It's scary how quickly you can become embroiled/engrossed in it all, but I suppose it IS interesting to peek through these windows into other peoples' lives--in the same way as reading a blog with a running commentary on someone's life might be interesting...
At any rate, I am vowing to spend less time trolling through the posts on FF (Fertility Friend!) and more time recording thoughts and stories on here.
Now there's a start!
J.
Hmmmm---not much of a warm up, but I will try to carry on and see if I get any further...
Right--I'll start with charting.
In an attempt to create a biologically viable combo of James and myself, I have taken to charting my temperature first thing in the morning.
I have been dutifully tracking the rise and fall of these readings on a website called (blush) "Fertility Friend".
The record-keeping part of the site has been great: there's a calendar that shows you roughly when you might be ovulating and what your "fertile window" might be based on past cycles and other relevant info you choose to share. And then the chart keeps track of everything from your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) to what mood you're in and what your energy level is like, from what medication you might be taking to whether you had a good night's sleep.
But then comes the bit which I keep approaching with a reluctant fascination: the Circle Posts and Chats.
Despite the best intentions of my husband and another good friend in encouraging me to shun excessive reading on the subjects of fertility and conception, I have been unable to stop myself from quietly flicking through the different posts as I update my data every morning. I find myself confusingly wistful and repelled at the same time as I read about all these different women trying to get pregnant.
I think I am wistful because I think it's rather cool that these groups of people find each other over the Internet medium and create these virtual support groups where the dynamics of friendship are not governed in the same way as they are in real life and real time.
But I am repelled because it all seems just so WEIRD! I mean no disrespect to any of these women, of course, but it's this whole little world of detecting various fertility signs and then analyzing them online in a language that is so FULL of acronyms that it really does feel like you've landed in a foreign country at first.
Here's an example--this is a composite/fictitious post to give you an idea of what you might find:
"Hi Everyone!
Just checking in to see how y'all are doing! C--, did you bake the chocolate cake in the end, or did you opt for the cupcakes? S--, it looks like you've got a great coverline on your chart! And R--, I think you should wait to use the OPK until CD 12--based on what your charting, it doesn't look like there would be a likely LH surge before then. Finally, B--, you should consider looking into possible MFI if nothing happens this cycle.
I'm 16 DPO and I'm itching to POAS, but think I should wait a bit longer... It was frustrating getting that BFN last month--I was convinced that AF wouldn't show 'cos it didn't FEEL like she would, you know what I mean?
Even DH said I wasn't my usual moody PMS'ing self! Ah well, positive thoughts for a BFP this cycle!"
(Glossary: DH = Dear Husband, CD# = Cycle Day #, OPK = Ovulation Predictor Kit, LH = Lutenizing Hormone, DPO = Days Past Ovulation, POAS = Pee On A Stick, BFN = Big Fat Negative (with a substitution for the F-word optional), BFP = Big Fat Positive, AF = Aunt Flo (menstrual period), MFI = Male Fertility Issues, and the list goes on.)
It's scary how quickly you can become embroiled/engrossed in it all, but I suppose it IS interesting to peek through these windows into other peoples' lives--in the same way as reading a blog with a running commentary on someone's life might be interesting...
At any rate, I am vowing to spend less time trolling through the posts on FF (Fertility Friend!) and more time recording thoughts and stories on here.
Now there's a start!
J.
posted by Joli at 1:04 PM
1 Comments:
Q from DH, "fancy a quickie?" xo
Post a Comment
<< Home