NFP Success Story #1: Conception at Last

After 5 cycles of charting, we conceived! Here is what my chart looked like that month: (For more information on charting, please see my articles on “Charting Your Primary Fertility Signs.”)

Cycle days (cd) 1-5 menstruation, no charting (I take a vacation from charting the first 5 days of my cycle)

Cd6 98.2

Cd7 98.0 creamy cervical fluid (cf)

Cd8 97.7 creamy cf,

Cd9 97.7 creamy cf in am, egg-white cf in pm

Cd10 98.3 egg-white cf

Cd11 98.4 egg-white cf

Cd12 97.8 egg-white cf in am, dry by pm

Cd13 98.4 dry

Cd14 98.2

Cd15 98.4

Cd16 98.6

Cd17 98.4

Cd18 98.4

Cd19 98.6

Cd20 98.7

Cd21 98.6

Cd22 98.6

Cd23 Due to dropping temps, I despaired of being pregnant, and stopped charting

Cd24 Strange spotting

Cd25 Cramping

Cd26 98.7 Two positive home pregnancy tests! (I had to take three before I finally believed it!)

I believe that I ovulated on cd12, the last day of egg-white cf and the day before the final big rise in temperature. We “baby-danced” only 3 days that cycle, on cd8, 11, and 12, but we timed it perfectly, apparently! Generally, timing matters more than frequency when a couple is trying to conceive. You may notice that I had a temperature rise on cd10 and another rise on cd13. I generally experience at least one “false start” (as on cd10) each cycle, but I still have to take it seriously each month, especially if I’m taking care to prevent pregnancy. Finally, the continued high temperature on cd26 (usually my temperature plummets right before menses due to a shift in hormones) and the strange spotting on cd24 (evidence of implantation) were suspicious signs that I might indeed be pregnant.

Interestingly, when I took my chart to my first obstetrical appointment, my doctor was not interested in the information. Instead, she got out the traditional pregnancy wheel to determine my due date, even though the pregnancy wheel assumes a 28-day cycle and ovulation on cd14. I’ve never ovulated on cd14 in my life! I felt a wee bit vindicated when my daughter did indeed arrive “early” by the pregnancy wheel calculations. Sometimes, charting women do know more than their doctors. :-)

Each woman’s chart is profoundly unique, but I hope that my chart and “conception story” are helpful to those of you who are trying to understand your bodies better. Please feel free to ask questions and add comments below. If you are trying to conceive, may this be the month you are blessed!

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