I know this is probably impossible and I should be grateful for any time I can conceive but I REALLY want to shoot for getting pregnant in August because of timing with my sister's wedding, teaching, etc. My weight and A1C are coming down and I think I'll be ready at that point. My quesiton is...do you guys know or know of a good book I can read that can help teach me about coming off the pill in time, making sure I ttc during ovulation, etc. I have a lot to learn about the female body! :) I won't meet with the gyno until January or February so I wanted to see if I can get some tips from here first! Thanks everybody!!!!
Yes, definitely get this book! I would also think about using ovulation tests along with the charting method in the book. I haven't found it to be quite as clear-cut as the book makes it sound to pinpoint when I'm ovulating (until after the fact, which is too late to do any good). For me, the combination of charting and ovulation tests has been better than charting alone.
Your ob/gyn may or may not be very helpful--mine kind of gave me a blank look when I asked if she had any info about ttc!
As everyone else said, get that book! I followed it and charted religiously for 4-5 month before trying to conceive my daughter (just turned 3). We were pregnant the first month. I am starting the process again in an effort for an March/April conception of baby #2.
Best of luck to you!! "Taking Charge of your Fertility" is an excellent book and I found it incredible how much we are not taught about our bodies and our fertility. I hope you find it as informative and eye-opening as I did.
Thanks for the great recommendation guys! This is why I love this site because we have such a great support group!
Lisa L. (or anyone else who knows...she mentioned this, though): If I really want an to conceive in August should I go ahead and start charting soon? I noticed you charted 3-4 months before ttc. I'm also trying to figure out the best time to come off birth control. I'm sure the book probably answers a lot of this.
Yes, definitely start charting as soon as you can--it will take you awhile to get to know what your cycles are like. I don't know about birth control, but the book can probably answer that.
I would come off birth control asap so that you can get your body regulated-you may need more/less insulin (I needed a lot less when I came off!) and you want to get back to a regular cycle before TTC. Good luck!
Oh wow!...Guess I better get on the ball then. It makes me so excited but nervous at the same time! I'm hoping coming off birth control will also help amp up a little weight loss! :)
A combination of charting (basal temps and cervical mucous) and OPKs worked for me (I used fertilityfriend). I was on the pill for almost 15 years straight, so was really nervous about ttc, but got pregnant right away. If you start charting now, you'll have a really good idea of what your exact cycle is, which will really help you later...
http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ was really helpful for me to track my temperatures and cervical mucus and find when i was ovulating. it took 2+ months to get the hang of charting and find a solid ovulation pattern. it took my body about 6 months to get on a regular cycle after going off birth control, and i also used the clear blue easy fertility monitor, since i never had much luck with regular opks.
Thannks for all the helpful comments everyone! This may be an obvious question, but do I wait until I after I stop the pill to chart ovulation?..the pill actually stops ovulation, right?
Also…
you all know I want to start trying this summer which gives me about 6 more months. Is that a reasonable amount of time to lose some weight and if so how much? I’m at 165 an would rather be around 130 before getting pregnant!
HI I’m pretty sure you would wait until after you go off the pill to start charting, but you could always start to get into the habit - it took me a little while to get used to taking my temps at the same time every morning.
I am 14 weeks and used charting (learned by reading Taking Charge of your Fertility) and also a Clearblue Easy Fertility monitor. Once I got my cycles down, we were pregnant!
I would say losing 30 lbs. in 6 months is reasonable, but any more than that might be overdoing it. I think you are supposed to average no more than 2 lbs lost per week (if I remember correctly).
I’m pretty sure you would wait until after you go off the pill to start charting, but you could always start to get into the habit - it took me a little while to get used to taking my temps at the same time every morning.